Menace's first major early access update overhauls its least interesting faction and jettisons its reviled promotion tax system: 'We have done away with it'

While still very much at the 'early' stage of early access, Menace is by all accounts an excellent take on turn-based tactics. Wannabe space mercenary Jonathan Bolding was effusive in his praise of its approach to the genre when he deployed into its sci-fi universe in March. "I can't stress enough how much fun Menace's core strategy play is, even with a few early access quibbles," he wrote. "The basic rules simplify the kind of ultra-crunchy stuff you find in dense wargames into a faster-playing game without sacrificing any cool simulation."

Such player quibbles are also the focus of Menace's first major early access update. Released earlier this week, Menace's 'Redacted' update goes significantly further than the bugs and balance patches the game has received so far, reshaping several core features and mechanics in big ways.

This starts with the complete removal of one of Menace's most disliked features—the promotion...