As a longtime gamer and UX designer, I was excited to dive into Warborne: Above Ashes – Solarbite, a strategy-heavy, sci-fi turn-based title that promises depth and spectacle. Naturally, I approached the game with a critical eye, curious to see how its UI/UX choices enhance—or hinder—the overall experience. Here are five areas where the game hits the mark, and five where it stumbles.

Design Wins

1. Intuitive Tactical Grid System
   From the moment I deployed my first mech unit, the game’s grid system felt second nature. The clean tile layout, paired with hover tooltips and dynamic enemy range indicators, made maneuvering smooth and strategic. For a game that thrives on turn-based precision, this was a standout experience.

2. Minimalist HUD During Combat
   The combat HUD in Warborne: Above Ashes – Solarbite deserves praise. It elegantly reduces clutter by contextualizing information. Instead of a screen full of icons, relevant commands pop up as needed—movement, abilities, and status effects are displayed only when they matter, which keeps you focused on the tactics, not on deciphering the interface.

3. Customizable UI Layouts
   Giving players control over UI elements is often overlooked in strategy games. Warborne Above Ashes Solarbite allows you to reposition elements, resize minimaps, and adjust transparency. As someone who values comfort in long gaming sessions, this flexibility was a real plus.

4. Unit Upgrade Flow
   Upgrading mechs and officers feels fluid. The upgrade paths are laid out visually in a way that avoids confusion. It took me less than 5 minutes to understand how different branches unlock, and even with a large roster, everything is neatly categorized and searchable.

5. In-Game Lore Integration
   The UX decision to integrate lore entries directly into loading screens and mission briefings enriched the immersion. I never had to leave the core gameplay loop to learn about factions or history, which kept me engaged even between missions.

Design Fails

1. Overwhelming Onboarding
   The tutorial throws too much at players early on. While experienced strategy gamers might manage, newcomers will likely feel lost. The lack of adaptive difficulty in tutorial prompts makes early missions feel like a dense info dump rather than a gradual introduction.

2. Poor Contrast in Menus
   Some of the UI menus, especially the tech tree and squad assignment screens, suffer from low contrast. Gray text on metallic gray backgrounds doesn’t help legibility, particularly in low-light settings or for players with visual impairments.

3. Lack of Clear Feedback on Ability Cooldowns
   During intense battles, it’s not always obvious when a skill is on cooldown. The visual indicators are too subtle, blending with the rest of the ability icons. A stronger color cue or animation would significantly improve usability here.

4. Limited Controller Support Feedback
   While Warborne Above Ashes Solarbite supports controllers, the UI doesn’t always adapt intuitively. Some prompts still display keyboard commands, and navigating radial menus with a joystick can feel clunky. This creates friction for those who prefer console-style play.

5. Inventory Management Clutter
   As I accumulated gear and resources, sorting through my inventory became tedious. There’s no robust filter system, and similar items aren’t grouped intuitively. Managing upgrades or comparing equipment involves a lot of unnecessary scrolling and clicking.

Personal Experience and Recommendation

I spent over 30 hours immersed in Warborne: Above Ashes – Solarbite, drawn in by its rich tactical layers and sci-fi narrative. While the game shines in its core mechanics and offers a visually satisfying battlefield interface, it also has areas that could benefit from polish—particularly in making early gameplay more welcoming and some menu screens more user-friendly.

If you're planning to buy Warborne Above Ashes Solarbite, I recommend doing so with the understanding that its strengths lie in mid-to-late game strategy and unit customization. For fans of games like Advance Wars or Wargroove, this is a solid pick, though casual players may need some patience with its UI quirks. Overall, the experience is worth it, especially for those who value depth and control in their tactical gameplay.