Really? Do you?.. are you sure? Might have been a good idea to spend some of that thinking time reading ANYTHING about the game which as alway says above has had tactical combat planned for it from the start

For some info straight from the horse's mouth please see the Elemental: Tactical Battles developer journal.

I understand your desire not to compare games that are... well, not the same game.   However comparison is such a vague term.   I'm not one to say 'one is better than another' the way I would elect that I liked certain aspects of one over the other.  

I fear that Psychoak is correct.    The horses really did not tell us anything.  

Horses? We don't need no stinkin' horses!