I will say, BOOTSTRA.386[0] may be a good substitute; per it's name it's just bootstrap. I've actually used it in production[1] and it works just as one would expect.
[0] - https://github.com/kristopolous/BOOTSTRA.386
[1] - At the time it was just a gag prototype, and while I told everyone "if you don't like it feel free to switch it to normal bootstrap or one of your choice" but nobody bothered to do so since it wasn't a very complex UI and, frankly, it kept things clean.
If anyone creates the spiritual successor to Darklands, I’d buy it in an instant. There is a mobile game called Occidental Heroes that’s loosely based on it, but a bit too simplified to capture its magic.
It's continuous, not grid- or turn-based like X-COM.
A lot of the maps feature police, antagonistic to all syndicates, and civilians, whose death or injury can attract the police. This aspect can require some management. I don't recall this kind of mechanic from any of the RTSs I played around that time.
Also worth noting: it ran in 16-colour 640x480 VGA (or maybe it was 640x400...), so it looked nice and intricate. Sure, you take a slight colour count hit compared to 320x200 - but UK games artists in the early 90s were well practised at dealing with that, after years of doing ST and Amiga games. (The Amiga had a 32 colour mode, but it came with a performance penalty.)
There was also a money and equipment/weapons buying and upgrade system that was very cool, similar to some of the top down shooters or racing games.
Also love hearing perspective of folks outside the US about retro gaming. Much like "DOS Nostalgia".
Source: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/twinsens-little-big-adventu...
