8-Bit Armies is a classic RTS in every sense of the word, although you could say it looks like it’s been built using the Minecraft Engine, but if there’s anyone that knows how to make a decent RTS it’s Petroglyph. Made up of many ex-Westwood legends, Petroglyph have already proved themselves with the genre in the modern era, developing titles such as Star Wars: Empire at War, Universe at War and, more recently, Grey Goo.
With the colourful, blocky voxel art style, 8-Bit Armies is a fast-paced RTS that features base building and resource collecting, all staples of the classic RTS style. The game supports offline single-player missions, two-player cooperative missions, AI skirmish mode, and Player-vs-Player Multiplayer modes running on dedicated game servers.
With 8-bit Armies coming up for release soon, do you think it will make it into our list of The Best Strategy Games on PC?
Included in the initial release on the 22nd April are 25 offline campaign missions, 10 co-op missions, and 10 multiplayer/skirmish maps that support up to 8 players online. Petroglyph want to make the game as straightforward as possible, so anyone can jump in and play instantly, making it highly accessible.
“We really enjoy the simple and clean look that a pixel-based art style gives the game. The art style reflects the straightforward gameplay mechanics we’ve incorporated that made original RTS titles so popular.” said the developer. “Over time, ‘improvements’ to RTS games meant adding complexity which greatly narrowed the audience. With 8-Bit Armies we’re looking to broaden that audience with a fast, fun, and highly accessible game that requires minimal instruction.”
It’s also great to hear that Frank Klepacki, legendary composer of the C&C franchise, is onboard to do the audio for the game. We should probably mention that it’s DRM free as well, although you’ll need a serial key to connect to the dedicated servers for multiplayer.
Petroglyph plans to support the game post launch with additional maps and new factions, as the game will only feature one on launch – the “retro” military faction. The engine is described as being very mod friendly, but tools won’t be released for a few weeks until after launch because Petroglyph requires “player support to fund those development costs.”
What about multiplayer modes?
* Annihilation (Destroy every enemy structure and unit)
Production Only (Destroy all production facilities (HQ, Refineries, Factories)
- Destroy HQ (Destroy HQ - Instant Win) </b>
8-Bit Armies will be released for the PC on the 22nd April via Steam and GOG.
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