Let’s get this out of the way first. There’s nothing 8-bit about 8-Bit Hordes. These are voxels. I recognize that the term “8-bit” is catchier and more marketable and all that, but I’m a cranky old man and I demand semantic accuracy. But hey, this is a new RTS from the veterans at Petroglyph, so I guess I can cut them some slack.
8-Bit Hordes is the follow-up to 8-Bit Armies, replacing the tanks, choppers, and infantry of the latter with wizards, warriors, and dragons. Two factions are at war–the Dark Orcs along with their monstrous allies and the Lightbringer alliance of humans, dwarves, and elves. You’ll see the war through over the course of 24 campaign missions.
Our Chris Capel didn’t love the previous game in his 8-Bit Armies review. Hopefully Petroglyph can bring something more to the table with this follow-up!
There are also 12 co-op missions and 10 maps for multiplayer and skirmish modes. Online PvP supports up to 8 players, and matches are fully interoperable with the maps and factions of 8-Bit Armies, making this title work almost as a standalone expansion pack.
8-Bit Hordes will be available in August. Petroglyph Games has previously released titles like Star Wars: Empire at War and Grey Goo, and was founded by former Westwood employees with experience from games such as Command & Conquer and Dune II.
