8-Bit Armies Demo

Real-time strategy fans know that there are two types of approaches to the genre, and they can both be brilliant if the developers get the mixture right. Hence, you can either design a rather slow RTS based on tech trees, base fortification and resource gathering, or you can go for something a lot more fast-paced that forces players to create many units as quickly as possible and rush the enemy base.

8-Bit Armies is an RTS designed by Petroglyph, which is a studio formed by ex-Westwood Studios employees. In case you don’t know, Westwood Studios were the developers behind the original Command & Conquer series, one of the most popular and successful real-time strategy series out there. Hence, the game at hand is basically a voxel-powered recreation of the same classic gameplay, with a few interesting additions to keep up with the times.

Not much has changed in the gameplay department, on the other hand, but that’s a good thing in this case. There hasn’t been something like this in many years, and it should feel amazing to see how your old reflexes kick in and are promptly picked up by the game. Thus, the goal is simple: acquire resources, create units and destroy the enemy base. You need production facilities to create units, as well as power plants to keep up with additional buildings.

The maps are well-designed as well, especially since you can explore them and stumble into hidden bonuses, or even traps. It’s also important that you create the right units for every situation, because it may not be wise to go for pure infantry in most cases. On the other hand, there’s no overwhelming realism either, so you can still get away with ludicrous strategies.

Lastly, the whole thing wouldn’t make any sense if multiplayer wasn’t part of the deal. Hence, there are multiple ways to enjoy a skirmish with other people, plus a co-op mode that allows you to get through the campaign with a friend. Moreover, the basic graphics are very lenient system-wise, which means that almost everyone should be able to enjoy the game without investing in a PC upgrade.

When it’s all said and done, 8-Bit Armies is exactly what you expect it to be if you are aware of Petroglyph’s history. However, it’s fun and simple enough for everyone to have fun with it, regardless of whether you have a history with the C&C franchise or not.