''8-Bit Armies'' is a

real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that do not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time". By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, turn ...

video game developed by

Petroglyph Games Petroglyph Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Las Vegas. It was founded in 2003 by Joe Bostic, Michael Legg and Steve Tall, programmers formerly of Westwood Studios, after that company was closed down earlier that year. ...

, which was released on April 22, 2016 for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

and for

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

, and

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

on 21 September 2018.

Gameplay

''8-Bit Armies'' is a real time strategy game designed to mirror the look and gameplay of classic RTS games. It features a singleplayer campaign and a multiplayer mode in which players battle each other or the AI in the cooperative game mode. The game takes a very simplistic approach in its gameplay and graphical elements. The graphic features a blocky 8-bit retro-art voxel style with partially destructible terrain. Gameplay is very similar to the classic ''

Command & Conquer ''Command & Conquer'' (''C&C'') is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game franchise, first developed by Westwood Studios. The first game was one of the earliest of the RTS genre, itself based on Westwood Studios' influential strategy game ''Dune I ...

'' franchise, many of the original developers of which work for Petroglyph Games. The player starts with a headquarter building which they use to expand their base so they can build various military units to fight their opponents. Resources are gathered via oil trucks and refineries. Units and buildings are built via a clickable menu on the right side of the screen. The game is situated in a contemporary scenario featuring generic tank, artillery or rocket units. At the release of the game, only one faction was playable, but Petroglyph Games announced that they planned to release more factions later on. On August 28, 2016 Petroglyph Games released 2 free DLCs for the game: one for the 2nd faction called 'Guardian' and one for a new campaign which includes the new faction. In the same month Petroglyph Games also released a spin-off to the original games, called ''

8-Bit Hordes ''8-Bit Hordes'' is a real-time strategy video game developed by Petroglyph Games, which was released on August 12, 2016, for Microsoft Windows. It uses the same engine as its predecessor '' 8-Bit Armies'', but is now based in a fantasy themed sc ...

''. It uses the same engine as ''8-Bit Armies'' but features a fantasy-themed scenario. A second spin-off, called ''8-Bit Invaders'' was also released and featured a science-fiction-themed scenario with a high-tech human and an alien faction. The game also features cross game multiplayer battles, allowing players to play against each other with all factions from all three games.

Release and reception

''8-Bit Armies'' was released digitally on April 22, 2016 on

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

as well as

GOG.com GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through it ...

. The reception of the game was mixed to positive. Reviewers acknowledged the game as a homage to the classic ''Command & Conquer'' franchise, with a similar simplistic gameplay approach and a classic retro graphic style. The classic RTS gameplay has been praised as the core strength of the game. Some reviews criticised the lack of variety: only one faction is playable, the campaign features no distinctive story line and the gameplay may feel repetitive. The soundtrack, which has been composed by former ''Command & Conquer'' composer

Frank Klepacki Frank Klepacki (; ) is an American musician and video game composer, best known for his work on the ''Command & Conquer'' series. Having learned to play drums as a child, he joined Westwood Studios as a composer when he was 17 years old. He has ...

, has been noted positively. As conclusion, reviews described the game as a nostalgic flashback which falls short in variety and long-time motivation.

References

External links

* {{Petroglyph Games 2016 video games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 4 games Real-time strategy video games Video games scored by Frank Klepacki Video games developed in the United States Windows games Xbox One games Petroglyph Games games