I grew up loving classic RTS (Real Time Strategy) games on my Amiga and PC such as Command and Conquer with the simple goal of building a base and army to go destroy an enemy’s base and army. There is just so much depth to RTS games that I would knowingly and lovingly lose hours into each one and for a time I really missed the genre having become a more console based player until HALO Wars series on Xbox really grabbed me again for great RTS games. So, I am always on the lookout for that fun RTS experience so when 8 bit Armies RTS appeared for Xbox One, it instantly grabbed me in many ways and most of them fun
8 Bit RTS takes a lot of the elements of traditional RTS gameplay styles and brings them together in one title with retro 8 bit visuals and gameplay that is deceptive in its simplicity. On the surface and first glance you would be forgiving for looking past it but this is a game certainly worth a look if you are a fan of RTS or even if you want to help educate someone into how RTS games work at the ground level.
The game features a 25 mission campaign where the player can pick to control either the Renegade or Guardian factions throughout. Each Mission can be played on one of three difficulties, by increasing the difficulty it just adds specific objectives to be completed for that mission such as not actually building any infantry or completing a certain task before completing the mission. Challenges increase in later missions giving players the opportunity to learn how gameplay works and to develop strategies to tackle those challenges.
Often RTS games struggle with consoles due to using a controller to navigate all the various menus and options but a few get the system right and 8 Bit RTS is definitely one of the best in how it strips down the complexity of an RTS into something that is so common sense and straight forward you wonder how other games have made such a faff over it. Buildings can be selected via the left bumper whilst infantry and vehicles are selected with the right bumper. The next simply pure genius system is how you can assign infantry and vehicles to either X, Y or B, so that you can build three different squads or battalions and by simply pressing one of those buttons, be able to command all of that battalion on the map. This system alone keeps everything clean and precise and such quick management allows for a fast command structure in the mission as well as the ability to spread your forces around the map and still able to manage replacements if necessary and for calling in reinforcements when needed. It is so clean and simple it just works on so many levels.
There is also a co-op mode but that essentially just has two people playing the same way of completing the objectives in a mission but the online Multiplayer does add some PvP to the game for players. Thanks to the simplicity of the systems such as making your base and improving it with new buildings which allows for improved resource collection and advanced infantry and vehicles creation, this game is very pick up and play especially between friends without being bogged down by over complicated systems which is both a blessing and sadly, a curse for the game in that being so stripped down does help with gameplay but hinders the game overall
Both factions in Renegades and Guardians have very similar campaigns and there is no real story movement to reward playing through the levels. Missions do not flow into each other but instead on completion simply takes players to the main campaign mission where the next mission is unlocked to be selected. Before starting the mission, you can select the difficulty which again simply adds specific objectives to be completed in order to earn the three rating stars of bronze, silver and gold for completing them, I often just played on the top difficulty in order to obtain all stars possible for that mission in one go which is great in the later missions but an absolute doddle in the early ones to do.
Whilst I appreciate the simplicity in the control system it also has the side effect of leaving a lot of the gameplay feeling rather shallow and empty as you being to rinse and repeat the same strategy through the campaign which will offer a limited experience for those used to RTS games but then I do not feel this was put together in order to try and beat HALO Wars at what it does as an example.
But there is still a lot her if you are new to the RTS genre or if like me, familiar with the very old school way of playing RTS titles with the retro visuals a great nod back to a simpler time of 8bit consoles and home computers. Loading times are fast meaning you can be back in the action in no time at all and the missions themselves are relatively short to play as well. I really got the classic Command and Conquer feel from playing this and just looking at the way you build vehicles and buildings to advance and unlock the next level vehicle or soldier type has the depth I would expect from any RTS title with the simplicity of the control system.
Long term though, whilst it does not offer the difficulty and experience of a hardened story driven RTS game, what it wants to achieve it does and does it really well. Fun playing against other players online, 8 Bit Armies offers something I had not expected in terms of being fun to play and nostalgic enough that it made me remember those early days of playing RTS games for the first time.
This is the perfect title to teach a younger audience about how RTS games work and if that can bring more fans to the genre and that is a win in my book.
