I’m normally a little cautious about remasters and remakes, but the 2020 Command and Conquer collection, which upscales and revamps both Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn, is one of the best and most enjoyable strategy games I’ve ever played. Created by Petroglyph, it’s become the definitive way to play the RTS classic – but the developer has even grander designs. Inspired by classic C&C, but boasting a chunky voxel aesthetic and granular destruction physics, Petroglyph’s new and very own real-time strategy opus is finally here on Steam. Earning some seriously enthusiastic reviews, it mixes the traditions established by Westwood with modern twists, and you can also get it for 25% off. This is 9-Bit Armies.
Vast and varied, 9-Bit Armies includes co-op, a campaign mode, mod support, gigantic maps, and a seriously tough enemy AI system that’s been totally retooled throughout early access. In the classic RTS game tradition, for each mission and side mission that you complete, you can assign points and upgrades to your units. You also have super weapons, including one that looks lovingly similar to the GDI’s Ion Cannon, and there’s a greater focus on naval warfare, at least in comparison to old-school C&C. In short, you have to utilize every unit and resource in 9-Bit Armies to get the job done.
Primarily, though, this is a strategy game that’s all about destruction. Everything in 9-Bit Armies is fully demolishable, including buildings, vehicles, and the terrain itself. Given the blocky voxel aesthetic, when you roll through your enemy’s base with a battalion of tanks it looks like you’ve dropped a stick of dynamite in a box of Lego – cutting off an enemy convoy is a simple case of bombing all the nearby bridges.
After a period in early access, the full release of 9-Bit Armies is finally here. Of the more than 500 user reviews it’s picked up so far, an impressive 86% are positive. If that’s not enough of an incentive, to mark the game’s 1.0 launch, it’s now available for 25% the asking price, at $14.99 / £12.56 – you can get it right here.
Otherwise, try some of the other best grand strategy games, or maybe the best 4X games available right now on PC.
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