🎮👾 Review: 8-Bit Armies & 8-Bit Hordes “Attack the Blocks” 👾🎮 #IndieGame

Developer: Petroglyph Games

Rating: Melting

Platform Reviewed: Playstation 4

It was a simpler time. But a frustrating one. Before the internet ushered in a glorious era of cat memes, trolling and post-pub online shopping sprees, everything happened at a slower pace. 

I mean, even sending photographs of your junk to an unsuspecting paramour involved a Polaroid camera and the Royal Mail. Immediate it was not. In the late 90s, if you wanted to settle a gaming score, you needed to be in the same room.

So that's how it was in 1998. Our student house looked like HR Geiger was in charge of interior design, such was the spaghetti-like mess of ethernet cables that connected each room, and each PC. 

So, we couldn't play internet strangers, but we could play four player Quake and Command & Conquer. Ah yes, Command & Conquer. A classic real-time war strategy game where the aim was to balance resource management with ass-whooping antics.

What Petroglyph Games have created in 8 Bit Armies (using some of C&C's old developers) is effectively a retro style reboot of that old franchise, simplifying the gameplay and graphics so that it looks reminiscent of a Minecraft mod.

The idea is to build up an army to take out your opponents while building up and protecting resources. A subtle balance is what is needed. Or should be. I found that all too often, the best approach is to rush the enemy’s headquarters as soon as possible.

The gameplay is easy to pick up and get stuck straight into, and the blocky aesthetic is appealing too. It certainly brought back memories of C&C, which is no bad thing. 

But the balance isn’t right for me, as a patient approach is simply not as effective as an all-out attack. It’s fun, but it’s limited.

And what of 8 Bit Hordes? 

Given that it is simply a fantasy re-skinning of Armies, all of what I’ve written above applies, but with orcs rather than infantry and dragons replacing helicopters.

Summary

At full price, these two offerings don’t have enough about them to recommend, but once the price drops, fans of Command & Conquer, Warcraft and the like, will find plenty to enjoy, albeit briefly.

Max Harvey

💧❄️ RATING: MELTING ❄️💧

Ratings Explained

ICE COOL (Great Game Recommended)

MELTING (Recommended with reservations, one to consider if you are a fan of the genre)

MELTED (Not A Recommended Purchase)