Spurred by some nostalgia trip post about old RTS games I was encouraged to install Battle Realms, which I got from GOG at some point, but never gave it a fair attempt.
Got to say, it hits a lot of right spots at a time when I've been aching to play a couple of skirmishes and listen to some podcasts in the background, and kept bouncing off of the titles I already had in library. It reminds me a lot of Praetorians, another one I spent way too many hours in, though couldn't get back to lately, because there's many similar designs, but executed better. I could say it aged poorly, but it has a certain charm and I do enjoy the overall art direction. Between CoHs and Iron Harvest, I do miss the more intimate feeling of their predecessors, when you had less units that lived longer. Even when we get more medieval/fantasy setting it tends to be squads against squads, rather than cool, little dudes having their cool, little adventures. And then whole merry group getting wiped because you overextended.
Got to say, it hits a lot of right spots at a time when I've been aching to play a couple of skirmishes and listen to some podcasts in the background, and kept bouncing off of the titles I already had in library. It reminds me a lot of Praetorians, another one I spent way too many hours in, though couldn't get back to lately, because there's many similar designs, but executed better. I could say it aged poorly, but it has a certain charm and I do enjoy the overall art direction. Between CoHs and Iron Harvest, I do miss the more intimate feeling of their predecessors, when you had less units that lived longer. Even when we get more medieval/fantasy setting it tends to be squads against squads, rather than cool, little dudes having their cool, little adventures. And then whole merry group getting wiped because you overextended.