The 8-Bit RTS series has already had two games release to us RTS fans. The first was 8-Bit Armies and the second was 8-Bit Hordes. Both titles were amazing examples of how to do RTS console gaming right and we couldn’t wait for the final entry to hit our doorsteps. Thankfully, the wait wasn’t too outrageous as we finally got our hands on 8-Bit Invaders! Once more, we entered this 8-bit world but now as two different factions set in the far reaches of space! Was our time with 8-Bit Invaders! worth the wait? Find out by scrolling on down and seeing what we had to say about 8-Bit Invaders! in our full review!

Just like the previous 8-Bit RTS games—which was always meant to be a trilogy—8-Bit Invaders! has players controlling massive but small 8-bit armies. Choose between two intergalactic factions and vie for power to see which army is the strongest. Build your troops by raising up structures and gathering resources. Despite the lack of keyboard and mouse, 8-Bit Invaders! controls surprisingly well and optimizes the Xbox One controller for precision tactical controls! Play alone, with a friend or online in 8-Bit Invaders!

An epic 8-bit war is about to commence in space! The Galactic Marine Corps have engaged in brutal battle with the alien species known as the Cranioids! You’ll need to choose your side and help your army conquer by building bases and creating troops to unleash upon your foe! Who will be victorious in this epic space war? Enter 8-Bit Invaders! to find out!

Not too long ago, we here at Honey’s Anime HQ reviewed 8-Bit Hordes by developer Petroglyph. As we mentioned in our 8-Bit Hordes review, this 8-Bit series was a trilogy of titles and 8-Bit Hordes was the second of the series. We’ve finally gotten our hands on the final entry in the 8-Bit series known as 8-Bit Invaders! and you know after we enjoyed our last foray into this retro themed RTS series. we had to review this latest title. Why don’t we see if 8-Bit Invaders! did as well as 8-Bit Hordes or 8-Bit Armies as we jump right into our review?

In case you haven’t played 8-Bit Hordes or Armies, we’ll explain what you can expect from 8-Bit Invaders! As a RTS title, 8-Bit Invaders! has players control one of two factions—the Galactic Marine Corps or Cranioids—and build their armies/bases through the usual RTS themed resource system. You’ll need to fortify your defense and equally build your ranks to unleash your miniature 8-bit army on the enemy. If you have played the other 8-Bit RTS titles, then you’ll be happy to see 8-Bit Invaders! plays exactly the same. However, that might be the one issue that we had ironically with 8-Bit Invaders!

Let us get the bad out of the way first. 8-Bit Invaders! isn’t much different than either two of the games before. While we don’t dislike that concept seeing as how the gameplay still stands strong, this also means 8-Bit Invaders! is basically just a reskin of the last two titles. We did predict his being the case with the 8-Bit RTS series—seeing as how it is the main theme of Petroglyph’s creation—but that does hinder us from being wowed by it like we were with 8-Bit Hordes. Luckily, this is the only major issue we had with 8-Bit Invaders! as everything else about the game poses no problems in our minds.

8-Bit Invaders! still controls phenomenally well for a console RTS. Halo Wars—a popular RTS console title—was initially one of our favorite RTS games to play on the Xbox 360 since it handled silky smooth without the need of a keyboard and mouse. 8-Bit Invaders! mirrors Halo Wars in the fact that it keeps everything balanced for a controller playstyle all while not sacrificing the precision you need for a good RTS game. You’re still able to control massive units individually or by assigning them to one of three face buttons and telling them where to go with the A button. It’s a very simple method of RTS gameplay—which we mentioned as our only gripe with 8-Bit Hordes—but it works to keep 8-Bit Invaders! playable on the Xbox One.

Now you’re probably wondering what you get with 8-Bit Invaders! in comparison to 8-Bit Hordes. The truth is, not much different than 8-Bit Hordes. You still can play single player choosing between either faction and completing various missions for each. Co-op still exists to allow a friend to join in as you conquer challenges together. Then there’s multiplayer/skirmishes that lets you fight against other players online or against AI with different rules and maps set up by you. For most gamers, skirmishes and multiplayer will be what eats up your time as these allow cross play between the various other 8-Bit RTS games and equally are more engaging then the simple missions featured in the campaign.

Lastly, we’re going to once more discuss the graphics which—no surprise—haven’t changed much since 8-Bit Hordes. The only major difference between the other 8-Bit RTS games is that 8-Bit Invaders! has a cooler theme due to the space marines versus alien motif. We loved some of the Cranioids’ designs and even the space marines had a very familiar but cool design. The music also has a bit—no pun intended—over the other titles. Overall, it’s still 8-bit—which makes sense for the name—and we still love it.

At the end of the day, 8-Bit Invaders! doesn’t change the RTS game like its previous RTS titles nor does it change much from the 8-Bit RTS games, but that’s okay. We still love the simple but strong RTS gameplay that is clearly with a controller in mind. We also love that each of these games weave into one other with online multiplayer that just means for interesting matches. We did wish that 8-Bit Invaders! was a bit different than 8-Bit Hordes or 8-Bit Armies, but we didn’t expect much seeing as how they are part of a trilogy. If you loved either of those two games we mentioned above then we can’t say you won’t like 8-Bit Invaders! as well. We still fully recommend all of the 8-Bit RTS games and that includes 8-Bit Invaders!

That wraps up the 8-Bit RTS games and honestly, we’re hoping more developers follow this example set up by Petroglyph. Having three different games—even if they aren’t radically different from one another—still means you have a multitude of options if one of the 8-Bit RTS games doesn’t suit your fancy. Have you played any of the 8-Bit RTS games and/or are excited for 8-Bit Invaders!? Comment below to let us know as we always loving hearing from our wonderful readers! For even more game reviews and anime related goodness, be sure to keep stuck to our beautiful hive here at Honey’s Anime!