The early 90’s was a very pivotal time for gaming as it ushered in a new era of consoles for players to experience, but also helped to revolutionize the industry in a remarkable way. Nintendo and Sega were at the forefront of all the action, creating impactful and memorable titles that even to this day are still highly revered by many. The console side of gaming was a bustling economy and generated a lot of attention from around the world, but another heavy hitter during those days was the PC. PC was also an unstoppable force back in the day especially when Microsoft announced Windows 95, the very first operating system of its kind to the world. You also had giant companies like the classic Sierra Entertainment, known for titles like King’s Quest and then the unforgettable Westwood Studios who were famously known for Command & Conquer. The PC was the hub for all the RTS titles and even to this day, the PC is still home to some of the world’s best. This brings us to our preview which comes from another celebrated publisher/developer, Team 17, who’ve teamed up with Petroglyph to bring you The Forged Battalion. Anyone who loves a great challenge and is a huge fan of RTS style games will certainly find Forged Battalion to be a worthy purchase.

Much like any RTS title out on the market, Forged Battalion is all about setting up the right plays to ensure that your faction is able to infiltrate the enemy base and destroy their headquarters before they destroy yours. The tried and true method of approach plays a quintessential role in almost all RTS games and you’ll certainly find all of that and more while playing Forged Battalion. It does come with a skill tree which you can use to upgrade your units as well as weapons to dispatch on the battlefield, so you’re pretty much in control every step of the way. You’re not just commanding your team to victory; it’s also about making sure that factories, superweapons and your overall economy is well equipped for what’s to come. Forged Battalion allows you to play the game that you desire meaning, if you’re heavy on defensive tactics then customizing your faction to a more heavy loadout will be of great benefit. The freedom you have to manage and develop strategic blueprints to ensure victory for every mission is wonderful, and having the opportunity to test your skills against other players via multiplayer is icing on the cake. There are multiple Skirmish game modes including HQ Destruction and Annihilation that you can take advantage of as well!

We’ll say this right off the bat: RTS games are truly for those who fancy the genre, and may not appeal to everyone. Real time strategy games are all about patience, discipline and having a knack for tactical thinking on the fly because at any moment the tides of battle can change and put pressure on you. It’s an awesome feeling because it really teaches you how to think through your gameplan, solve problems as they occur, and really be creative in your setplays to destroy the enemy base. In Forged Battalion you’re immediately greeted with a tutorial that teaches you the basics of how to play, while diving deeper into what it means to create the right factions and using the Tech Tree to your advantage. As you continue to play through the game and unlock research points, more of the Tech Tree will unlock which will open up a plethora of new options such as the archetype you want, armor, special abilities and more. In a way, Forged Battalion feels like an RPG at times because you’re constantly leveling up your factions to ensure that every mission you embark on is less strenuous, and the limitless array of options at your disposal create long lasting replay value.

The single player campaign is definitely challenging even for those who are well versed in the genre, and that’s because Forged Battalion really creates a lot of surprising moments. Even on the one star setting, you still run into a lot of unexpected events and enemy units are relentless in their approach. That’s the thrill of it all though because much of it is all based around trial and error, learning from past mistakes and persevering enough to push through enemy defenses to blow up their HQ. Every mission will require a different set of objectives so while destroying an enemy HQ may be one of them, you may have to divert your attention to capture Comm Centers, etc. It’s a fresh feeling every time and so the action never feels boring since there’s always something new to explore, not just on the battlefield but with your Tech Tree playing such a dynamic role. Constantly learning to adapt to enemy patterns is perhaps the most striking point about Forged Battalion because there’s never one moment that feels the same. One playthrough on a mission is never enough since the enemy tend to change their path of approach and so now, learning where to place turrets and units becomes even more stimulating. You simply can’t be greedy and just an entire horde of units either because everything costs money, and building Harvesters along with Refineries becomes even more paramount. Finding places to harvest aren’t a walk in the park either so the game really forces you to stop being complacent and spread your base out to generate more income. The Harvesters play such an integral role in your overall survival since they’re the ones who help to generate the resources needed to maintain a healthy amount of units on the field, so the enemy will purposely hunt down your Harvesters to make things problematic.

Learning to upgrade and keeping your blueprints fresh is truly important. The stronger and more sophisticated your weapon selections are, the easier it will be to combat enemies who continue to show no mercy. Online multiplayer, as we mentioned earlier, is of course a wonderful addition to Forged Battalion since it encourages you to take your skills offline, and test them against an actual human. While the AI certainly pushes you to your limits on the maximum star settings, having a human opponent pushes you even further and truly creates a uniquely satisfying experience. Once you play through the single player campaign, run through a few skirmishes to brush off the bad habits and play a few unranked matches, then taking your skills to ranked matches will be the next test.

In the end, Forged Battalion isn’t perfect by any means but the team is doing their best to ensure all the bugs and issues are ironed out. We didn’t really run into any significant problems during our play time but the latest patch Petroglyph released most likely dealt with anything anyway. The music in game is awesome to play with because it provides just enough emotional tension to keep things exciting. It’s uptempo and rock-esque appeal makes engaging in battles really epic, while the in-depth Tech Tree can keep you thinking for hours on end. There’s just so much to absorb and reflect upon that just playing for a few hours just won’t cut it. Forged Battalion requires that you spend a great deal of time playing so that much of its mechanics become understood, and so that the overall fun factor resonates with you over the long run. We’re not saying that short spurts of gameplay are bad, but we definitely recommend that if you really want to immerse yourself in this RTS experience, spend a good chunk of time testing out new faction ideas and weapons at your disposal.

RTS fans out there don’t sleep on this one because Forged Battalion has just about everything you need to ensure a long lasting gameplay experience. You don’t need to be a pro to enjoy it. All that’s needed is a little patience and learning how to react to situations and all the fun happens. Be sure to follow us on Twitch to know when we go live with more titles, and hit us up on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest games coming out!
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