This weekend I had the opportunity to Beta test one of the upcoming PC games of 2016, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada. Originally set to release this month, the date has been recently pushed back to April 21st after listening to requests from the Beta community.
A real time strategy game, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is an adaptation of Game Workshop’s tabletop game. It tells the story of four factions fighting against one another: Chaos, Imperium, Eldar, and the Orks. You have the choice of which faction to play. Currently, in Beta, only Chaos, Impreium, and Orks are available. Each has their benefits, negatives, and ship designs. For example, Impreium: although they have a powerful cannon and plenty of armor, they move quite slowly. Chaos has a long range and fast ships but no heavy armor. Orks are customizable, resilient, but most likely to disobey and abandon you in the middle of a battle. Luckily, you can execute the “coward captains” before they make their escape.
The tutorial levels are extremely thorough and I was really glad for that. I was confused about some things in the beginning; I wanted to know what everything was right away, but it gets to each aspect of the game in due course. It really did an amazing job of covering all the bases.
The battles are set on a 2D plane, making it easy to maneuver around the battlefield, and the space bar can slow down battles so you have time to think and react about your next move. You’re also given a speed boost, abilities to make sharp turns, engagement ranges, and styles of engagement.
The graphics for this RTS are gorgeous. There is an attention to detail, even when you zoom in, that is rarely matched. They do have a Gothic style and I was enthralled with them from the start. The writing and voice acting are also superb. They did an amazing job with the characters and story, though I did feel as if one character was constantly screaming at me, even though he was just helping me through my first campaign as Admiral. The interface between battles is easy to navigate and straightforward. I found it extremely simple to set up my fleet.
Of course, I was a bit sad to hear earlier this week that the release date would be delayed but I’m really looking forward to the improvements for this one. It was easy to get sucked into and I’m sure I’ll be returning to it again in the very near future.
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is set to release on April 21st. You can preorder on Steam, which will get you quite a few perks. It includes the Space Marines Fleet (which can be purchased separately after preorders), an additional fleet that is yet to be announced, and instant access to Multiplayer Beta. It’s also 10% off!
Make sure to check out their most recently released trailer for the Orks. For more information on Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, visit the official website.
