Warhammer: Realms Of Ruin Puts A New Spin On RTS Single-Player Modes And Console Controls
25.08.2023 - 22:07
/ gamespot.com
/ New
The new Warhammer: Age of Sigmar offers what might be the best control scheme for an RTS on console.
By Dave Jewitt on
Warhammer: Age of Sigmar — Realms of Ruin is throwing around plenty of Warhammer pedigree. It's the first RTS title in the Age of Sigmar setting and arguably the largest game to touch upon Games Workshop's re-imagined fantasy realms, and it's being co-written by Gav Thorpe of Black Library fame. I've played Realms of Ruin a few times now and, at first, I was struck by how similar the gameplay was to Warhammer: 40,000 Dawn of War. But as the game's development has progressed, more and more of what makes Realms of Ruin unique and interesting has bubbled up to the surface. Now that the third faction has been announced, and we've seen a little of the Nighthaunts in action, the unique strengths and weaknesses of each side is a little more clear. That's something also helped by a healthy dose of balancing since the previous Realms of Ruin beta.
The Stormcast Eternals play much more into their survivalist, tanky, tough staying power playstyle. Orruk Kruleboyz have more utility and strategy from their traps and beasts. The Nighthaunt seem to be relying on pure strength in numbers, and wraiths and ghostly beings surround your troops.
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Now Playing: Warhammer: Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin Hands On Impressions | Gamescom 2023
The Nighthaunts also bring a new flavor to the game's roster, and I must admit, as a Warhammer fan, I often find it hard when previewing games like these to appreciate the bigger picture of what I'm playing as I zoom the camera into each model as close as possible to inspect their details.
One thing I do still struggle with is unit identification, especially where these ghostly folks are considered. Some of that is addressed by the icons present above a unit's head signifying what type of unit they are and where they are positioned in the broad «rock-paper-scissors» style of army-building, where units of a certain type are better suited to take on others.
The special abilities of units remain one of the most satisfying elements of Realms of Ruin. Pinning down your enemies with shielded, unbreakable Liberators and charging in from the sides with your Vanguard Hunters or using winged prosecutors to throw hammers from above is exceptionally effective should, you be able to pull it off.
However, as each unit has their own ability (or abilities), and you also need to keep an eye on unit health and be ready to hit that «retreat» button, the moving parts of Realms of Ruin were