Petroglyph has announced that the sequel to 2016’s 8-Bit Armies, titled 9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far, will release into PC Early Access on February 23.
The use of 8-Bit in describing indie games that use either a voxel or pixel art style has always irked me. It’s less common now, but it was very popular as the retro gamer identity started to take hold. A pet peeve is all. However, Petroglyph has been in my mind since I learned they are still updating 2006’s Star Wars: Empire at War. That kind of love and commitment toward their community is laudable.
9-Bit Armies describes itself as and easy to learn, difficult-to-master real-time strategy game. While I’m not a fan of the voxel art style, it touts two-player cooperative campaigns, maps that are 400% bigger than the original, and naval warfare. You can also build and destroy bridges, which may not sound very exciting, but those structures have extreme strategic importance in real wars often not translated in strategy games.
In terms of its Early Access release, Petroglyph says, “The core game is largely in place, with both factions fully playable and a full campaign to play through.” The goal of Early Access is to open it to a larger player base and collect feedback to improve it on top of just adding content.
9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far releases on PC Early Access on February 23, 2024.
