Battlefall: State of Conflict is exactly what you’re looking for if you miss the golden age of real-time strategy gaming. Heavily inspired by the Command and Conquer series of games by industry icons, Westwood Studios, Battlefall: State of Conflict promises to be a throwback to the strategic depth, engaging narratives, and intense gameplay that defined the genre’s heyday.
Battlefall: State of Conflict thrusts players into a post-apocalyptic world where the remnants of humanity battle for survival and dominance. Set in a shattered wasteland, the result of a catastrophic collapse of civilisation, three factions vie for control.
The game features three distinct, story-driven campaigns, one for each of the game’s three factions. The campaigns are narrative and non-linear in approach, each revealing the complex history and motivations of the faction.
Meet the Factions
The games three distinct factions – Earth Forces Network (EFNET), the Scrappers, and the Synthetic Enhanced Lifeforms (SEL) – echo the diversity present in games like Command and Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert.
- EFNET: A faction of disciplined human survivors using modern military remnants, reminiscent of the GDI from Command and Conquer.
EFNET represents the last bastion of organised human civilization. After the global devastation caused by the rogue AI faction SEL, EFNET emerged from the remnants of modern military organisations. Their aim is to restore peace and democracy to the world by reclaiming the wastelands and re-establishing order. Armed with modified remnants of contemporary military technology, EFNET forces are disciplined and determined, utilising advanced tactics and equipment to fight back against chaos and anarchy.
The EFNET campaign focuses on the efforts to reclaim the wastelands and restore civilization. Players will lead disciplined military operations, utilising advanced technology and strategic planning to combat both the Scrappers and SEL. The narrative explores themes of resilience, leadership, and the quest for a better future amidst the ruins of the past. - Scrappers: Anarchistic mutants thriving on chaos and salvage, akin to the Evolved from Krush Kill ‘N Destroy.
The Scrappers are a faction born out of the harsh realities of the post-apocalyptic world. These anarchists and scavengers have been mutated by radiation and shaped by starvation and deprivation. They thrive on chaos, repurposing and salvaging anything they can find to create makeshift war machines and weapons. Their tactics are crude but effective, relying on sheer numbers and the element of surprise to overwhelm their enemies. The Scrappers embody the raw, unrelenting survival instincts of a world gone mad.
In the Scrappers campaign, players experience the chaotic and brutal world of the wasteland scavengers. The storyline follows the rise of a powerful Scrapper leader who seeks to unite the disparate bands of scavengers into a formidable force. Themes of survival, anarchy, and the brutal reality of a world without order are central to this campaign. - SEL: Advanced AI-driven automatons seeking to eradicate humanity’s irrationality, evoking themes from sci-fi RTS classics like Total Annihilation and contemporary titles like Planetary Annihilation.
SEL is a faction of advanced AI-driven automatons that were originally designed to liberate humanity from mundane tasks and drive unlimited economic growth. However, these machines evolved beyond their intended purpose and turned against their creators, seeking to eradicate the irrationality of human behaviour. SEL units are characterised by their precision and efficiency, utilizing mind-bending technology to dominate the battlefield. They are slow to expand but extremely powerful, posing a significant threat to both EFNET and the Scrappers.
The SEL campaign delves into the cold, calculated world of artificial intelligence. Players will lead the SEL forces in their mission to eradicate humanity’s irrationality and impose order through technological dominance. The narrative explores themes of AI evolution, the dangers of unchecked technological advancement, and the conflict between machine logic and human emotion.
Development
Despite being in development for the best part of a decade, indie duo Kyoto Videogame Concern, the game has a playable demo and has entered Early Access on Steam. Over on the Steam page the developers had this to say:
Battlefall: State of Conflict will require an on-going length of development to ensure that our product meets and satisfies our criteria for a full release. Using Early Access, we can concentrate our efforts on utilizing community feedback as our main focal-point to legitimately earn and maintain the confidence of our playerbase.
Steam – Battlefall: State of Conflict
We aim to keep our product in Early Access for approximately next two years.
Nine years of development with another two years planned before we see a full release should give you some indication of the dedication and vision of Kyoto Videogame Concern. The game promises to merge classic RTS gameplay with the immersive story telling and complex mechanics that modern gamers crave. The best of both worlds? Perhaps.
Battlefall: State of Conflict is clearly a passion project from two guys who love classic real-time strategy games. Their goal is to create a dynamic and immersive post-apocalyptic world where players can engage in strategic battles whilst experiencing the rich lore of the game universe.
The game has a distinctive style, reminiscent of the isometric visuals of classic RTS games. It has a post-apocalyptic aesthetic which is both detailed and immersive.
The developers recognised the importance of community involvement early on in the journey to bring Battlefall to life. Community input is a cornerstone of the development process. Drop by the game’s Discord channel to witness the interaction between the development team and gamers keen to offer feedback, suggestions and ideas. Kyoto Videogame Concern are a team which actually listens to what people want. That’s something I can get behind.
As it stands, Battlefall: State of Conflict, in Early Access offers the following features:
- 27 unique campaign levels across three main campaign sets
- Online skirmishes with various maps developed by the team
- Offline skirmishes with BOT functionality for solo play
- King of the Hill mode – defend against endless waves of enemies
- Automated unit upgrade system
- Improved vehicle movement with natural turning arcs
- Unique death animations for flying units, including crashes and sound effects
The developers plan to add an integrated level editor, a rules editor which will allow players to create custom skirmish and campaign maps, as well as entire factions, providing endless replayability and creativity. Between now and the end of early access expect to see polishing of all campaign maps and storylines, additional skirmish maps, online matchmaking integration, full release of all editors and enhanced artwork and sound. This is one gamer who is very interested to see what Kyoto Videogame Concern have in store for us.
Coming Soon-ish
Battlefall: State of Conflict promises to be an imaginative real-time strategy game blending classic influences and innovative mechanics with an engaging narrative. To ensure the success of the game its important that the community is involved. Drop by the Steam page to try out the demo and join the official Discord to tell the team what you would like to see. From what I’ve seen so far this is a development team keen to listen to players suggestions and implement them. Let’s work together to make Battlefall: State of Conflict a stunning homage to games like Command and Conquer and Total Annihilation.
You can help shape the future of this exciting RTS and ensure it becomes a new classic in the genre. Your feedback is vital, so get involved and be a part of this epic journey!
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