A rated RTS match has a build-up that is unlike anything else I have experienced in a game, and Stormgate even has it in Early Access. I recognize my name. I notice the name of my opponent. I inhaled deeply, feeling the beat of my own heart. Then I see a brightly colored command center surrounded by a motley crew of personnel, and it is just me and some unknown stranger vying for fame or destruction. Despite having a smaller budget than its Blizzard-produced predecessors, Stormgate is subtly—and sometimes not so subtly—advancing the base craft formula in terms of design.
Stormgate naturally has the vibe and cadence of a vintage Blizzard RTS, given that it was created by several veteran Blizzard RTS developers. When done well, it is similar to cooking at home for someone who grew up playing Warcraft 3 and Brood War. Zipped back to my base to click an upgrade at the perfect moment, I order around my scrappy human Vanguard recruits and picture myself as the culinary critic from Ratatouille transported back to his boyhood. Even after all these years, there is still something about the almost melodic hotkey movements and mental coordination in this kind of game, and creator Frost Giant understands it.
It is also obvious that they have given careful consideration to how that experience might be made better. At this point, I feel that the discussions I have had with folks who casually refer to it as “StarCraft1.5” are missing the bigger picture. Even from the glitz and polish of StarCraft 2, it is a thoughtful evolution from an underlying design standpoint. And that is the crucial component.
When it comes to seamless gameplay, Stormgate falls in between StarCraft 2 and Warcraft 3. However, because PvP and Skirmish do not use heroes, Stormgate feels a little more like the former. But just like in Warcraft 3, all modes have neutral monsters called “creep camps” grouped in particular areas. Killing these monsters can grant a variety of helpful boosts, such as a momentary boost to movement speed or a constant stream of resources. As a result, positional and map control decisions become much more intriguing.
Between StarCraft 2 and Warcraft 3, Stormgate is rather securely positioned.
At times, StarCraft might resemble a combat game where players must slice their opponent’s jugular from a considerable distance before they can slice yours. The objective is to score points by cutting theirs before they can. I discovered that I was engaging in a lot more mid-map battles of various sizes since camps provide you a reason to care about and fight over more locations on the map than simply your own and your opponent’s expansion bases. It also makes it possible to organize an army for a major assault or capture a crucial intersection in more ways. Although they still occur, I did not feel like drops and base harassment were so often. And that is quite pleasant.
Nevertheless, PvP equilibrium is undoubtedly still being worked on. As I write this, a patch was just released last week that addresses numerous problematic match-ups and includes several massive, haymaker buffs and nerfs. However, that is what I would anticipate from a competitive RTS that is just starting in Early Access. While they work that out, be ready for some strange and annoying nonsense in rated games.
It should come as no surprise that the Human Vanguard was the faction in Stormgate that most resonated with me as a Terran and a Human main in StarCraft and Warcraft, respectively. I admit that I am a lot of fun at gatherings. They are an excellent starting point because they play a lot like an RTS faction. However, as with much everything in Stormgate, there are sporadic items that significantly raise the skill ceiling.
For example, battle grants vanguard units experience, which significantly raises their stats. This implies that to play them at their best, you should try to reduce the number of casualties in each encounter. You specifically do not want to lose your units that have been fully promoted. If you wish to fully master their advantages, this may surprise you by making them one of the sides with the highest micro-heavy gameplay. Additionally, it gives their opponents a chance to concentrate and eliminate seasoned units. I enjoy how prevalent this “Easy to learn, difficult to master” mentality is on Stormgate.
Verdict
Stormgate is the next RTS to be played competitively. That is, I hope, anyway. It advances the traditional base craft formula with an experienced eye for what works and what doesn’t, and it makes me eager to join the queue again as soon as I finish a match, win or loss, in a way that has not happened since Wings of Liberty’s early days. That alone would earn it great points if that were my sole criteria. However, the brief and inexpensive campaign falls short of expectations, completely omitting any background information for one of its main groups and rehashing well-worn storylines. But it is balanced out with a fun cooperative mode that includes several awesome heroes and provides a good starting point for those who do not want to go right into 1v1 matchmaking. after it comes to Early Access, Stormgate appears quite promising after all is said and done. There are still miles to go, though.
