Like many veteran RTS fans, I’ve been keeping a close eye on Stormgate ever since Frost Giant Studios officially revealed the game back in 2022. While the initial gameplay showcase and my subsequent hands-on experience with the game were both somewhat underwhelming, they did convince me that the studio, which consists largely of ex-Blizzard devs, was serious about making a spiritual successor to legendary titles like Warcraft III and Starcraft 2. The question is, can Frost Giant Studios actually pull it off?
The first time I played Stormgate a few months ago I quickly became worried that the game was trying to relya bit too muchon nostalgia. There’s nothing wrong with paying tribute to the classics, but there’s a fine line between drawing inspiration and attempting imitation, and it felt like Stormgate was already on the cusp of falling into the latter category. Based on the game’s current build, however, I’m happy to say that Stormgate is slowly starting to become more unique in all the right ways. The game now incorporates several interesting new features I haven’t seen in other RTS titles, along with an exciting new faction known as the Celestial Armada.
Blackbird Interactive Looks to Revive a Strategy Classic with Homeworld 3
Twenty years after the last numbered entry, Homeworld’s return is nearly here alongside a cover system and the co-op roguelike mode War Games
By the time you’re reading this, the Celestial Armada will have already been revealed at the PC Gaming Show 2024 complete with gameplay footage that shows them in action. At first glance, it might be tempting to compare Stomgate’s newest faction with the Protoss - which I initially did -, but doing so would be doing the Celestials a disservice because there’s a lot more to them than first meets the eye. The Celestials are a pretty strange faction that can take some time to get used to as it plays quite differently than both the Vanguard and the Infernals. The faction doesn’t use any workers, doesn’t have Supply in the traditional sense, and its HQ is a flying spaceship that doubles as a defensive structure. And that’s to name just a few of the things that help it stand out from the crowd.
“Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology is Indistinguishable From Magic”
According to the developers, Frost Giant Studios drew inspiration from Arthur C. Clarke’s famous line quoted above when designing the Celestial Armada. The Celestials are an advanced alien race of quasi-immortal beings that incorporate two types of units – Biosynths and Mechas.
Biosynts use cutting-edge technology to enhance their bodies and, in some cases, even completely replace them. They’re led by angelic entities that look capable of laying waste to entire hosts of enemies with their divine powers. The Biosynths are joined on the battlefield by a variety of automatons that act as workers and war machines. Since the faction doesn’t have any builders, the basic worker units (known as Prisms) are only there to harvest resources. Meanwhile, other mechanical units like the Kri or the Scythe are designed to support their Biosynth allies during combat.
There’s also a class of ethereal beings that seem to serve as priests within Celestial society. They’re technically Biosynths, but there’s something different about them. The current build only features one of these units, namely, the Animacer, but I’m hoping there’s more where that came from. Personally, I found the Animacer to be the most interesting Celestial unit unveiled so far. Animancers are expensive and can be a little tricky to use, but you only need one or two of these units to turn the tide of battle in your favor.
Design-wise, there are only a couple of units that stood out to me so far aside from the Animancer. I found the scout unit, known as the Scanner, to be particularly intriguing thanks to its ability to perch on top of trees and track passing enemy units. It’s a pretty interesting mechanic that I haven’t really seen before in another RTS. The other unit that stood out in the current build is the Cabal, a caster unit that can take control of enemy ground units. The effect is permanent, but the Cabal destroys itself in the process. It’s one of those high-risk, high-reward units that I suspect will see a lot of play in professional tournaments.
Of Cascading Fields and Celestial Automation
As far as the base-building aspect is concerned, there’s a bit of a learning curve when it comes to playing as the Celestials. Buildings can only be placed inside a Cascade Field, which is initially projected by your mobile HQ (the Arcship) and a resource collection structure known as a Collection Array, but can later also be generated by most other buildings. The more buildings you place, the faster you can expand the field, hence the cascading effect. In addition, there are also special structures called Link Nodes that can be used to greatly expand the Cascade Field in a pinch.
Both the Arcships and the Link Nodes double as defensive buildings, and they’re not the only ones. The Celestials have an unusually high number of structures that provide utility beyond simple research or unit training. For instance, the structure that provides Power, a resource unique to the Celestials that replaces Supply, also replenishes the Energy of nearby units. Meanwhile, the structure that provides basic unit upgrades passively decreases the attack and movement speed of enemy ground units that get too close.
Hardcore Gamer’s Guide to Every Summer 2024 Gaming Event and Showcase
Here’s the who, what, and when for Summer’s biggest showcases and events in 2024.
Frost Giant Studios did a good job of conveying the idea that the Celestial Armada relies heavily on automation. In addition to having all these structures with passive abilities, you may also construct new buildings without the need for workers. Simply select a building from the Quick Macro Panel and chuck it down anywhere within a Cascade Field to begin construction. Of course, building placement is just as important as with the other two factions, although you do have a bit of wiggle room thanks to the fact that some of the structures are mobile.
A Glimpse Into the Future of Stormgate
Since there’s no campaign and very few story details to go on at the moment, we can only speculate on the origins and motivations of the Celestials. The faction reveal trailer did give us a bit of backstory from a human perspective, but I’m eager to learn more from their point of view. Similar to the other two factions, the Celestials will eventually get their own campaign where we’ll hopefully have the opportunity to dive deeper into their lore. While I’m looking forward to seeing how the Celestials evolve in terms of competitive and cooperative play, I have to say that I’m even interested in the campaign.
There are some big names involved in the creation of Stormgate, some of which you’ll undoubtedly recognize. A few members of the Frost Giant Team include Tim Cambell, lead campaign designer of Warcraft III, Tim Morten, production director of Starcraft 2, James Anhalt, Starcraft 2’s lead pathfinding engineer, Micky Neilson, New York Times bestselling author, Frank Klepacki, the composer who delighted our ears with the soundtracks of Dune II and the Command & Conquer games, and Samwise Didier, former art director for the Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo franchises.Although he’s since rejoined Blizzard, even Chris Metzen was involved in the project at one point and helped set up Stormgate’s story in the early stages of development. Plus, he also did some voice acting work.
A star-studded roster of devs combined with a very successful Kickstarter campaign and an ever-growing thirst for quality RTS games have paved the way for what could end up being a massive success story for Stormgate and Frost Giant Studios. However, they’re not quite there just yet. While things are looking promising so far, the game still has a long way to go until it can hold a candle to the legendary games from the golden age of RTS. But, with any luck, Stomrgate will get there in due time. Here’s hoping for the best.
Manor Lords: 8 Beginner’s Tips and Tricks
Managing a medieval settlement isn’t without its challenges, from logistic nightmares to hostile threats.
Frost Giant Studios' Stormgate is an upcoming free-to-play real-time strategy game. Envisioning a post-apocalyptic landscape, the game seeks to offer an accessible entry point into the genre.
