This RTS Game Puts 70,000 Enemies On Screen At Once And It’s Terrifying

As I watch over my rebel camp, I’m mindful that the Death Night is nearly upon us. My meagre towers and walls don’t give me much comfort as, in the distance, a monstrous horde prepares to invade my modest settlement. Just like that the Death Night - the night when all hell is unleashed, basically - begins, and I desperately attempt to rally my soldiers against the incoming legions of darkness.

Thousands of enemy creatures tear through my village in mere minutes, reducing my once active community to ruins. The soldiers lie dead. The villagers are gone. Homes are reduced to rubble, and all because I didn’t prepare well enough. This is Age Of Darkness: Final Stand.

See the trailer for Age of Darkness: Final Stand here

The main thing that stands out about Age of Darkness: Final Stand, is the game’s ‘SwarmTech’. This technical feat allows up to 70,000 enemies to be present at once, which sounds ridiculous until you see it in action. An army of such gargantuan size bearing down on your soldiers is as beautiful as it is terrifying, and I found it hard not to be hypnoitised by the visual impact of it all. 

Playing the title at Gamescom 2022, I was in awe of the scenes Age of Darkness is capable of conjuring, but there’s more to this RTS game than the overwhelming amount of baddies. There are also MOBA-esque hero units to play with.

Team17

There are three factions in the game: The Order, The Rebellion and the Volatists. Each side has their own unique heroes, who make all the difference on the battlefield. Personally, I was quite taken by The Order’s Edwin. I mean, he has a flaming sword and there’s nothing better looking than that, is there?

However, I was encouraged to play as either The Rebellion or The Volatists for this demo, so I picked the former because they looked less filthy. This meant I got to play with their unique hero Aelis Syren, who had the incredibly helpful ability of summoning loyal bodyguards to defend her, not that this made much difference on the aforementioned Death Night, but at least it made me feel important.

Team17

While my hands-on PC session with Age of Darkness: Final Stand was short, I can happily say that there’s something special about it. The huge number of enemies it can generate is impressive, of course, but the hero units bring an engaging element to combat as I felt like I really cared about the safety of these talismanic figures.

The game is currently in Early Access on Steam, and while it’s in a fun state right now, I’m curious to see where Age of Darkness: Final Stand goes from here.