8-Bit Hordes

About

"8-Bit Hordes" is a real-time strategy game with a retro 8-bit art style. Players can choose between two factions, lead troops, gather resources, and build bases to defeat their enemies. The game features a single-player campaign, multiplayer mode, and a variety of unit types with unique abilities.

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+10

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80%

Audience ScoreBased on 584 reviews

story30 positive mentions

monetization4 negative mentions

The game features charming voxel graphics and a nostalgic art style reminiscent of classic RTS games.
Gameplay is simple and accessible, making it easy for new players to pick up and enjoy.
The ability to play with factions from both 8-Bit Armies and 8-Bit Hordes in multiplayer adds variety and fun.

The game suffers from poor AI and pathfinding issues, making unit management frustrating.
There is a lack of depth and strategy, often leading to repetitive gameplay focused on spamming units.
The campaign lacks a compelling story and is filled with basic objectives that can feel uninspired.

story
198 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
73%
12%
The story in "8-bit Hordes" is largely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many reviewers noting that it consists of minimal context provided through brief paragraphs before missions, rather than a cohesive narrative or engaging cutscenes. The campaign is described as a series of repetitive skirmish-style missions with little variation in objectives, leading to a gameplay experience that feels shallow and uninspired. While some players appreciate the mission design and the challenge of achieving higher objectives, the overall sentiment is that the game lacks a compelling story, making it less engaging for those seeking a rich narrative experience.
- “The threadbare 'story' is even slightly more interesting this time around, acknowledging the weirdness of the series and breaking the fourth wall a bit.”
- “The missions have more variety to them compared to 8-bit armies, but I still wouldn't expect much out of the campaign: the missions still take place on skirmish maps though, there are no cutscenes, and the only story is pre-quest dialogue.”
- “Sure, you don’t have a potent story-driven gameplay as in Warcraft 3, but 8-bit hordes still managed to capture the essence of simpler times in which an RTS had clearly defined factions that are best played by a pattern and distinct tactics, instead of just being a reskin of one another.”
- “The campaigns have levels without any real story behind them, any videos, any narrated story, or progression; it’s just one paragraph before each mission in a nonsensical story where somehow you, the commander of the previous games (21st century armies), now somehow got to lead magical armies.”
- “The story consists of one paragraph to read per mission.”
- “The campaigns for each faction are a bit lackluster, with no real story, voice acting, or cutscenes, just a series of skirmish maps (beautifully designed skirmish maps, mind you) with different scenarios to play through.”
graphics
105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
54%
3%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming retro aesthetic, featuring voxel and pixel art styles that evoke nostalgia while remaining visually appealing. Many users appreciate the simplistic yet beautiful animations and level designs, which enhance the overall gameplay experience. While some critiques mention a lack of complexity in the graphics, the general consensus is that the art style is cute, accessible, and well-suited for fans of classic RTS games.
- “The art style is just beautiful and animations are simplistic yet add to the game so much.”
- “The graphics are just beautiful and the gameplay is a lot of fun.”
- “Game itself, like the name suggests, has retro style graphics which are voxels in this case and it looks amazing.”
- “This game is basically a watered down version of Warcraft 3 with pseudo-8-bit graphics.”
- “They're just copy-pastes with little cutesy graphics, and all 3 games are laid out in the exact same fashion, with the exact same interface and resource gathering.”
- “The graphics are designed to be fairly simple to reduce the strain of the game on your PC, particularly with the army sizes the game can reach.”
gameplay
93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
67%
3%
The gameplay of "8-bit Hordes" is characterized by its straightforward and addictive real-time strategy mechanics, reminiscent of classic titles like Command & Conquer and Warcraft. Players engage in base building, resource management, and large-scale troop battles, with unique features such as an infinite multiplier for building units that allows for rapid army expansion. While the game is accessible and visually appealing, some players note that the mechanics can be simplistic and may require improvements for a smoother experience, particularly for newcomers to the genre.
- “8-bit Hordes is an interesting follow-up to 8-bit Armies, building on the last game and adding more mechanics, more distinct factions, and better mission design.”
- “The main thing that makes the gameplay unique is that building additional buildings provides a multiplier bonus that stacks infinitely, allowing you to grow armies to ludicrous sizes quickly.”
- “Gameplay-wise, Hordes adheres to the well-documented and tested formula of classic real-time strategy that focuses on both combat and base management.”
- “The gameplay is fairly simple: you build a base, gather resources, mass up units, and throw them at the enemy until one of you is dead.”
- “This is just not a good way to handle building or training units. Something I like to do in Dawn of War or Age of Empires 3 is building units while building my defenses, and this mechanic just does not help me because it drains too much money.”
- “While I didn't like the gameplay for personal reasons, I can see this as a great game if you like the style: as the name implies, you 'control' hordes of troops against other equally big hordes.”
music
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
62%
6%
The music, composed by Frank Klepacki, receives mixed reviews; while many praise its quality and nostalgic appeal, particularly its medieval themes and retro style, some feel it lacks the excitement of his previous works. Players appreciate the soundtrack's fit with the game's atmosphere, though some noted that in-game audio feedback is minimal, leading to a less immersive experience. Overall, the music is generally regarded as a highlight, contributing positively to the game's character despite some criticisms of its effectiveness during gameplay.
- “This game is really fun, great selection of units, nice setting, fun tongue-in-cheek style and an awesome soundtrack (it's Frank Klepacki, of course it would be awesome, and he went all in on the fantasy sound here).”
- “The maps just look gorgeous with the new props and Frank did a remarkable job (as usual) with the music!”
- “Music is also top-notch!”
- “And like I said at the very beginning of this review, it was really, really sad to listen to Frank Klepacki's music while playing all that garbage.”
- “Good lord, f2p crap with the music from Frank Klepacki himself... the man who composed Act on Instinct, Hell March and one of my most favorite VG tracks of all time – Huline Jungle from Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny... good grief...”
- “Music: it's Frank Klepacky again, but the 'medieval themes', while suitably 'epic' and '8-bitty' aren't really that outstanding compared to his other work.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players finding it genuinely funny and satisfying, particularly during chaotic moments like overwhelming enemy bases with airships. The lighthearted graphics and straightforward gameplay contribute to the overall comedic experience, making it an enjoyable and entertaining title.
- “Not terribly complicated, but funny and ultimately satisfying.”
- “The goals are pretty much the same: destroy this, build this, collect this, which is always funny, when you just bum rush the enemy base in the final mission with 20 air ships and instantly win by destroying their HQ... lol.”
- “- funny graphics”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game is reported to be "pretty much bug free," indicating a stable experience for players. However, some users have noted issues with simplistic AI that can lead to micromanagement challenges, suggesting that while the game is stable, certain gameplay mechanics may feel cumbersome.
- “Pretty much bug free.”
- “With buggy and very simplistic AI, you have to micromanage everything in the game, which is not the easiest thing in the world to do with the simplistic control schemes.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The monetization aspect of the game has received negative feedback, with users labeling it as a cash grab due to its reliance on pay-to-win microtransactions and the perception of being a low-quality product. Many feel that the game exploits players through its pricing strategy and in-game purchases, detracting from the overall experience.
- “From ultra-cheap games that felt almost like a scam (Guardians of Graxia is a nice example of that) to F2P nonsense with pay-to-win microtransactions.”
- “Making this its own game feels like a cash grab.”
- “This is just a cash grab DLC cloak and dagger.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players have noted that while it is possible to complete the game, the grinding aspect can be excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly in the deathsworns campaign where certain levels require significant time investment due to imbalanced matchups. Many found themselves stuck in prolonged battles, relying on repetitive strategies to progress, which detracted from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “You'll be able to finish everything in the game without issue, just know that things might get grindy or attritional at times, and not in the best way.”
- “I completed the Deathsworns campaign and frankly it was a horrible grindfest. Several levels took way too much time to finish due to the fact that against Lightbringers, the Deathsworns really didn't match up. The last level, after losing tons of troops and hopelessly getting blown up by the Lightbringers, I deadlocked over half of the map with watchtowers to prevent as much enemy harvester movement and gather as much as humanly possible for myself. When finally all the money nodes on the map were exhausted, I was able to move on the assault. Otherwise, the enemies were able to build too many troops to resist invasion, and mostly I was forced to rely on masses of balloons to destroy their key structures. I kept having to make new units of balloons to be able to clear every objective on the map. It took me an hour of grinding to be able to clear it because frankly the Deathsworns aren't a match.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players appreciate the well-designed missions and the variety in difficulty levels and objectives, contributing to a strong replayability factor. Overall, the game offers a good incentive for players to revisit its content.
- “The missions are well designed, and I really like what they did with the difficulty levels and objectives; the replayability is excellent.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its nostalgic blend of classic Warcraft and Command & Conquer aesthetics, successfully modernized for contemporary systems while retaining the charm of the originals. This combination creates a compelling and immersive experience that resonates with fans of classic real-time strategy games.
- “The classic Warcraft 1 and 2 look and atmosphere, combined with classic Command and Conquer, creates a match made in heaven for modern systems with modern RTS features.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in this indie RTS is marked by quirky and humorous designs, such as skeletons with amusing traits, but is overshadowed by issues like faction imbalance and a challenging co-op campaign that may frustrate players.
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with users noting that while the gameplay is enjoyable and the campaign is lengthy, the story is perceived as boring and repetitive, detracting from the overall emotional engagement.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The reviews highlight that the game features improved optimization and balance, indicating a smoother performance and a more equitable gameplay experience.
- “Improved optimization and balance.”
- “Improved optimization and balance.”
- “Improved optimization and balance.”

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65%Critics’ scoreBased on 7 critic reviews

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