Art of War: Red Tides

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Art of War: Red Tides is a multiplayer strategy game with a violence theme. It was developed by Game Science and was released on December 22, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Art of War: Red Tides is a multi-player strategy game currently in BETA with the core aspects of the game implemented. The rules of a battle in Red Tides are simple and easy to grasp, but you will have different experience in each game. Lead your troops of hundreds units to victory!

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,067 reviews

gameplay52 positive mentions

monetization5 negative mentions

Unique blend of real-time strategy and MOBA-style tug-of-war gameplay.
Easy to learn, quick matches with strategic depth and rewarding progression.
Free-to-play with fair monetization and no aggressive pay-to-win elements.

Extremely low player base and very long queue times especially in ranked and 3v3 modes.
AI and unit pathing issues cause units to act erratically or get stuck during battles.
Game lacks long-term support with few updates, balance issues, and a problematic monetization system involving runes that impact competitiveness.

gameplay
191 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
63%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by simple, fast-paced, tug-of-war style mechanics that emphasize strategic unit selection, countering, and preparation over micromanagement, offering accessible but deep tactical depth. While some praise its addictive, innovative mechanics and balance, others criticize repetitive, unbalanced, and mobile-optimized design choices that dumb down complexity and result in a less engaging experience. Despite rough edges, bugs, and a shrinking community, the core gameplay appeals to fans of casual yet strategic RTS-style games with a unique blend of biological and mechanical units.
- “This design choice gives it a distinctive identity, one that lowers the mechanical barrier to entry while still demanding a thoughtful and adaptive mindset from its players.”
- “This creates a dynamic where the real “gameplay” happens in the preparation phase—choosing the right units, predicting enemy strategies, and adjusting your approach between waves.”
- “It succeeds in offering a more accessible take on strategy gameplay, replacing mechanical intensity with strategic planning and prediction.”
- “After such a promising cut-scene we were involved in tedious gameplay where you have to buy, buy, and buy units.”
- “There's no 'strategy' here; the gameplay consists of one strip of land that goes from your base to the enemy's, and you just keep producing units that behave on their own.”
- “Instead, they did a 180, redesigned the UI for mobile, reduced the game engine, restricted units so only a certain amount could be on the field since too many would crash the game on mobile devices, and dumbed-down the gameplay.”
graphics
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
35%
5%
The game's graphics are generally praised for their clean sci-fi aesthetic, smooth animations, and solid performance on a range of devices, with many noting the appealing art style and detailed unit designs. However, some users feel the visuals could be enhanced with higher resolution options, improved UI design, and more polished effects, especially compared to cinematic trailers or other RTS titles. Overall, while not groundbreaking, the graphics provide an enjoyable and visually coherent experience that complements the gameplay well.
- “Visually, the game presents a clean and functional sci-fi aesthetic.”
- “Good game play, real time strategy, great (and I mean surprisingly great) graphics, and the playability whether against AI or other players, is enthralling - you'll find time pass extremely fast with this game, which is always an indicator of a good game.”
- “The graphics of the game, while less than what you see in the cinematic trailer, are still pretty good and the game does a good job of bringing the units alive, whereas most other MOBA style games your minions feel almost like constructs that are mass produced.”
- “The game is pretty bad, graphics are rubbish, gameplay is quite terrible; it's like one of those games you find on Google when you type 'war games' and it shows some awful games that are so small they don't need installation. That's where this game belongs.”
- “Poor optimisation, no options to modify the graphics, resolution problem (my monitor uses 1366x768 but the game doesn't support it), buggy, the menu and game look like a mediocre mobile game.”
- “- Graphics look terrible at higher settings.”
story
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
76%
12%
The game offers several modes with some thematic elements, but the story is minimal, fragmented, or partially inaccessible due to language barriers. Many users note a lack of a dedicated story mode and find the narrative aspect underdeveloped or overshadowed by gameplay-focused progression and missions. Overall, the story is seen as a minor component that could benefit from clearer presentation and deeper integration.
- “Rich in story, and theme from the most competitive genre of video games.”
- “Games pretty fun once you get past the tutorial, not really pay to win like some say, since the runes are mostly minor, and can be earned from playing easy story missions.”
- “And story is also behind a language wall but it was in beta, I'm sure they will fix it in time... then we can see what juicy story we got between Terrans, ice people and animal people(?), again didn't play much but I enjoyed it.”
- “No story element.”
- “It's a few missions, each with their own loading screen and this crappy introduction that shows your units before destroyed. You're then told to click some stuff, and a few seconds later you're cast away to the next tutorial mission.”
- “This game is fun, but it would be great if you could control your soldier and have a story mode; it's just a suggestion btw, it's a fun game to be said ;]”
monetization
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
62%
24%
The game's monetization is currently restrained, with microtransactions largely cosmetic and not impacting competitive balance, reflecting a commitment to avoid pay-to-win mechanics. However, some users express concern over limited player base growth and future implementation of microtransactions, fearing potential cash-grab practices despite developers' assurances. Overall, monetization is minimal or absent in early stages, with a focus on fairness and community expansion.
- “The game’s free-to-play model is handled with restraint, avoiding aggressive monetization and keeping the competitive environment largely fair.”
- “Thoroughly enjoying it so far, the microtransactions are cosmetic based, so there's nothing in here to affect the outcome of a game!”
- “While the game is in beta there are no microtransactions and when microtransactions are implemented for the full release, the developers have portrayed that the game will not transform into a pay-to-win title.”
- “It's sad to see a solid game be stripped down and left with nothing while the developers add in all the typical microtransactions because they feel you now owe them money.”
- “That requires either a huge amount of playing time and daily logins or in-game purchases.”
- “Most things you can unlock by progressing; however, some units are only obtainable by microtransactions, two variations of the one unit, to be exact.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
Grinding in the game is generally seen as tedious and repetitive, involving extensive farming to acquire units and upgrades, which can feel slow especially without spending money. While some players find the grind manageable and comparable to typical free-to-play models, others warn it may lean towards pay-to-win mechanics and become tiresome over time. However, the game improves after a certain level, rewarding those willing to invest hours into progression.
- “The runes are costly and require a lot of grinding to earn.”
- “Boring, repetitive, way too much grinding, unless you decide to go pay-to-win.”
- “It's pretty much league-of-legend-like and too much hassle for such little difference (you need to level them to pretty high levels to actually feel any impact in matches, which needs many hours invested into grinding; this mechanic could be a potential pay-to-win source).”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The music receives mixed feedback: while the intro and lore-related tracks are praised and memorable, the menu and lobby music are commonly criticized for not fitting the game's serious tone, often feeling out of place or too arcade-like. Sound design is considered average with limited ambient variation, but some enjoy the in-battle sound effects.
- “Intro music 10/10 gets stuck in my head all day.”
- “I also have to say that the best of the game is the lore, the music and the optimization, and I had fun playing this game until now.”
- “English translations are rough and no volume or music settings but still a blast.”
- “Menu music is horrible as it does not fit the game.”
- “Interesting game, fun to play and chill with subtle tension but one thing that really does not fit is the music.”
- “Music doesn't fit the theme of the game.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
8%
71%
Stability in the game is mixed, with some users experiencing frequent bugs, crashes, and matchmaking issues that impact gameplay, while others report smooth performance with rare glitches. Server instability and occasional freezing are noted concerns, though many find the game runs well on capable PCs and remains enjoyable despite minor bugs. Overall, stability is inconsistent, leaning towards frequent technical problems for some players.
- “10/10 looks great, runs great, and plays great.”
- “113 minutes, or 1 hour and 53 minutes, and I really like this game, runs great, not a single bug that I've run into yet.”
- “Haven't tried anything else out yet, but I've already recommended it to a couple friends for the fact that it's fun, runs great, is free, and has multiplayer.”
- “Why is everything in this game so absolutely buggy and inconsistent?”
- “Literally every time I get on this game I can find something buggy, broken, or just unreasonably unbalanced, but ya know, gotta get them $100 base skins rolling out!”
- “I do not recommend it right now though, second time it freezes the screen on a ranked match, so having to force quit is a loss of rank, time, and time penalty before playing again for something which is not my fault.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The game's optimization is generally praised, especially given its open-beta status, with solid performance even during intense on-screen action. However, some users note that it is not fully optimized and could benefit from further improvements, particularly in matching the performance standards of similar titles. Overall, optimization is seen as a strong aspect but with room for enhancement.
- “The biggest plus is the optimization; for a free open-beta, the optimization is great.”
- “In addition, performance is exceptional, even when there are 300 units on the screen at one time.”
- “I also have to say that the best aspects of the game are the lore, the music, and the optimization; I have had fun playing this game so far.”
- “That can also be a con as that makes it less like Desert Strike, and shows how unoptimized the game is for what it was trying to copy.”
- “My only complaint is the optimization.”
- “- Not optimized fully.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely regarded as humorous, with users enjoying its funny moments and lighthearted tone. While some find the spelling errors amusing, others appreciate the strategic humor in gameplay, especially during large troop battles. However, the humor may diminish slightly after extended play or repetitive comments.
- “Funny clicker game.”
- “Really fun game... although there are a lot of spelling errors which make it funny at times.”
- “Interesting game, fun to play with friends, it's funny when you make 200+ units of troops swarming the arena.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users praise the game "Art of War" for delivering intense and emotionally engaging combat, highlighting that defeats feel fair and skill-based rather than frustrating or unfair.
- “I was looking for a new game and Art of War, aka Chinese masterpiece®, gives me intense and emotional combat.”
- “Can't think of a single loss that made me feel cheated, just outplayed.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers excellent replayability, particularly when playing with friends. Its replay value could be enhanced further with the addition of new units on a regular basis.
- “Awesome game, heaps of replayability, good with friends especially.”
- “The game is good, if this game will have at least new units every month or 2 weeks, this game can be replayable.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users appreciate the game's brilliant atmosphere but feel that the font and main screen design do not fully complement or enhance this immersive experience.

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15h Median play time

99h Average play time

8-105h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 20 analyzed playthroughs

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Art of War: Red Tides is a strategy game with violence theme.

Art of War: Red Tides is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 99 hours playing Art of War: Red Tides.

Art of War: Red Tides was released on December 22, 2016.

Art of War: Red Tides was developed by Game Science.

Art of War: Red Tides has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Art of War: Red Tides for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Art of War: Red Tides is a multiplayer game with local co-op support.

Similar games include Rise of Legions, War Selection, Warpips, Art of War 3:RTS strategy game, Dota Underlords and others.

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