Fast and furiousīrisk seems to be the byword in multiplayer. Along with Arcane Conduits, a few victory points were scattered across it, the capture of which drains the enemy's score, giving us some objectives to fiercely fight over. While the campaign mission took place on a map that pushed my forces down a couple of linear paths, the swampy multiplayer map opened things up to allow for a fight over territory.

And the aesthetics are very much enhanced by the fantastic animation, which really shows off the character of each unit. It makes my paint jobs look downright shit.

Sometimes you've just got to zoom in and admire the little warriors, the shiny, extremely detailed crusaders and their fearsome adversaries, all decked out in bone and metal. This feels pretty true to its tabletop inspiration, as does its attention to aesthetics. The relatively low number of units you can field-16 once you've upgraded your HQ-also means you'll need to put more thought into your recruitment choices, whether it's grunts or heroes. The variety of tactical options and powerful abilities is a feather in Realms of Ruin's cap, making even lower tier units feel valuable. The net isn't just a fashion accessory, and it can be deployed to ensnare nearby enemies-something I found incredibly frustrating when facing them in multiplayer. Like the Stormdrake Guard it's a tier 2 unit, but instead of a dragon it's a giant that scrambles around on all fours while carrying a platform and net. The Orruk Kruleboyz-the second of Realms of Ruin's four planned factions-have their own share of exotic units, like the Marshcrawla Sloggoth. Nor did the troggoth that the previous scouts had avoided this time we made quick work of it, and its pals. The Stormdrake Guard was a highlight here, able to spew fireballs while flying or a large cone of fire while grounded. This group contained some tougher units with flashy powers, spitting out buffs and heals as long as there were resources to spare.

Sadly my squad, after surviving plenty of fights, ended up being cut down in a scripted sequence, after which I was given control of a much larger group-the main force I'd been scouting for.

Company of heros 2 us tutorial