Niche Spotlight – Art of War: Red Tides, a Tug of War RTS Focused on Battles With Hundreds of Units

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Art of War: Red Tides is a new real-time strategy game by former Tencent employees based out of Shenzhen, China. The game is likened to a “tug of war game” inspired by Desert Strike from Starcraft 2. You can expect motorcycles, aircraft bombers, demonic beasties, and water-based aliens entering the massive battles, which can include hundreds of units.

Players will be given a vast selection of over 40 units from each of the three distinct races. From the beginning, you’ll select ten units and enter the battle, mixing and matching units to overcome your opponent’s strategy. As you destroy turrets (three in total), you’ll eventually reach the enemy base – its destruction secures victory.


Developer Game Science is touting the game as the world’s first cross-platform real-time strategy game, meaning they’re planning on having it playable on PC, mobile devices, and even televisions. Press play on the above trailer to get an idea of how completely absurd the game is, from its units that span technological eras, to its post-apocalyptic story.

Playable races include the Terran, the Atlac, and the Yaoguai. While the Terran are expectedly the beginner-friendly pick with a more versatile playstyle, the Atlac are a powerful alien race that take a bit more deliberation to wield properly. The Yaoguai (Editor’s Note: Chinese for demon) are similar to Starcraft’s Zerg, meaning they’re quick to deploy but hard to master.

Here are the key features:

  • Stunning world with ultra-high fidelity graphic
  • Intense fighting with 300+ ground and aerial units on the battlefield
  • Battle system with in-depth tricks and strategies, such as selection of units and commander skills collaboration
  • Team cooperation are more important than anything else
  • Can be easily played with mouse only

The Art of War: Red Tides open beta only ran until the end of last month, however you can head on over to its Steam page to get a better idea of what to expect.

A release date isn’t set, however Game Science is planning to release the game free with in-game microtransactions (likely cosmetic, as they promise there will be no pay to win items). Check out the game’s site here.


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Owner and Publisher at Niche Gamer and Nicchiban. Outlaw fighting for a better game industry.


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