Well, looks like that 24-hour countdown that started last night was actually for Relic to announce a brand new Company of Heroes game, and what better way to do that than to drop a four-minute trailer?
Company of Heroes 3 will go where the franchise has never ventured. The first game followed the Invasion of Normandy and the Allied push towards Berlin, while Company of Heroes 2 dealt with the Eastern Front and the many controversies of Soviet Russia. Company of Heroes 3 will take place first in the deserts of North Africa before heading towards the more temperate shores of Sicily and Italy in some of the bloodiest fighting ever seen in World War 2.
As like previous games, Company of Heroes 3 will be a real-time strategy game with squad-based elements, but the third iteration of the franchise will expand gameplay thanks to a new Dynamic Campaign Map where "no two playthroughs are ever alike." For the first time, players will be able to command the overall war effort, making strategic choices like whether or not to launch air and naval strikes to weaken enemy forces before an invasion, or to liberate a nearby town for valuable intelligence from partisan spies.
Related: Seven Years Later, Company Of Heroes 2 Gets A 64-Bit Update
Company of Heroes 3 will be even more granular than previous games, too. Tanks will have vulnerable side and rear armor encouraging flanking maneuvers, while the new infantry breaching mechanics will allow you to flush out enemies from garrisoned buildings. Elevation will play a role too, enhancing line of sight and providing important info on enemy troop movements.
Although the game is played in real-time, the "full tactical pause" feature will allow you to play at your own pace, but only in single-player. Multiplayer games are played at one speed, and that's whoever can win first.
Company of Heroes 3 is coming to PC in late 2022, but you can sign up for a pre-alpha "glimpse" of the main campaign now by signing up to Relic's CoH-Development program here.
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