A Year of Rain – E3 2019 Preview
A Year of Rain is a new upcoming RTS game from Daedalic Entertainment with a heavy emphasis on cooperative play. Taking clear inspirations from the RTS classics from Blizzard, A Year of Rain takes what we loved and adds to the formula in unique ways.
One of the most interesting additions that the game brings is heroes. During my demo at E3, there were three available factions (House of Rupah, the Wild Outcasts or the Restless Undead) and three heroes to choose from per faction. Each hero has different abilities and upgrades depending on the class. Choosing a hero to compliment your teammate is very important. Luckily, my teammate was a healer, which suited my more offensive style hero.
Gameplay felt familiar at first. Quickly gather resources to build an army in order to fight and defend. As you fight, your chosen hero will gain new abilities, allowing for more intricate strategies. Taking out NPCs around the map proved to be a valid way to bolster my abilities before the main battle. The fights I encountered with the enemy players were exhilarating. My teammate and I were frantically attempting to supply units to the battle, while using and upgrading our heroes to turn the tide. Despite ending in defeat, it was a fun and exciting match.
Playing as a team was essential and is at the core of the game. All game modes in A Year of Rain will feature co-op play, but an AI team mate will be available if you choose to fly solo. Overall, A Year of Rain draws inspiration from the past while bringing new modern elements to the RTS genre.
A Year of Rain will be released on Steam later this year.
