Company of Heroes 3

Last updated
Company of Heroes 3
Company of Heroes 3 Cover Art.jpg
Developer(s) Relic Entertainment
Publisher(s) Sega
Director(s)
  • David Littman
Producer(s)
  • David Littman
Designer(s)
  • Andrew Denault
  • Matt Phillip
  • Sacha Narine
Artist(s)
  • Tristan Brett
  • Patrick Lopetrone
  • Christine Hubbard
Writer(s)
  • Philip Harris
Composer(s)
  • Tilman Sillescu
  • Benny Oschmann
Series Company of Heroes
Engine Essence Engine 5.0 [1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseWindows
February 23, 2023
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
May 30, 2023
Genre(s) Real-time strategy
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Company of Heroes 3 is a real-time strategy game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sega for Windows. A sequel to Company of Heroes 2 , the game features new mechanics and modes and is set in the Italian and North African theaters of World War II.

Contents

Gameplay

In Company of Heroes 3, the players take the role of Allied Forces during their invasion of Italy and Axis forces in the North African campaign. [2]

The game has features new to the series such as the Tactical Pause system, which allows the player to pause a battle and queue up commands to be done after the game is resumed. [3] [4] Company of Heroes 3 also has an improved destruction system that gives the title more granular destruction, such as individual tiles and bricks crumbling off buildings. [5] Italian Partisans are allied NPCs that can either be used on the map or be called in during battles. [6] The story is dynamic, and the player's interactions with the game's various commanders can affect the narrative's ending. [7]

Development

Relic Entertainment led the game's development. The team chose the Mediterranean theatre as the setting allowed the inclusion of a variety of environments, which is a feature frequently requested by players of older games. In addition, the team added that the Italian areas in the game offered "broader palette for environmental gameplay" and players can make use of verticality of the maps to plan their moves and attacks. [8]

At the beginning of development, the studio recruited modders and competitive players to form a player council. The council worked with Relic during preproduction to determine what the new entry should focus on mechanically and where the game should take place. The executive producer commented on how it was chosen: "And we all agreed that we wanted a new theatre, we didn't want to revisit the Western Front or the Eastern Front. So really, the only two things left were the Mediterranean and Pacific. We put them both on the board, and it was just 10-0. Mediterranean over Pacific." Player testing for Company of Heroes 3 started in prior to the official announcement through Amplitude's Games2Gether program. [9] A demo for the game was available for a limited time shortly after the announcement. [10]

The game was officially announced for Windows by Relic and publisher Sega in July 2021. [11] It was originally set to be released on November 17, 2022, [12] but it was delayed to February 23, 2023. [13] Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were announced during The Game Awards 2022. [14]

In August 2022, the Polish toy company Cobi announced that they acquired a license with Relic Entertainment to publish North Africa and Italy themed brick sets. [15] On April 13, 2023, it was announced that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of game would release on May 30, 2023. [16]

Reception

Company of Heroes 3 received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic on the PC and Xbox Series X versions. The PlayStation 5 version received "mixed or average" reviews. [17]

PC Gamer noted that the Italian campaign was a mess, with AI lacking aggressiveness and the implementation of subcommanders which they described as "confused". [23] PCGamesN felt that although the gameplay lacked innovation, it lived up to previous entries, "The central story missions don’t do a lot to innovate on what Company of Heroes 2 established almost a decade ago, but they’re a hell of a lot of fun". [25] While feeling mixed on the North African campaign's portrayal of Erwin Rommel, Eurogamer enjoyed the game's bombastic spectacle, writing, "Everything can be blown to bits, which dovetails rather nicely with a campaign about shooting things with tanks". [28]

IGN liked the set piece encounters of the Italian campaign, but criticized the overall experience, "Every decision on the campaign map is just so low-stakes that it just feels like a waste of time". [21] Polygon praised the new active pause system, saying "it makes for a vastly more approachable game". [29] Rock Paper Shotgun felt that while some elements of the game were unpolished, the overall scope of the campaign made up for it "Still, the sheer breadth of what's on offer here in the Italian campaign is mightily impressive for a first attempt at this style of war gaming... it feels like precisely the sort of homecoming you'd want from this prodigal RTS series". [30] Kotaku noted that Company of Heroes 3's new setting proved a match for interesting tactical encounters, "In Italy the series has found an even better match between setting and gameplay". [31]

TouchArcade wrote that the visuals proved inconsistent on a small screen but the overall gameplay remained intact, "As of its most recent patch, I’m very pleased with Company of Heroes 3 on Steam Deck, and you will find a lot to like here assuming you’re OK with the controls". [32] NPR criticized the repetitiveness of the Italian campaign, but liked the co-op experiences possible in multiplayer, "Multiplayer gameplay is nothing like the methodical campaign skirmishes — it's fast, intense, and unrelenting". [33]

Related Research Articles

Relic Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver, founded in 1997. The studio specializes in real-time strategy games and is known for series such as Homeworld, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes. Acquired by THQ in 2004, the company was sold to Sega on January 22, 2013 as part of THQ's bankruptcy. Relic Entertainment became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sega Europe.

Battlefield is a series of first-person shooter video games developed by Swedish company EA DICE and is published by American company Electronic Arts. It started out on Microsoft Windows and OS X with Battlefield 1942, which was released in 2002. The Battlefield series has been played by more than 50 million players worldwide as of August 2012.

<i>Gears of War</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Gears of War is a 2006 third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It is the first installment of the Gears of War series, and was initially released as an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 in November 2006. A Microsoft Windows version, developed in conjunction with People Can Fly, was released in November 2007. The game's main story, which can be played in single or co-operative play, focuses on a squad of troops who assist in completing a desperate, last-ditch attempt to end a war against a genocidal subterranean enemy, the Locust, and save the remaining human inhabitants of their planet Sera. The game's multiplayer mode allows up to eight players to control characters from one of the two factions in a variety of online game modes. Gameplay features players using cover and strategic fire in order to win battles.

<i>Company of Heroes</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Company of Heroes is a 2006 real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ for Windows and OS X operating systems. It is the first installment of the Company of Heroes series, and was the first title to make use of the Games for Windows label.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution</i> 2011 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution is the stand-alone second expansion to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, part of the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series of real-time strategy video games. Set in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe, the single player campaign is playable with multiple races.

<i>Dungeon Defenders</i> 2010 video game

Dungeon Defenders is a hybrid multiplayer video game developed by Trendy Entertainment that combines the genres of tower defense and action role-playing game. It is based on a showcase of Unreal Engine 3 named Dungeon Defense. The game takes place in a fantasy setting where players control the young apprentices of wizards and warriors and defend against hordes of monsters. A sequel titled Dungeon Defenders II was released in 2015.

<i>Forza</i> Racing video game series published by Xbox Game Studios

Forza is a racing video game series for Xbox consoles and Microsoft Windows published by Xbox Game Studios.

<i>Company of Heroes 2</i> Real-time strategy video game

Company of Heroes 2 is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sega for Windows, Linux, and OS X. It is the sequel to the 2006 game Company of Heroes. As with the original Company of Heroes, the game is set in World War II but with the focus on the Eastern Front, with players primarily controlling the side of the Soviet Red Army during various stages of the Eastern Front, from Operation Barbarossa to the Battle of Berlin. Company of Heroes 2 runs on Relic Entertainment's proprietary Essence 3.0 game engine.

<i>Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth</i> 2012 video game

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth is a video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft for the Xbox 360 and the Wii U. The game is heavily based on the "Secret Invasion" storyline in Marvel comic books. The game was announced after the cancellation of the original The Avengers game based on the 2012 film of the same name, being developed by THQ. Battle for Earth was released in North America on October 30, 2012 for the Xbox 360, followed by the Wii U version on December 4. It was the first and currently only Marvel video game to be published by Ubisoft.

<i>Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord</i> 2022 video game

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a strategy action role-playing video game developed and published by TaleWorlds Entertainment, and co-published by Prime Matter. It is a prequel to Mount & Blade: Warband, a stand-alone expansion for the 2008 game Mount & Blade. Bannerlord takes place 210 years before its predecessor, with a setting inspired by the Migration Period. Bannerlord was announced in 2012. A Steam page for the game was created in late 2015; the following year, TaleWorlds began releasing weekly developer diaries detailing elements of the game. An early access version of the game was released on March 27, 2020 and quickly became the largest launch of the year on Steam, achieving nearly 250,000 concurrent players on Steam. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 25, 2022.

<i>Gigantic</i> (video game) 2017 free-to-play strategic hero shooter video game

Gigantic was a free-to-play strategic third-person shooter video game developed by the independent game studio Motiga and published by Perfect World Entertainment. The game focused on team-based action combat with heroes battling alongside a massive guardian. Players must protect their guardian along with their team and attempt to destroy the opposing team and their guardian.

<i>Age of Empires IV</i> 2021 Video game

Age of Empires IV is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment in partnership with World's Edge and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is the fourth installment of the Age of Empires series. The game was released on October 28, 2021 for Windows, and on August 22, 2023 for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

<i>Rogue Company</i> 2022 free-to-play third-person shooter video game

Rogue Company is a free-to-play multiplayer tactical third-person hero shooter video game developed by First Watch Games and published by Hi-Rez Studios. The game was released in open beta on October 1, 2020 for Microsoft Windows via the Epic Games Store, Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, with an Xbox Series X/S release following on November 25, 2020, and a PlayStation 5 release on March 30, 2021. The game features full support for cross-platform play and cross-progression. The game takes inspiration from the Counter-Strike series of tactical shooters. The game came out of the Beta on May 23, 2022.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Darktide</i> 2022 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a first-person action video game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, developed and published by Fatshark. It is a spiritual successor to Warhammer: Vermintide series. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 30 November 2022. It also was released for Xbox Series X/S on 4 October 2023.

<i>Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth</i> 2021 video game

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a 2021 action role-playing video game developed by Team Ladybug and co-published by Playism and Why so serious? for Microsoft Windows. Versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S were also released. It is based on Ryo Mizuno's Record of Lodoss War series, taking place before the events of The Crown of the Covenant. Controlling the high elf Deedlit, who finds herself in a strange interconnected labyrinth filled with her past foes and companions, the game focuses on exploration and searching for items and power-ups in the vein of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, fighting bosses and minibosses. During gameplay, the player also locates two elemental spirits and swaps between each one.

Company of Heroes is a real-time strategy video game series developed by Relic Entertainment. The series is set during World War II.

<i>Naraka: Bladepoint</i> 2021 video game

Naraka: Bladepoint is a free-to-play action battle royale game developed by 24 Entertainment and published by NetEase Games Montreal. It is a game where up to 60 players fight each other to be the last one standing. The game incorporates martial arts-inspired melee combat and features a rock-paper-scissors combat system. There are vast arsenals of melee and ranged weapons to choose from, as well as a grappling hook that can be used for both combat and traversal. In addition, each hero has unique skills and talents, allowing for customization to suit your play style. The game was released for Microsoft Windows in August 2021 and was ported to Xbox Series X/S on June 23, 2022. An Xbox One version was later released on December 22, 2022. PlayStation 5 port of the game was released on July 13, 2023, and the game was made free-to-play on that date. Naraka: Bladepoint has sold more than 6 million copies globally since its launch in August 2021.

<i>PowerWash Simulator</i> 2022 video game

PowerWash Simulator is a simulation video game developed by FuturLab and published by Square Enix Collective. The game was first made available in early access through Steam on 19 May 2021, and was fully released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on 14 July 2022. Further ports for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, were for a 31 January 2023 release. A standalone VR port titled PowerWash Simulator VR for Meta Quest 2, 3 and Pro models is set to be released on November 2, 2023. Players take control of a power washing business and complete various jobs to earn money. Gameplay primarily revolves around using a power washer to clean dirt off of objects and buildings.

<i>One Piece Odyssey</i> 2023 video game

One Piece Odyssey is a 2023 role-playing video game developed by ILCA and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. A part of the One Piece franchise, it was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on January 13.

References

  1. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (July 13, 2021). "Company of Heroes 3 hands-on: Kicking the Germans out of Italy". VentureBeat . Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  2. ↑ Brown, Fraser (2021-07-13). "Everything we know about Company of Heroes 3". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  3. ↑ Hafer, Leana (2021-07-13). "Company of Heroes 3: The First Preview". IGN . Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  4. ↑ Brown, Fraser (2021-07-15). "Company of Heroes 3's tactical pause system is a game-changer for real-time strategy". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  5. ↑ Brown, Fraser (2021-07-14). "Company of Heroes 3 makes destruction an art form". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  6. ↑ Crowley, Nate (2021-07-13). "Hands on with Company Of Heroes 3, which could almost be Total War: WW2". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  7. ↑ Williams, Mike (2021-07-21). "Company of Heroes 3 (for PC) Preview". PC Magazine . Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  8. ↑ Brown, Andy (November 4, 2021). "'Company Of Heroes 3' dev diary dives into the Mediterranean theatre". NME . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  9. ↑ Brown, Fraser (2021-07-13). "Fans have been playing Company of Heroes 3 for years". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  10. ↑ Hall, Charlie (2021-07-13). "Company of Heroes 3 sends the war to the Mediterranean, and you can play it today". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  11. ↑ Hafer, Leana (July 14, 2021). "Company of Heroes 3 Announced" . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  12. ↑ Romano, Sal (2022-07-12). "Company of Heroes 3 launches November 17". Gematsu. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  13. ↑ Bonthuys, Darryn (October 4, 2022). "Company Of Heroes 3 Delayed To February 23, 2023". GameSpot . Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  14. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (December 8, 2022). "Company Of Heroes 3 Confirmed For Console, Coming 2023". GameSpot . Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Premiera nowej kolekcji COBI już 26 października!". Cobi.pl (in Polish). 30 August 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  16. ↑ Bonthuys, Darryn (April 13, 2023). "Company Of Heroes 3 Is Deploying Onto PS5 And Xbox Series X|S In May". GameSpot . Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  17. 1 2 "Company of Heroes 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Company of Heroes 3 for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Company of Heroes 3 for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ Romano, Sal (2023-06-21). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1802". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  21. 1 2 Bolding, Jon (February 20, 2023). "Company of Heroes 3 Review - Single-Player Campaigns". IGN . Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  22. ↑ Tucker, Jake (February 20, 2023). "'Company of Heroes 3' review: this is the thing war is good for". NME . Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  23. 1 2 Brown, Fraser (February 20, 2023). "Company of Heroes 3 review". PC Gamer . Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  24. ↑ Dammes, Matthias (2023-02-23). "Company of Heroes 3 im Test: Ein intensives Echtzeitstrategie-Spiel alter Schule" (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  25. 1 2 Boudreau, Ian (February 20, 2023). "Company of Heroes 3 review – tanks for the memories". PCGamesN . Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  26. ↑ Broadwell, Josh (February 20, 2023). "Company of Heroes 3 review: They had a good war". Shacknews . Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  27. ↑ "'Company of Heroes 3' Steam Deck Review – Better than Day One – TouchArcade". 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  28. ↑ "Company of Heroes 3 review - supreme competency without a big innovation". Eurogamer.net. 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  29. ↑ Mahardy, Mike (2023-02-20). "Company of Heroes 3 propels real-time strategy past the real-time part". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  30. ↑ Castle, Katharine (2023-02-20). "Company Of Heroes 3 review: a glorious comeback for this WW2 RTS". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  31. ↑ "Company Of Heroes 3: The Kotaku Review". Kotaku. 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  32. ↑ "'Company of Heroes 3' Steam Deck Review – Better than Day One – TouchArcade". 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  33. ↑ Curley, Alex (February 20, 2023). "'Company of Heroes 3' deserves a spot in any war game fan's library". NPR. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.