More RTS games should have gross ogres that burst open for a reverse Alien-like surprise

rockpapershotgun.com:

If you've been keeping an eye on Stormgate, the upcoming free-to-play RTS being made by former Starcraft II and Warcraft III devs, then its big bads, the Infernal Host, will probably be familiar in name, if nothing else. But during tonight's Gamescom Opening Night Live show, we got our first proper look at this demonic alien faction, as well as three of the units that will be at our disposal on release. And sure, the worker Imp and its long ears will no doubt appease the Grogu fans out there, but my personal highlight is the creepy flesh monster, the Brute. It looks rightly horrific, with its pair of grinning maws and glistening, pale skin, but at the tap of a key, it will rip itself down the middle in a mess of blood and gore so that two Fiends can burst forth Alien-style to continue the assault. It's kinda gross, but also weirdly rad? In any case, I'm into it.

In addition to those three units, Infernal Host players will also have to master their faction-specific Shroud system. This is a dark swirl of magical energy that grows as you build more of their Infernal structures, and will allow you to cast ritual spells to buff your units. It remains to be seen how far you'll be able to extend the Shroud across the map, but I suspect that keeping your units within it will be a key strategy to earning yourself an Infernal victory in its co-op matches and ranked competitive modes.

I was never much one for the high-level play of Starcraft II, admittedly, but I'm heartened by Stormgate's commitment to both co-op real-time strategizing, and giving players the option to just fight against the AI. For instance, its campaign can be played solo or with a friend, and there will also be a co-operative 3vE (three players vs the AI)