Who has the time for an entire StarCraft match these days? Not me—I've got thought-provoking videogame articles to write—and I'm willing to bet not you either. So what if I told you that developer Uncapped Games has crammed all that competition, strategy, and furious clicking down into a game you can play in 10 minutes?
Shown today the PC Gaming Show 2024, Battle Aces has you pumping out little robot soldiers within seconds, and depending on how you want to spend your starting resources, you can even expand to a second base right as the game starts. Your goal, naturally, is to destroy your opponent's bases—but if neither of you manages that within the 10 minute time limit, whoever has the highest score is the winner.
Gameplay is super fast-paced: units dash around the map, and the right army can take down a base in a handful of seconds. Some of the strategy happens before the match, as you choose which units you want to bring in, but for the most part it's all about decisions in the moment. Do you want to focus on expanding as fast as possible, or flooding your opponent with cheap units? Do you want to play defensive and build up your tech for a lategame push, or harass your foe with hit-and-run attacks?
There'll be 45 units available to choose from in the upcoming closed beta, and the plan is to add new ones each season, hopefully keeping the variety high. Beyond their specialised roles on the battlefield, they're… oddly cute. I kinda wish I had a couple of those King Crab demolition bots crawling around on my desk, to be honest with you.
As someone without the patience for drawn out strategy slogs these days, I'm intrigued by the idea of making an RTS so bite-sized. Uncapped Games promises an intuitive interface that should make it accessible to control too, so it's not just about who has the fastest trigger fingers. If you want to know more (and sign up for the closed beta) head to the official site for all the details.
