"Halo Wars 2," Microsoft Studios' upcoming real-time strategy video game, is scheduled to be released early next year, but new gameplay footages and screenshots have been released to give gamers an idea on what they can expect.
The gameplay demo video titled "Halo Wars 2 - Gameplay Multiplayer: Strongholds on Rifts," shown during Gamescom and posted on YouTube by Halo FR, shows a structure being built as well as various encounters with the enemy. Handling showers of gunfire and missiles, controlling troops, defending the base, attacking enemy territory, building offense and defense - these are just some of the challenges gamers can expect to face.
According to the synopsis posted on Halo Waypoint, the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire have been declared "lost with all hands." They were drifting in space for decades, only to awaken atop the Ark, described as "an ancient Forerunner haven." In the new game, players will have to lead the army of Spartans and fight against a The Banished and its leader, Atriox. The events take place 28 years after the first "Halo Wars" and after "Halo 5: Guardians."
VG24/7 says that at the center of the map is the a Forerunner structure. The developer reportedly described it as something that "harnesses the power from the subterranean networks beneath the Ark's surface." The Banished are said to plunder the resources at the core by tunneling downwards.
The game offers various modes, namely skirmish, strongholds, domination, deathmatch, and blitz.
"Halo Wars 2," the sequel to the 2009 "Halo Wars" video game, is developed by 343 Industries and Creative Assembly and will be available on Feb. 21, 2017. It is part of Microsoft's Xbox Play Anywhere program, meaning it is playable on both Windows 10 PC and Xbox One.
Here is the official trailer posted by Xbox on YouTube last June:
