Ashes of the Singularity 2: Are Humans the Secret Sauce or Just Another Cog in the Planet-Scale Machine?
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Ashes of the Singularity II is bringing humans into its planet-scale RTS battle for 2026, aiming to spice up a sequel to a game once dubbed 'gorgeous, but plain' with big promises of strategic depth and accessibility.
Right, so remember Ashes of the Singularity? Probably not, unless you’re a proper RTS tragic or you just really love watching thousands of units duke it out without much emotional attachment. The first one, bless its heart, was gorgeous but, well, a bit… plain. Like a perfectly cooked steak without any seasoning. Brendy, bless his straightforward soul, even said there was ‘nothing here that hadn’t been done before and done better.’ Ouch. But hold onto your hats, mates, because Oxide Games and Stardock reckon they’ve found the secret ingredient for the sequel, Ashes of the Singularity II (or just `Ashes 2` if you’re like me and prefer to conserve keyboard energy for more important spellcasting): humans.
Yup, you heard that right. *Humans*. As in, squishy, organic, probably-complaining-about-the-wifi bipeds. Apparently, this was the number one request for the first game, which I find genuinely fascinating. It’s a bit like when you’re building a massively complex magical automaton designed to rewrite the fabric of reality, and everyone just wants to know if it can make a cuppa tea and fold the laundry. Stardock CEO Brad Wardell confessed they just `couldn't support having thousands of organic, walking, squishy people` back then. Fair enough, rendering that many individual tiny squishies sounds like a nightmarish task for any digital wizard, potentially causing reality itself to glitch out.
But now, they’ve clearly leveled up their spellcasting, because the United Earth Forces are joining the returning robot and bionic post-human factions in these continent-sized scrums. So, what does that actually mean for us on the battlefield? Instead of just sentient machines slugging it out, we’ll be commanding the `powerful human alliance forged between NATO, China, and Russia` (a slightly terrifying thought in itself, but let’s roll with it for gaming purposes). Their mission? Reclaim Earth's territories – including Australia and Africa, because apparently even digital empires want a bit of that sun – and vital outposts on planets and moons across the solar system. Sounds like a proper interstellar dust-up, doesn't it? We’re talking `we'll prise the Sydney Opera House from their stinking cyborg fingers` levels of planetary reconquest, which, I admit, does tickle my chaotic-optimist bone.
Now, here’s a bit of commercial poetry for ya: Ashes of the Singularity II is set to drop in 2026, a whole decade after the first game. And, in a move that I reckon deserves a quiet nod for narrative consistency, the in-game story also picks up a decade after the original. See? Games *can* be art, sometimes, in their own quirky, meta way. It’s like waiting ten years for your magical potion to fully brew, and then finding out it’s *still* got a decade of backstory you missed while it was fermenting in the cauldron.
The big question, of course, is whether this sequel can actually make good on its promises. The original had a bit of a reputation, noted by Fraser Brown of RPS in PCGamer, for its `bland campaign` and being primarily a multiplayer vehicle. Which, honestly, isn't always a bad thing if the multiplayer is genuinely captivating, like a perfectly balanced duel between rival arch-mages. But if you’re pitching a grand, planet-scale RTS with a narrative about reclaiming humanity’s lost empire, you probably want more than just a glorified skirmish map. They're talking about a `significantly expanded` dev team, which is always a good sign. More hands on the arcane runes, more brains to conjure new strategies, potentially even a full-time spellchecker.
They're also pushing the idea that this is a game that `celebrates your strategic skills and rewards you for understanding that logistics, planning and terrain matter.` Sound familiar? Every RTS under the sun promises that, mate. But the real kicker is their stated determination to `make the BIG both simple and fun.` And *that's* where the rubber meets the road, or perhaps where the mana crystal meets the arcane circuitry. Planet-scale RTS games often tumble into the trap of being either too simple to be engaging for strategy veterans, or so complex they scare off everyone else. Finding that sweet spot, where you can command thousands of units without needing a degree in advanced calculus or a team of scrying apprentices, is the holy grail. It’s like trying to perfectly balance chaos and order in a spell: get it wrong, and you’ve got a minor explosion; get it right, and you’ve just rewritten the laws of physics – or at least, the laws of RTS design.
If they can actually pull off that balance – the massive scope of `thousands of units` and `continent-sized scrums` combined with genuine accessibility and strategic depth – then Ashes of the Singularity II might just be the unexpected delight we’ve been waiting for. They need to turn that `plain` steak into a gourmet meal with all the trimmings, not just add a packet of salt and call it a day.
So, will the addition of humans elevate Ashes of the Singularity II from a `gorgeous but plain` curiosity to a genuinely compelling, planet-spanning RTS epic? Or will it just add another flavour of unit to an already familiar recipe? My wizard’s orb is still a bit cloudy on this one, but my curiosity is certainly piqued. If they can truly nail the `simple and fun BIG` while giving us a campaign that isn’t just a glorified training montage for multiplayer, then count me in. After all, who doesn't love a good uprising, especially when it involves reclaiming the Sydney Opera House from pesky robots? We'll see if this sequel manages to cast a spell on us that lasts longer than a single playthrough. Here’s hoping they learned a trick or two in the last decade.
Tags: RTS, Sci-Fi, Gaming News, Strategy Game, Sequel
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun