Empire Eternal: Is This the Empire Earth Successor We’ve Been Waiting For?

Empire Eternal: The Next Great RTS?

Remember that feeling? The sheer, unadulterated ambition of the original Empire Earth? To lead humanity from humble prehistoric beginnings, flaking at stone, through 500,000 years of history to a mind-bending “Nano Era” of future warfare? It was an RTS dream few games have tried to match. The sequels? Let’s be polite and say they… existed. And that spiritual successor, “Empires: Dawn of the Modern World”? A valiant effort but it didn’t quite scratch the same epoch-spanning itch…

So what if I told you that a small, near impossibly ambitious team is not only trying to recapture said magic, but enhance it, from the ground up, for modern systems? Forget mods like Reborn or Rise of Empire Earth (though, interestingly, the designer of the latter, “EPO,” is the game designer here). We’re talking about Empire Eternal… a standalone game that aims to be the legitimate heir to Empire Earth‘s enormous heritage.

And by epic, they mean 20 distinct eras of human history… this is not a matter of old wine in new wineskins. While the devs painstakingly work to make Empire Eternal look, sound, and feel like the classic we knew and loved – from resource gathering and familiar unit archetypes (even futuristic mechs!) to the satisfying crunchy thud of walls going up – they’re also bringing a healthy dose of new thinking.

Imagine the strategic depth of Age of Empires 2-esque additions like castles, blacksmiths & specialized mining camps, woven in with seamless ease. Then top it all off with planned features like dynamic seasons that affect gameplay, in-depth policy systems, advanced technological trees, roads, bridges; and even the potential for spherical world maps. The possibilities spin the mind.

EPO, the visionary behind this, is not some EE zealot; they’re a grand strategy aficionado, citing influences from Age of Mythology, Civilization and Total War Rome. This teases a game that wants to be more than a clicker battle. We’re promised not just thrilling tactical war on land, sea, and air (with their own distinct mechanics for naval, air, and even future space combat!) – but also in-depth civil management, dynamic politics and a sophisticated economic system. They’re even guaranteeing “thrilling melee combat” where your units climb castle walls and leap onto enemy ships – a visceral touch most RTS titles shun.

Progress & Vision

The trip so far has already yielded tangible dividends. We’ve seen glimpses of assets that span the Prehistoric Age right through to the Stone, Copper, Bronze, Iron, Late and High Medieval, Renaissance, and even into a “Machines Age.” That’s a lot of ground for an indie team to cover.

And what of the future? Think of the “mayhem of combat” during the Renaissance period, with gunpowder units battling armored knights and missile troops while large wooden sailing ships exchange broadsides. Or flash forward to envisioning completed aircraft carriers launching their might with their wings of fighter jets. This is the level of detail & pageantry they’re aiming for…

This titanic task isn’t just for solo champions, though, because a “massive single-player campaign” is definitely in the making.

Competitive multiplayer is one of the cornerstone features, so that your strategic genius can be tested against the best. And for the creative minds among you?? Strong modding support for maps, units, and more, with the potential for an endless amount of player-generated content.

Release Strategy & Community

The release plan itself is intriguing: a potential rollout of 4 playable ages at a time, in 5 updates, to the total 20 eras… It allows for an “open-ended development” in which Empire Eternal can keep on developing indefinitely, with the potential to add new cultures beyond the five initial mainstays (West, Eastern, Middle East, African, and Latin – the devs are actively soliciting ideas for more, like Samoans or the Inuit).

Now the reality check: this is a herculean task for what’s billed as “just a handful of people.” The development priority now is stabilizing the game engine and fleshing it out with planned features…

The estimate for full release is two to three years, although, as any seasoned game development observer will know, it’s wise to double that in your mind for indie endeavors of this scope.

The community is already invited to participate; with a Patreon to fund & a Discord server where you can communicate directly with the developers, share ideas and perhaps even contribute expertise if you have it…

Is Empire Eternal a stunning, unreachable fantasy?? Or is this the start of a new age of gold for historical RTS fans? The sheer temerity of the project, coupled with the real-world progress & apparent passion of its creators; makes it one of the most compelling indie projects on the RTS horizon…

They’re not only chasing the ghost of Empire Earth; they’re trying to build it a brand new, even better, everlasting empire. And we’ll be watching every move…

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