By ![Rising Army [Game Showcase]](https://www.indiegamesdeveloper.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/risingarmy5.jpg)
In the heart of the kingdom, where loyalty to the crown is everything and glory is hard-earned, Rising Army by Arkbits Game Studio thrusts the player into the demanding role of a commander under royal service. This isn’t just any strategy game, it’s a meticulous, high-stakes camp sim that demands both cunning and compassion as you raise, train, and lead your army to fulfil the King’s will.
Here, every decision ripples through the fate of your forces. The camp bustles with life, troops hard at work honing their strength, captains rising through the ranks, and supplies being rationed with precision. The player assumes the role of the Lord’s guiding hand, tasked with managing the morale, readiness, and survival of an ever-growing army. It’s not enough to train them well, the soldiers must also be kept sharp, fed, rested, and prepared for death, theirs, not yours.
The King watches from afar, insatiable in his hunger for victory. He offers missions, both main and optional, each laced with opportunity or peril. Satisfy him, and your legend grows, fail, and you risk everything you’ve built. It’s this pressure, from the looming weight of permanent death to the strategic balancing act of managing time, resources, and temperament, that gives Rising Army its razor-sharp edge.
From a gameplay perspective, the experience unfolds across four core scenarios. In the Camp, players utilise a clever drag-and-drop system to place soldiers into training structures, optimising their stats, strength, dexterity, constitution, based on their traits and potential. Some will be born leaders, others brutal warriors, and a few perhaps better off resting in the infirmary than charging headfirst into enemy blades.
Then there’s the Battle Scenario, where all preparation is tested. Fought in Auto Battler mode, these confrontations aren’t just about sheer numbers or brute force, they’re about how well the player has understood their troops, nurtured their strengths, and exploited enemy weaknesses. No pause, no reset. Death is final, and a fallen comrade is gone for good.
Between these two pillars lies the Map, an overview of the kingdom, a tapestry of missions, shops, secrets, and sudden misfortune. Days tick by with every action, drawing the player ever closer to the next assignment. What to prioritise: more training? A supply run? A side mission with uncertain reward? It’s a game of clockwork tension, where every soldier matters and each turn could bring opportunity or chaos.
But perhaps the most gripping aspect of Rising Army is its devotion to individuality. Every troop under your command is a person, with quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. As players invest time in their development, bonds form. A captain who once struggled in training becomes the linchpin of your strategy. A quiet archer saves the day in a skirmish you thought lost. And yet, the next battle might claim them forever.
Rising Army doesn’t coddle, it challenges. It compels players to be ruthless when necessary and tender when allowed. It borrows the meticulousness of colony sims and marries it with the unpredictability and human drama of battlefield command. Arkbits Game Studio has crafted something that doesn’t just simulate war, it simulates the burden of leadership. And in doing so, it asks a simple, devastating question: how far are you willing to go for glory, when every soldier’s life is in your hands?
Rising Army is available to wishlist on Steam
