Courtesy of Sega and Relic Entertainment, we were given the opportunity to play a Company Of Heroes 3 demo featuring Mission Alpha, the very first mission of the North African Operation. It takes place at the start of Operation Theseus in January 1942 in Libya, when the Afrika Korps faction (DAK) tried to entrap Allied forces in an area between the towns of Ajdabiya, Msus, and Saunna.

I had 11 different units to play with in Mission Alpha, including two Italian units. The North African Operation is a narrative driven, single-player experienceh. The North African Operation starts in early 1942 and will take players through several historical battles including Ajdabiya, Tobruk, Gazala and the first battle of El Alamein. North Africa is an environment that’s never been portrayed in a Company Of Heroes game.

At launch this 18th November, Company Of Heroes 3 will feature four playable factions, including the DAK, the US forces, the British forces and the German Wehrmacht.

The DAK is said to be a much-anticipated addition to the Company Of Heroes franchise. They rely on an arsenal of mechanized vehicles, which allow them to strike fast and keep the pressure on the enemy. These include both light vehicles and heavy support weapons.

The DAK.

The British.

The US Forces.

The German Wehrmacht.

One of the best new mechanics in Company Of Heroes 3is the Full Tactical Pause, which allows players to pause and stop the action simply by pressing the spacebar, as well as issue multiple orders simultaneously and queue them. This reminds me a lot of how Creative Assembly’s Total War franchise plays like (and I’m much more familiar with that strategy game series). This new mechanic is a welcome addition and it’s a big help for newcomers like myself to get used to the fast-paced RTS gameplay in Company Of Heroes 3.

You can use your engineers and recovery vehicles to repair damaged tanks and other vehicles. Infantry units can also repair vehicles, but at a slower rate. Positioning of attacks is also important (a common theme in RTS games), where attacking tanks or vehicles at the rear or sides will result in increased penetration and damage.

If your infantry units gets low on health, you can also just click the retreat button to send them back to HQ or the nearest outpost for reinforcements. Just like in most other strategy games, it’s more economical and beneficial to rely on existing units instead of cranking out new inexperienced ones. Speaking of experience, your units can gain experience and get stat buffs, increasing their effectiveness in combat.

Seeing as this is just a demo, there are several bugs and issues. For instance, there was one objective that warned me to keep aware of hidden mines and that I can use a specific infantry unit’s special ability to defuse them. However, there were no mines, so I simply advanced to the next objective. Fortunately, there were only minor problems like that, and the game was relatively stable for a demo, seeing as I didn’t experience a single crash.

With all the new features and improvements, Company Of Heroes 3 looks like it’ll be a great jumping point for beginners and also an amazing title for veterans of the franchise to sink their teeth into. Obviously, I’ve only scratched the surface of what this RTS game will eventually have to ultimately offer. The franchise’s return couldn’t have arrived sooner.

Company Of Heroes 3 is releasing for PC on 18 November 2022.