While the multiplayer mode benefits from this drastic change, it is a huge blow for the campaign especially in the initial stage when you have just a couple of units, or even a single character to solve the highly scripted missions. It might be a useful tool to master every ability the new unit owns, still it surely is boring as hell and even the so called boss fights are tedious because it's obvious when you'll win but the damage inflicted by each side is simply too low. Just when you start thinking the story is slowly sinking like an old man in a hot tub, the addition of new units and the inspired mix of human and tribal forces add some flavor and rescue the campaign.

The transition is smooth but it won't take long until you'll have a large regiment to command, and the notion of micromanagement is taken to a whole new level, preparing the gamer for the thrills of the multiplayer mode. You don't really have a lot of freedom while completing a mission and I can't help to notice the linear structure of this title, with certain obstacles to be passed and challenges that can't be tackled in more ways. What better proof for this statement should we hope for but the fact that you'll occasionally reach checkpoints before the more difficult bosses, which are a welcomed addition to be honest, as it saves us from repeating a long scenario.

Perhaps the closest mission to a RPG and at the same time the least attractive in the entire campaign set is the one where you need to use camouflage to distract the guards and annihilate patrols before they can raise the alarms. Patience is crucial but unfortunately it's the only thing you need to complete an otherwise excruciatingly long scenario, and a perfect example to prove that the roads less traveled are less traveled for a reason and departing too much from the original concepts is downright stupid. Luckily this is an exception and the following missions are focusing more on the tactics needed to deploy in order to overpower the enemy troops rather than clawing your way in disguise through an intricate map.

The innovation that WorldShift brings to the RTS genre resides almost exclusively in the gameplay, where the three different races are constantly changing and improving throughout your gaming career, to better serve their purpose. Essentially each side has a main character, named "Lord Commander", "High Priest" or "Master" who operates above the four Officers, each with distinct abilities that can boost the offensive effort of the troops or cripple the enemy forces. They play an important role and the death of any of them is a huge blow, because unlike a traditional real-time strategy game they are virtually irreplaceable.

Another original addition that this title brings is the ability grid which allows the gamer to customize a faction by choosing the appropriate specializations and equipping items. First you have to unlock these specializations and in order to do that, xenoshards are required, a special resource gained when collecting or recycling artifacts. These items can also be used to increase the stats of your faction as a whole, not just an individual hero so it's always tough to decide for recycling them instead of equipping. While these items lie all over the map waiting to be picked up, the best are dropped by bosses and most of them are more than a match for a single player and that's where the co-op comes in handy.