WW2 RTS Company of Heroes has just been totally reimagined as a new, standalone roguelike

This is Company of Heroes, but like you've never seen it before. Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand is a new, standalone expansion that takes the fundamentals of the WW2 RTS series and reimagines it with a roguelite twist. Despite the naming, it's a fully separate thing, meaning you won't need to own CoH 3 to get in on the action (although you'll benefit from a discount if you do). It supports single-player and co-op runs with a persistent progression system that lets your squad and tactics gradually evolve over time.

If you're looking for a more replayable PvE strategy offering that keeps you on your toes, Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand is an idea I can support. The most recent entry in the series has long split fan opinion, but Relic Entertainment has been gradually evolving and improving it since launch, and the PvE side is in a good place nowadays. Final Stand takes that robust core and injects the run-based randomness of roguelikes, tasking you with surviving against a dozen increasingly challenging waves of enemy attacks.

As your run continues, you'll be routinely offered the choice between potential upgrades. That could mean deciding if you should incorporate the ranger squad and their bonus weapon drops, or an M4 Sherman Bulldozer tank designed to crush through enemy infantry. Or it might ask you to decide between command abilities, from recon marking that makes your targets more vulnerable to attack, to airstrikes and long-ranged bombardments.

Final Stand brings in four stalwarts from the Company of Heroes lineup: the US Forces, the British Forces, the Wehrmacht, and the Deutsches Afrikakorps. Each faction has its own unique progression tree that you'll be able to unlock as you complete runs and achieve certain goals, permanently increasing their power in various ways. To help ensure you don't become too overpowered, there are a total of eight difficulty levels to work your way through, along with an optional endless mode.

The action takes place across five distinct battlegrounds, built by Relic to support the more wave-based nature of Final Stand versus more traditional RTS campaigns. It boasts a total of 36 boss units and 18 dynamic events that you can encounter over the course of the run. Whether you're curious for a fresh spin on the tried-and-true format, or are interested in what should be a more approachable take on WW2 strategy, Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand is sounding like a good way to answer the call of duty.

Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand will be released on Wednesday July 29 via Steam, priced at $29.99 / £23.99. You can wishlist it now. There will be a 10% discount for everyone at launch, while anyone who already owns Company of Heroes 3 will get a bonus 20% bundle saving.

The series turns 20 in September this year, and Relic also recently announced that it would be giving the first entry a fresh coat of paint via the Company of Heroes: Definitive Edition. It's also rolled out numerous additional pieces of battlegroup DLC for CoH 3 in recent months, and promises "continued support, update, and new content across the franchise" for the future.