reconquest (v1.873)

Earth is a scarred battlefield after World War III, where civilization survives in isolated strongholds and every remaining resource becomes worth killing for. Reconquest is a traditional real-time strategy game built around reclaiming this ruined planet one sector at a time. Its conflict centers on radioactive shale gas, a dangerous but essential fuel that powers expansion and determines which army can keep fighting. The tone is bleak without becoming overly grim, framing familiar base-building warfare in a post-apocalyptic setting of wrecked cities, outlaw territory, and desperate military factions.

Players establish a headquarters, construct production and defensive buildings, gather shale gas, and train forces to push rivals off the map. Success depends on managing the economy while scouting enemy positions, securing valuable deposits, and choosing when to defend, expand, or launch a decisive assault. The campaign lets you fight for either the organized Urban Forces or the rougher Outlaw Clan, with ten story missions for each side linked by comic-style scenes. Outside the narrative, skirmish matches support battles against up to three AI opponents across eight maps, while Trapped mode offers preset tactical challenges that put more pressure on efficient decision-making.

Reconquest stands out most through its focused resource war: shale gas is not background flavor, but the central prize behind territory control and military momentum. Its old-school RTS structure favors clear objectives and direct battlefield management over the overwhelming complexity found in heavier strategy simulators. The two-faction campaign gives the package more variety than a simple series of AI matches, and the challenge mode is useful for players who want compact scenarios rather than long wars. Fans of Command & Conquer-style base construction and fast, readable post-apocalyptic strategy should find plenty to enjoy, especially if they prefer single-player RTS campaigns over competitive multiplayer demands.