This upcoming PC game brings Lego building to the real-time strategy genre

When asked about his inspiration for Cataclismo, Game Director Vicent Ramirez has a simple reply: “Legos.”

Digital Sun, a studio based in Spain, is best known for its work on action games Moonlighter and The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story. The studio had been working on multiple projects for a while now, including Cataclismo. The upcoming indie mimics gameplay seen in classic real-time strategy games that built the genre, like Starcraft, but it also features a brick-by-brick building mechanic that really looks to define the game.

I’d see that hook in action at this year’s Game Developers Conference, where I spoke to Ramirez about the project and played a bit myself. Based on what I’ve seen so far, Cataclismo adds a refreshing layer of strategy to the genre that goes beyond managing unit placements.

• The method to Apple Arcade’s madness? ‘Bring us an incredible game’
• Children of the Sun turns sniping into a pitch-black puzzle game
• Nvidia is missing a golden opportunity in PC gaming

Cataclismo takes place in a crumbling kingdom overrun with ghoul-like monsters called Horrors. My GDC demo introduced me to two soldiers of Lady Iris, the kingdom’s leader. Different unit types can take out the Horrors in a variety of ways. A veteran like Ramirez zips across the field in seconds and snaps units into place. He advises that I place the archer at the top of the hill and have my ground-focused unit approach the monster head-on, a part of the strategy loop players have to consider while conquering maps.

Placing units in strategic positions is part of any RTS. In addition to that, Cataclismo has players gathering materials and building structures brick by brick. During the day, players are supposed to gather materials to build structures. At night, it’s time to defend against the horrors until the next day. And the cycle repeats.

Minecraft Legends, the last RTS game I played, placed fully built structures and towers in a way that made bases self-sufficient and