In classic E3 tradition, the cinematic reveal trailer for this new RTS is so cool I wish it was an anime instead of a game

Gaming IndustryIn classic E3 tradition, the cinematic reveal trailer for this new RTS is so cool I wish it was an anime instead of a gameWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Cinematic Trailer | Battle Aces - YouTubeWatch On

Cinematic Trailer | Battle Aces - YouTube

Battle Aces, just announced during Summer Game Fest, is a promising spin on the RTS that uses deckbuilding—we’ve played it, and writer Lincoln Carpenter says the cards serve as “a purposefully designed speed ramp angled to accelerate you towards what’s most fun about RTS games.” But I’m not here to talk about that, because something else about Battle Aces has wholly captured my attention: its two-minute cinematic trailer that showcases a mecha pilot performing an orbital drop, blasting into a firefight, and dodging the kinds of laser beams that seem to pause for a split-second after impact beforethe big boom. You almost certainly know the type.

I’m an easy mark for almost any kind of mecha anime, so Battle Aces' cinematic was basically guaranteed to get me fired up. But it crucially ends on a high note, my favorite mech pilot trope—smashing a throttle all the way forward to signifyaction!!There’s some fantastic animation in this minute-long cinematic, with some fun mech designs and a pilot wearing some vaguely Tracer-esque goggles that make me suspect fan art will be immediately forthcoming. I’m a little bummed that this is just a mood-setter for a real-time strategy game, because I could watch at least one and likely 13-26 episodes of an anime that looks just like this.

E3 may be no more, but I can’t think of a more tried and true tradition of the summer game announcement season than this: seeing a cinematic trailer, thinking “this looks absolutely sick,” and then coming to terms with the game itself looking, y’know, alright!

Risk of Rain Returns - Trailer - YouTubeWatch On

Risk of Rain Returns - Trailer - YouTube

Risk of Rain Returns is a recent one from last year. I enjoyedthe remake of Risk of Rainwhen it came out in late 2023, but I have to admit to a glimmer of disappointment this minute-long animation wasn’t for a short film or something other than a remake.

Pepper Grinder | Launch Trailer - YouTubeWatch On

Pepper Grinder | Launch Trailer - YouTube

Same with this year’s Pepper Grinder. I’ve heard the game itself isa great 2D platformer, but all this trailer did for me was make me want to seek out the animation studio behind it. Look at that rough, vaguely MS Paint aesthetic coupled with incredibly fluid movement. It absolutely oozes style and reminds me a little of one of my favorite works of animation from the last decade,Ping Pong. And the list goes on:Windjammers 2, for example, probably should’ve just been a sports anime instead of a game.

Is it a bad idea to show off a new game this way? I think it can be—or at least a risky one. Animated trailers are “essentially the CG trailers of indie games,” says experiencedtrailer editor Derek Lieu, who points out that they’re extremely expensive at approximately $1,000 per second of animation. There’s also the risk that animated trailers “don’t actually help people understand what the gameplay is.”

“People might not even realize they’re watching a game trailer,” he says in a recent video onwhy most indie devs shouldn’t make animated game trailers. “I think it can even backfire if a trailer’s visuals look so much better than the game’s. If you make an animated or CG trailer that then cuts to gameplay halfway through, you never want the reaction to be ‘Oh. Huh.'”

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

I think I have at least a couple “Oh. Huh” reactions a year at this point, but you know, I’m nottooupset about that. Even if I’m bummed I’ll never get to watch an animated series that teases out the full potential of a trailer that got me real jazzed, I still enjoy these snippets of gorgeous animation. And even when games don’t do wholly distinct cinematics, their trailers can still kind of backfire.

Death’s Door - Reveal Trailer - YouTubeWatch On

Death’s Door - Reveal Trailer - YouTube

Based onLincoln’s hands-on impressions of Battle Aces, I can definitely see myself getting into an RTS that doesn’t demand the godlike micro skills of StarCraft. I’ll probably check it out. But am I a little sad it’s not launching alongside a short film about a hotshot mech pilot? Yeah.

Instead of forcing these small but incredibly talented animation studios to survive on one or two minute commissions, someone with good taste and deep pockets needs to be handing them $40 million checks and telling them to go hog wild. Texas-based Powerhouse Animation Studios is all the proof you need this is a brilliant idea. Once upon a time Powerhouse was doing animated trailers for the likes ofThe Banner Saga, and now they have five beautiful seasons ofNetflix’s Castlevaniaunder their belt. More of that, please.

More about gaming industryTikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ itHarrowing report alleges years of horrific abuse at Brandoville Studios, an Indonesian support studio that worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and The Last of Us RemakeLatestDragonflight got WoW back on its feet, now we get to see if Blizzard can make the Worldsoul Saga runSee more latest►

More about gaming industry

TikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ itHarrowing report alleges years of horrific abuse at Brandoville Studios, an Indonesian support studio that worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and The Last of Us Remake

A phone displaying the TikTok logo in front of the US flag.

TikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ it

The dual protagonists of Assassins Creed Shadows stand silhouetted against a setting sun.

Harrowing report alleges years of horrific abuse at Brandoville Studios, an Indonesian support studio that worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and The Last of Us Remake

LatestDragonflight got WoW back on its feet, now we get to see if Blizzard can make the Worldsoul Saga runSee more latest►

Latest

Dragonflight got WoW back on its feet, now we get to see if Blizzard can make the Worldsoul Saga run

World of Warcraft The War Within screenshots

Dragonflight got WoW back on its feet, now we get to see if Blizzard can make the Worldsoul Saga run

See more latest►

Most Popular

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 6, 2025)

I’ve seen enough: No more forcing singleplayer studios to make mediocre live service games

6 games that could be bigger hits than you’re expecting in 2025

What are your 2025 gaming resolutions?

The FBI put a $5 million bounty on the ‘Cryptoqueen’ last year but still hasn’t found her, so take your pick: Russia, South Africa, or murdered on a yacht in 2018

The Witcher season 4: Everything we know about Hemsworth’s debut on The Continent

8 bold gaming predictions for 2025

The PC game releases we’re most excited about in January

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals