Since the debut announcement of Toy Soldiers: War Chest back in August 2014, Ubisoft and Signal Studios have remained mum on the next entry in the cult-hit franchise. However, with E3 right around the corner, the publisher has debuted a new trailer for the strategy simulator that is sure to please any child of the 1980’s.
Like previous entries in the series, War Chest has players taking command of one of a handful of different small-scale armies. The previously unveiled World War I-based Wilhelm and colorful Starbright brigades dominate the early part of the trailer. The two are eventually joined by the futuristic Phantom group, and the medieval-based Dark Lord, which rounds out the core group of toys.
The big hook for the sequel, though, is the inclusion of licensed toy lines for the first time in franchise history. Calling upon two of the biggest toy lines of the past 50 years, Signal Studios is bringing He-Man and G.I. Joe to the battlefield. Each battalion will be represented by one major figure, He-Man for his titular line and Duke for the Joes. Side-characters such as Orko and Man-At-Arms will make up the ground forces.
There is a catch, however. The standard, digital-only version of Toy Soldiers: War Chest will only come with the four basic armies. This release will carry a reduced cost of $14.99 and gamers can then purchase the licensed groups for an additional $4.99 each.
However, if you want the complete package, then you’ll have to shell out $29.99 for the Hall of Fame Edition of the title. This version of the game will be available both digitally and at retailers. Besides including He-Man and G.I. Joe, the deluxe edition will come bundled with two additional licensed toy lines, which will be revealed at a later date.
As someone who not only enjoys the Toy Soldiers franchise, but also the idea of toys coming to life, I was already in for War Chest. With that said, I’m interested to see which other licensed properties Signal Studios and Ubisoft were able to acquire. I imagine they would come from the same time period as G.I. Joe and He-Man, but outside of Transformers, which is stuck with Activision, nothing really comes to mind. Thundercats? Ghostbusters? Teddy Ruxpin? The possibilities are endless.
Toy Soldiers: War Chest is slated to launch later this summer and will be available on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC.
