Behind the Scenes: Plastic Battlegrounds

Plastic Battlegrounds started as a simple question: what if we made a strategy game from the perspective of toy soldiers? The answer led us down a rabbit hole of miniature art design, nostalgic storytelling, and innovative multiplayer systems.

Finding the Scale

The biggest challenge was nailing the sense of scale. Players needed to feel like they were commanding an army of 2-inch plastic soldiers, not just playing a regular RTS with a toy aesthetic. We achieved this through careful environmental design—coffee cups become mountains, scattered LEGOs become cover, and carpet fibers tower overhead like grass.

The Plastic Aesthetic

Our art team studied real plastic toys extensively. We photographed hundreds of toy soldiers, analyzing how light interacts with the plastic, how paint wears off joints, and how dust settles in crevices. Each unit in the game has these details—scuff marks, seam lines, even the slightly irregular paint application that makes toys feel handmade.

We also embraced the limitations of plastic toys. Soldiers don't have fully articulated animations—they move like toys would if they came to life, with stiff joints and exaggerated poses that match their molded stances.

Multiplayer Innovation

Traditional RTS games often suffer from snowballing—once one player gets ahead, they stay ahead. We designed Plastic Battlegrounds with comeback mechanics built into the core loop. Losing territory doesn't mean losing the game; it opens up guerrilla tactics and ambush opportunities.

“We wanted every match to feel like those epic childhood battles where the winner wasn't decided until the last soldier standing.”

Community Response

The beta has been incredible. Players are creating their own battlefields using our map editor, sharing stories of epic last stands on kitchen tables and backyard BBQ battles. It's exactly the community we hoped to build—one driven by creativity and nostalgia.

Plastic Battlegrounds launches early 2024. Join our Discord to stay updated and participate in upcoming beta weekends!