5th Cell (Scribblenauts) is back with Castlehold, a free-to-play competitive strategy game that combines aspects of collectible card games and strategy board games. In 1v1 battles, players can create armies of different factions and attempt to take over each other's keeps. A vast number of different kinds of troops and factions are available, such as samurai, pirates, Wild West, future soldiers, vikings, medieval, and more. Take a look at the trailer below to see exactly how it all plays out!

You can choose to go right for the opponent or attempt to control various points on the board so that you can deploy better, more powerful units.  You may be able to win the game quickly by beelining to the opposing castle and using a tricks to infiltrate and win the game right away, but many strategies involve expanding out across the map to take over the outlying villages and gain board control. Smaller, agile units are perfect for moving across the board quickly to capture territory, but will lose in battle easily. 

Taking over the other encampments provides gold that you can use to drop much stronger units and activate your captain power. Bigger units can be used to buff up your smaller troops, dominate the map, or trigger all kinds of special effects that can alter the battlefield. While there is room for some mid-game strategy, counter-play, and giant end-game wars that can occur, matches are generally quite fast.

Players can plan strategies that synergize with captain skills, a sort of overarching ability that you can select that isn't represented on the game board and can't be defeated. Activating these abilities can be the key to victory and be the deciding factor in a match.

Friendly, casual, and ranked modes are all available. The game is available today on Steam, the same day that it's been revealed. Surprise! More additions to the game are expected as Castlehold moves through early access.