The classic real-time strategy franchise Command & Conquer has been largely neglected by its caretaker EA in recent years, but modders have used open-source tools like OpenRA to carry the torch for almost a decade, regularly patching and improving the original Command & Conquer and its sequel Red Alert with new quality-of-life features. In some cases, dedicated fans have even managed to use the engine behind the games to make something unique. One such mod, Combined Arms, a project which has been in development for almost four years, recently received a new update from developer Inqubi, and has enough content to be considered an original entry in the C&C franchise.
The full list of changes and additions is too massive to summarize here, but Combined Arms features all five factions from across the Command & Conquer franchise, each with their own sub-factions, which have unqiue powers, units, upgrades, and other bonuses. For instance, playing as the USA sub-faction for the Allies grants you enhanced airborne capabilities, while the Psi-Corps for the Soviets gives you access to mind-control units.
The mod utilizes some content from the original Command & Conquer and Red Alert, but also folds in assets from Red Alert 2 and Tiberium Wars, while pairing them with a wealth of new sprites all rendered in the original, chunky C&C style.
Combined Arms’ 34-mission campaign summarizes plot points that bridge the timelines of various C&C titles. In a similar spirit, Combined Arms also features nine new tracks that mash-up the original songs from series composer Frank Klepacki.
Unfortunately, Combined Arms lacks some of the polish that came packaged with the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection back in 2020, but it showcases many of the quality-of-life improvements the OpenRA engine has added to the base game, including new accessibility options, ultrawide monitor support, build queues, and more.
At the time of writing, Combined Arms is the fourth most popular mod on Moddb, and after trying it myself, I’d encourage any Command & Conquer fan or RTS aficionado to give it a go. The mod is available as a self-contained download. Just download and install the package from Moddb.
