Armies of Exigo is a real-time strategy game developed by Black Hole Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts for PC in 2004. The game distinguishes itself from genre contemporaries through a dual-layer map system, in which battles take place across both a surface world and an underground layer simultaneously. Managing forces on these two separate fronts adds considerable strategic complexity, as enemy units can emerge from subterranean passages to strike from unexpected directions. Players must therefore divide their attention and resources between above-ground engagements and the threats lurking beneath the terrain. The underground mechanic introduces a degree of unpredictability uncommon in traditional RTS titles of the era, requiring players to anticipate attacks from multiple vertical levels rather than a single flat battlefield.
