RUSE: The Art of Deception , a real-time strategy game set in World War II, follows the stories of American officer Joe Sheridan and German officer Erich von Richter as they command troops across Europe and North America. The overarching plot revolves around catching a spy.
The gameplay takes place on large maps without a 3D environment, where units are represented by abstract forms resembling stacked, differently colored poker chips. The strategy relies on various unit types with advantages and disadvantages against each other. Basic base-building elements like production facilities and defense towers are present but play a minimal role. Resource depots can be conquered.
Deceptions are a key aspect of the game, allowing players to utilize tactics such as hiding friendly units, revealing enemy movement paths, creating decoy units, and disguising heavy units as light ones.
RUSE: The Art of Deception includes a campaign mode with two co-op maps and four separate maps against powerful AI generals.