AMD has released an interesting 42-minute video explaining Mantle. However, if your morning schedule doesn’t allow you to waste so much time, you can skip the geeky bit and check out some eye candy, courtesy of Oxide Games.

Oxide is a relatively new studio, but it is not short on talent. Most members are Civilization V developers and the outfit already has a new 64-bit engine in the works. The Nitrous engine is designed for use on Sony and Microsoft consoles, as well as PCs. With that in mind it is hardly surprising that Oxide decided to embrace AMD’s new Mantle API.

Oxide’s upcoming space strategy title Galactic Civilizations 3 appears to be based on the Nitrous engine. The 64-bit engine is said to support 10,000 interactive units along with stunning visuals. That makes it very suitable for Civ-like titles.

The demo showcased by AMD features thousands of space ships flying in formation, which then disintegrates into what can only be described as a huge dogfight set in an imaginary system with a nice desert planet. We can only assume that the desert planet contains substantial reserves of dillithium crystals and that the armada is aiming to bring democracy to that particular part of the galaxy, with a bit of help from Halliburton and KBR Inc.

In any case you can check out the impressive demo if you fast forward to 26:00, since our glorious CMS is refusing to cooperate and allow YouTube links with a preset time.