It has been hinted that Trion Worlds is working on a new game. It is now confirmed that this game is Atlas Reactor, a turn-based strategy game.
In Atlas Reactor, everything revolves around PvP battles, whether 1vs1 or 5vs5 – there will be several modes. However, these do not take place in real-time as usual, but turn-based. One could loosely say that Atlas Reactor is a turn-based MOBA game. Because like in a MOBA, you have different characters to choose from in Atlas Reactor. Each has different abilities and a unique personality. This is intended to help you build a bond with the heroes.
A Turn-Based MOBA?
The battles themselves are reminiscent of the strategy game XCOM. You determine where your hero should move on the battlefield and which action to take. However, actions occur in a specific order. Attacks and other actions, such as “Dodge”, occur before the actual movements. This ensures that a planned attack takes place before the victim moves. Essentially, each round is divided into four phases. The preparation phase, in which you carefully consider what to do by studying the battlefield and the positions of all characters. “Dash” is the second phase, where you can perform evasive actions. “Blast” is the attack phase and “Move” refers to the option to move your character elsewhere, as already described.
To ensure that no one has to wait for a teammate to perform their actions, they occur simultaneously. This brings a particular type of strategy into the game, as you can never know how the opponent will react and what they will do. You must adapt your strategy quickly to changing situations. In each combat round, you should try to use the abilities of the characters wisely. Each hero, like in MOBAs, has ultimate abilities, which are very special skills that inflict a lot of damage. However, ultimates need to be charged over several rounds and should therefore be used wisely. The English website gameinformer.com describes Atlas Reactor as “XCOM meets League of Legends”.
This Could Work
At the moment, it cannot be said how Atlas Reactor really plays, whether enough excitement will arise, and whether the turn-based principle will work. Everything looks really good right now, and maybe this is exactly the game that could bring a fresh wind to the MOBA genre – or maybe even establish a new genre. By the way, there will also be a single-player mode against bots for practice.
Is there already a release date? Only vague: Atlas Reactor is expected to be released in 2016 for PC and Mac, and will adopt a free2play model. On the official website atlasreactorgame.com, you can sign up for the upcoming alpha.
