Atlas Reactor is supposed to be both a MOBA and a turn-based strategy game. Will it work well?
Turn-based strategy games are complex titles where you can take your time to develop the optimal strategy. However, you must also allow your opponent enough time to think, which can get quite boring during multiplayer rounds.
Turn-based strategy MOBA? Impossible!?
But the developers at Trion Worlds did not want to settle for that. And so they created a turn-based competitive MOBA that, despite the turn-based strategy, does not turn into a sitting war. Out came Atlas Reactor. Here, teams of five characters, known as Freelancers, compete against each other in a limited area.
I can already hear you loudly and incredulously asking: “A turn-based MOBA? How is that supposed to work?” After all, MOBAs – like Heroes of the Storm or LoL – are famous and infamous for their fast-paced gameplay and high tempo. If you are not quick on your feet, you practically have no chance. And while MOBAs – like Battleborn or Paladins – work wonderfully as shooters, languid turn-based strategies like X-Com 2 do not seem to fit the genre at all.
Heroes of the Storm meets Blitz Chess
However, the developers – who explained their game to us in a live stream – have come up with quite a few things and, among other inspirations, are drawn from board games like Blitz Chess or the X-Wing tabletop. Each turn is divided into two “modes”. The “Decision Mode” and the “Resolution Mode”. In the former mode, all players have 20 seconds to plan their actions, such as an attack, a shield buff, or a ram attack on the enemy.
Once the timer runs out, the game seamlessly transitions into the Resolution Mode, where the various planned actions are carried out. Particularly cool: The Resolution Mode is further divided into four phases, and each planned action takes place – simultaneously with the maneuvers of the other players – in one of them.
In the “Prep Phase,” we set traps and activate buffs, in the “Dash Phase,” all evasion and melee storm attacks occur, and in the “Blast Phase,” we shoot. Only at the very end does the “Movement Phase” happen, where all characters move normally.
Those who master this gameplay well and cleverly anticipate the moves of their opponents can change position in the Dash Phase before the opponent executes their attacks – which will then inevitably miss. And those who want to execute a particularly devastating area attack should carefully consider where most of the opponents will be standing by the Blast Phase.
Colorful Cyberpunk
As is typical for MOBAs, there is also a whole horde of cool characters to choose from in Atlas Reactor. And since Atlas Reactor takes place in a wacky, neon-colored cyberpunk world, the selectable heroes include anarchist bombers, autonomous computer anomalies, mutant creatures, robotic dogs, and aliens.
Genre-typical, the so-called Freelancers are divided into damage dealers, tanks, and support characters, and each week a few heroes are freely available, while the rest must be unlocked by playing frequently against the in-game currency.
Each Freelancer has five abilities, which occur in one of the four phases. Some characters, like the gunslinger Lockwood, have something for each phase, while the Gremlin demolition team Gremolitions Inc. primarily features high-range attacks for the Blast Phase.
In the alpha of Atlas Reactor, we could choose from 16 Freelancers, but with the start of the beta, it should steadily increase. Additionally, the current beta phase introduces a crafting and inventory system, allowing us to build loot chests with useful items from disassembled items.
Turn-based, but not for the indecisive
After the presentation from the developers and a few rounds in Atlas Reactor, it’s clear: This game is not for traditional turn strategists! Because those who like to take their time and carefully plan and rethink each move will often find themselves idly waiting around due to the super-tight time limit, and in the worst case, doing nothing.
After all, Atlas Reactor is indeed as quick and hectic as a good MOBA. Only, because of the different action phases, timing a skill shot is even more challenging than in LoL or DotA 2, and quick thinking processes are more important than swift reflexes. So, those who master blitz chess and like MOBAs should find true joy here!
MeinMMO says: I was skeptical when I heard about the game concept of Atlas Reactor. A turn-based MOBA, sure… But then came the live stream with the developers, and I was bombarded with facts about the game for half an hour. The more they showed me, the more I enjoyed the whole spectacle.
When I got to try Atlas Reactor myself, the seemingly complicated gameplay quickly became familiar to me, and soon I could score modest successes on the battlefield. Moreover, the developers truly succeeded in transferring the typical frantic gameplay feeling of a MOBA into a fast-paced turn-based strategy game.
For my part, I will definitely stick with Atlas Reactor.
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