Atlas Reactor is a small-team, tactical skirmish game that plays like the crazy love child of League of Legends and Frozen Synapse. Matches are played in a series of rounds, each of which has a 20-second planning phase where you can coordinate with allies. The results of each round play out simultaneously. The match ends when one team achieves 5 kills or 20 rounds have elapsed.If any of the following describe you, this is a game you should have a closer look at:
You like turn-based strategy games
It's a turn-based game. Thanks, Captain Obvious. Yeah, I know, but I also know that when I first heard about Atlas Reactor, I dismissed it because of the timed turns. Timed anything and I simply do not get along. Great news: when you play solo vs AI, the timer is shown (so you can get a feel for the pace of the game) but you aren't actually penalized for taking too long. How cool is that?And while the time limit feels extremely limiting while you are trying to learn the game flow and figure out what the powers for a given character are, it starts to feel pretty generous once you get a handle on the basics.
You like real-time strategy games
While Atlas Reactor is turn-based, you still need to think relatively quickly and anticipate what your opponent is going to do, especially because movement occurs at the end of each round. It's very satisfying to drop a trap or an ability with delayed damage and have your enemy walk right into it. With the timed turns, you aren't going to be waiting around forever for your opponent to go.You like "hero shooters" like Overwatch
Maybe you like Overwatch, Paladins, Gigantic, etc. and could use a change of pace. Or maybe you are tired of hackers in those games and want an experience that's based on skill more than reflexes (augmented or otherwise).You like the idea of MOBAs
Atlas Reactor has colorful characters with game-changing abilities, but it is not a MOBA in the typical sense. There are no towers or creeps. While there is power customization and an item system (catalysts), there is no in-match leveling or shopping to worry about, so you can focus on strategy.You like to play vs AI
Because Atlas reactor is turn-based, the AI is actually quite competent. You can have a great time just playing against bots. You also have the option to team up with other players against bots. In custom games (requires owning the full game) you can even control multiple characters if you like, complete with custom power setups. The dev team has already confirmed that the new game mode (coming soon as of December) works with Bots. You could think of Atlas Reactor is a highly replayable skirmish mode or tactical miniatures game.There's plenty of fun to be had here, even if you never set one foot into a PvP game. Better still, you can progress through character levels & season levels, earn titles, and get tons of loot while only playing vs bots. Be aware that the check box for "AI Teammates" likes to reset, so check it before entering a new match.
You like competitive games
Want to crush your enemies by predicting what move they will make next? Want to dominate with the power of your mind? Want a game that's based purely on skill? Look no further. There is ranked play with drafting, bans, and the ability to swap characters with a teammate. The community is still growing; what better time to make a name for yourself? You can even compete for cash prizes in ESL TournamentsYou like to queue solo
Love to queue solo but don't like getting roflstomped by premades? You'll love this. Ranked play has both solo and duo queues and competing teams will have the same number of duos assigned to them. In unranked PvP, you can also opt to choose the character you want to play after seeing what your teammates have chosen, to make a better team comp. Team ranked queue is also available at specific times.You like to communicate with teammates by voice chat
Ever thought how cool it would be if a game could automatically put you in a Discord chat with teammates when you start a game? Well, you can do that in Atlas Reactor. It's also completely optional if you'd rather not.You like games with cool lore
Every character has a backstory, as does each Trust (faction). Atlas Reactor is broken up into seasons. Each season and world event expands on both the history of the game and the ongoing story of Atlas City. Player participation in events even shapes how the lore develops. If lore isn't your thing, it isn't in your face.You like collecting stuff
There's tons of things to collect, from character skins and taunts, to banner backgrounds and logos, to chat titles and chat emoticons. There are even variant graphic effects for some powers. Those new seasons and events I just mentioned also bring exclusive goodies of all sorts.
You prefer games with free-to-play and premium options
Atlas Reactor is becoming free to play on January 17th, 2017. Players will be able to earn a new currency called Flux that can be used to purchase individual character unlocks. The premium packages will still be available and will still include all current and future freelancers for those that prefer a premium option.
I'm interested, now what?
Hopefully I've convinced you to find out more about Atlas Reactor. The "Getting Started" tab will explain the basic game flow and show you how to get full access for 7 days.See you there.
