We’ve been waiting for it for a while, and we’re not disappointed. The indie strategy game Cantata, newly offered in (very) early access on Steam, starts on a very good basis. But there is still a lot to do.
Planet Shoal is dying. It’s that three civilizations are waging war on the surface of this distant world. Each faction (humans, robots and aliens) has its own reason to attack the other and defend this planet. Through nine different campaigns, we will explore their motivations, their history and the mysteries of the planet.
Cantata is a two-dimensional turn-based strategy game with an isometric view. The influences ofAdvanced War and, surprisingly, management games like Factorio. On this pixelated battlefield, we place bases, factories and resource extraction machines to fuel our war machine. As we conquer regions, we must ensure the state of our supply chain… and its protection.
The management systems are complicated, but not obscure either. We make use of various buildings in combination to generate the elements of our army. A refinery and an engine factory allow another facility to produce a vehicle for our army, for example. The same goes for a simple soldier. It remains to memorize everything over the fights.
The result is a fairly unique version of the strategy game. Resource management is obviously essential, but mastering the art of war is even more so. Depending on the situation and the faction you represent, you move from conventional warfare to guerrilla warfare, from frontal attacks and flanking attacks to ambushes.
Cantata is above all a candy for the eyes. Decidedly, the artists of the independent studio Afterschool have surpassed themselves. Pixelated battlefields fit the mood perfectly space operaand the beautifully hand-illustrated portraits of the main characters, even more.
If we are already impressed, there is still a lot to do for the small Brooklyn studio. Only three of the promised nine campaigns and one Battleground Creation Editor are available at this time. The team promises a multiplayer mode soon. On Discord, the studio seems to be listening to player feedback. If we could go with our request, we would like to be able to play with a controller rather than with the keyboard and mouse.
Getting a game in early access always comes with risks. Nothing obliges a studio to finish the development of its game. But what is already there is worth trying. The map editor has a lot to do with it, as it allows us to create our own trials, thus prolonging the fun while we wait for the next update.