Athena Crisis launches on all platforms for some retro strategic fun

Athena Crisis is a game I have been following during its development, and not just because of its brilliant marketing genius of letting you play a level on the webpage. Well for me, and I assume many of you, the wait is over as Athena Crisis has officially launched.

If you haven't heard of Null Games' turn-based strategy game, I feel bad for you. It takes a lot of inspiration from the classic strategy grid games like Fire Emblem, Shining Force, and most prominently the Advance Wars series. You put together an army, and then tactically command them to obliterate your enemies.

Athena Crisis gives you a choice of over 40 infantry, ground, naval, and air units to build your army from, allowing for a lot of tactical choices. You will need to master the seven types of environments, with each impacting your troops as they enter the battlefield. Some may slow you down, and some offer cover for defence, but don’t forget your enemy can use them too.

As well as the single-player campaign consisting of over 40 maps, cause apparently that's Null Games' magic number, you can take your skills online. There are both casual and ranked multiplayer options that can host seven players at once, which sounds like a fantastic tactical maelstrom.

If you want to flex your creative muscles, you can even try your hand at the edit suite. Here you can craft not only your own maps but entire campaigns. It is always a fantastic way to keep games fresh and, let's face it, save the developers from having to create their own. A win-win.

Another win is that if you buy Athena Crisis just once, you have it for every platform. That's Windows, Mac, Steam Deck, iOS, and Android, all with automatic syncing, for $20.00. The only downside is buying it is a little weird. You need to purchase it, shock horror, and then head to the download page and follow the instructions to the platform you want, it doesn’t exist on storefronts. It does look worth a little effort though.