Null Games announces a new turn-based strategy for 2024 with Athena Crisis

Many generations ago, back at the dawn of console gaming, a series that had my full attention most afternoons was Shining Force on the Mega Drive. The turn-based grid strategy was so gripping and exciting, and it is excellent to hear Null Games' announcement of a new entry to this genre coming in 2024; Athena Crisis.

Developed by Nakazawa Tech KK, you will be placed in the shoes of a commander with a plethora of units at their command, make up of infantry, tanks, and air forces. Think army commander but with a delightfully colourful pixel art style. There will be over 30 types of soldiers to command, across five environments each with its own unique playstyle.

Nakazawa has cited such classics of the turn-based strategy genre such as XCOM, Advance Wars, and a slightly more recent hit Into the Breach as influences, so it's got good teachers. You will be able to tackle an intense single-player campaign or dive into online multiplayer modes, however, you play though, the actions you take can have an effect on other players' worlds and vice versa, making for an incredibly interesting-sounding interconnected universe.

If you have some creative bones in your body, then you can spend a bit of time in the map editor to forge your own custom worlds, as well as a campaign editor to make your own campaign stories which sound brilliant. As you would expect, you can share these creations with the community, giving Athena Crisis a potentially endless source of content.

When discussing their involvement in the project, Null Games founder, Chris Wanstrath, said: “I’m super excited to start playing Athena Crisis matches online against friends and foes, and as someone who grew up with map and campaign editors, I’m really looking forward to seeing what new adventures await beyond the awesome single player campaign. We’re honored to partner with Christoph and Nakazawa Tech to help bring Athena Crisis to Steam and mobile in 2024.”

The mobile storefronts aren't open as of yet, so if you are interested in keeping an eye out for updates, you can find a list of Null’s social media channels on their website, or you can visit Athena Crisis’ own site instead.