PC-Exclusive Atlas Reactor Enters New Alpha, Offers Free Character

Atlas Reactor, the turn-based strategy title from Rift developer Trion Worlds, will be playable later this week with a new map and playable characters, among other features.

Beginning Thursday, February 18, Atlas Reactor's "Alpha Sneak Peek," as Trion is calling it, will go live with a new rooftop map--shown in the video below--and new fighters to use during matches.

This also marks the first time Trion will implement the game's mod system, in which players select character tweaks that can buff specific abilities. Furthermore, players can see what mods the enemy team is using, and pick their own loadout to counter it. Considering Atlas Reactor's focus on simultaneous turns, the mod system could lead to even more emergent scenarios over the course of each match.

By winning one match during the Alpha Sneak Peek, players will unlock one character permanently leading up to the game's full release. If players win three matches, on the other hand, they'll unlock a new character style. Trion is giving players free in-game currency for the Alpha Sneak Peek as well, allowing them to buy new characters and, in turn, new mods.

During a recent demonstration, when Trion showed us the new rooftop map, along with several new characters, including the "pure tank" Rampart, the developer told us the Alpha Sneak Peek will run for about a week.

Atlas Reactor, with all of its complex mechanics and possible ways to unfold, is a game you need to learn. For players interested in Trion World's take on the turn-based formula, the Alpha Sneak Peek will be a few short days to wrap their minds around the title's seemingly nuanced systems.