Cantata is a sci-fi strategy game by developer Afterschool Studio and publisher Modern Wolf.
Revealed as part of The MIX 10’s Anniversary Showcase livestream, Cantata has you play as one of nine commanders from one of three factions- Machines, Humans or Aliens. Gameplay is a top-down, turn-based, tile-based affair where you uncover a map from a fog of war and establish a base to build new units.
The base, interestingly, operates on a supply network, so you need to manage your supply chain to get an advantage over your enemies. These supply chains can be disrupted as well. It’s rare to see strategy games of this kind having logistical elements in their gameplay. So this is cool to see.
But that’s not all, the planet itself is also playing, taking turns like every player does to change up the map.
The art style is interesting too, with a traditional sprite-based look for the gameplay bits, but with lavishly detailed and colourful portraits.
“We’ve been quietly working on our weird, spiritual sci-fi strategy game ever since it was first revealed nearly four years ago,” said Kyle Kukshtel, Founder and Creative Director at Afterschool Studio. “We can’t wait to see what people think of our blend of tense tactical battles with large scale strategic planning, intermixed with base-building and logistics.
Cantata will be entering Early Access via Steam on May 12.