Atlas Reactor trailer demonstrates the magic of simultaneous turns

Atlas Reactor , as Tyler said in his September preview , is a game that "needs some explaining." It's a free-to-play, multiplayer, turn-based tactical combat game in which players control teams of specialized "freelancers," but it's not, despite how that sounds, like XCOM .

. Players set up their moves during a planning phase, after which they're executed simultaneously during the action and movement phases. And if that doesn't clarify things for you sufficiently, well, watch this trailer.

Simultaneously-executed turns is a fairly simple concept. The dicey bit is managing the interdependent maneuvers of your entire team, while simultaneously predicting (and reacting to) those of your opponent. It's a layer of complexity that experienced players can use in all sorts of creative ways, as the video makes clear, but that will more often than not punish those who aren't entirely comfortable with how it all works.

Atlas Reactor is currently expected to be ready for release sometime next year. You can find out more about the game and sign up for the alpha at atlasreactor.com.