Your goal in Nexagon is to assemble the perfect team of combatants who will defend your base through multiple rounds of arena combat. These rounds share a single objective: infiltrate your opponents’ fortress and disable their Controller Sphere (a “flag” that you simply have to obtain, not transport) while protecting your own Sanctum. As you succeed in these battles and obliterate the fully destructible environments, you accumulate credits (points) that you can use to buy new combatants, purchase defenses and obtain upgraded weapons. Earn enough credits, and you can eventually buy your way into the Nexagon, the championship match.

The build we played featured two races from which you could choose combatants, the Tekkan and the Chandros. The Tekkan are a brutal race who have a primitive arsenal and thrive on hand-to-hand combat. The Chandros, on the other hand, are technologically advanced and can attack both from close-range and from afar. Naturally, these disparate options require you to employ some serious strategy when purchasing your players, then even more strategy when planning your strategy for the upcoming match.

Each match begins with a purchase screen where you can obtain new players, defenses and weapons, then moves to a map of your Sanctum, where you manually place where you want your combatants to begin. Once the match is underway, your players will not move from their predetermined position until you instruct them, and even then, you can move and issue a variety of commands (attack, defend, face, use) to one or all of them.

With the player-controlled camera, it’s a good idea to begin each level by zooming out to inspect the arena’s layout and determine whether your opponents are on the move or taking more of a defensive posture. In the case of the former, you’ll likely want to stay by your base and play some smart defense. In the case of the latter, an offensive strategy may be in your best interest. Either way, the strategy is entirely up to you, and it’s something you’ll need to carefully consider from the first roster-buying menu.

Each of the two races we saw in Nexagon had several varieties of characters from which to choose. The Tekkan, for example, have a Gladiator (all-purpose warrior), an Assassin (a fast ally who turns invisible when not moving), a Golem (slow-moving but extremely powerful giant) and a Brain (a shaman-like character with magical powers). Depending upon your tendency to play offensively or defensively, you’ll want to build your roster accordingly with the most appropriate character classes.

Golems, for example, are great for defense and maneuvering through only the smallest arenas, but they’re not exactly suited for espionage or quick-hitting missions. Likewise, an Assassin can use its stealth to infiltrate an opponent’s base, but it won’t be the stalwart defensive specialist you need when your opponent starts knocking down your Sanctum’s walls.

Although Strategy First said the sound in Nexagon was “a work in progress,” I honestly considered burning the soundtrack to CD … it’s just that good. Imagine a mix of the movies The Fifth Element and Blade, and you have an idea of the techno-ancient blend of many of the tunes. The sound effects are still in need of some additional development, mainly because they’re still relatively nondescript, but the game still has plenty of time to iron them out.

Graphically the game holds its own, though the recommended configuration of a 32MB video card seems a bit optimistic. Granted, there’s an awful lot happening on the screen at once, but the textures, lighting and character design still seemed a little rough around the edges. If the opening video is any indication of the final product, gamers will be in for a visual treat when the game ships later this summer.

Related Links:
-Strategy First’s homepage