Sporting pixel art graphics and a general retro aesthetic, Archrebel Tactics is a modernized take on the 1986 game Rebelstar, and now has MicroProse on board to publish.
The revived MicroProse has joined forces with the developer of a Rebelstar-inspired strategy title, Archrebel Tactics, which features a play arena and graphics that would not be out of place on a 1990s MS-DOS game.
Here’s the trailer:
Who is behind Archrebel Tactics?
The game’s developer is Ularis Bader (real name Fernando Pereira) who states that “It is my third complete redesign of a turn-based game, heavily inspired by Julian Gollop’s early work, Rebelstar—a journey that began in 2010 and one I’ve dreamed about since the 1980s, when I first played Rebelstar in a ZX Spectrum.”
Expressing a passion for “many artistic fields, including drawing, pixel art, sound design, composing, and writing” it currently appears that Bader is developing all aspects of Archrebel Tactics.
The game is described as follows:
Drawing direct inspiration from legendary classics like Rebelstar (1986) and UFO: Enemy Unknown, Archrebel Tactics brings back grid-based, action-point-limited warfare with modern design twists and layered campaign choices.
In Archrebel Tactics, players must rally a resistance force to combat a secretive totalitarian faction that has seized control of the colonies. Through tactical battles, strategic decision-making, and encounters with alien wildlife, players will shape the fate of the planet — or perish trying.
Archrebel Tactics’ key features are listed as:
- 🎯 Classic Turn-Based Combat – Grid-based battles with an action-point system inspired by Laser Squad and early X-COM, featuring expanded functionality such as multi-selection.
- Travel Mode Mechanics – The classic action-point system is enhanced with a travel mode that lets units cover large portions of terrain in a single turn, greatly improving the pace on larger maps.
- 🧠 Player-Driven Campaign – Choose your mission order, face persistent consequences, and experience branching outcomes. Align with one of three factions to gain their unique benefits.
- 🔧 Unit Customization & Progression – Expand your squad into a platoon, recruit new units, and construct, build, or even capture droids to fight at your side. Unlock and upgrade gear, and plan the class type and progression for each human unit.
- 🗺 Partially Procedural Missions – No two battles are the same. Includes a standalone mission generator and a mission editor for endless replay value.
- 💥 Emphasis on Environment Destructibility – While enemy compounds have indestructible walls, the terrain itself is largely destructible. Use this to your advantage.
- 🐾 Alien Threats – Deal with both hostile factions and the feral wildlife of Kaprical, including massive native behemoths and something else that has descended upon the colony.
- 🎮 Retro Aesthetic, Modern Systems – Pixel-art visuals enhanced by bone-based animation, particles, and shaders.
This has MicroProse classic all over it, so I’m interested to see how this turns out. No date has been set for release, but you can wishlist Archrebel Tactics on Steam now.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.