Attack of the Astrals is available on Steam, with a public playtest launching in late January.

January 08, 2025

Sydney, Australia - Hewer’s Workshop announces their first title, turn-based strategy game Attack of the Astrals, and a public playtest launching later in January on Steam for all PC platforms. Experience a fantasy realm invaded by cosmic warriors and master a unique tactical combat system where grid movement replaces targeting menus. The trio of champions at your command gain a new skill with each land liberated, but the enemy upgrades with you.

Each run, the player selects a champion to lead their team, then embarks with two random allies. Champions have a unique skill and fall into three roles, which determines their movement range and attack area. The rugged Ranger and calculating Sorcerer are both mages, targeting distant tiles, but Ranger deals more damage to targets far away while Sorcerer is most effective against his nearest target. Each battle rewards a consumable spell, which provides a variety of map-wide effects usable at the player’s discretion. Defeating all enemies in a region presents the choice of a new summon skill, a situational and powerful skill usable once per battle. 

The world is brought to life by the pixel art of Hari Edwin, co-founder, from the frozen harbors and ice elementals of Wailing Anchorage to the rubble and protective magicks of Cloven Castle. Regions are not only visually distinct but provide unique mechanics. Astrals summon one or more minions each turn in battle, weak and immobile units that provide the enemy team with a passive effect. As the player advances, minions from liberated lands appear in all subsequent battles. In Lost Haven, the Astrals summon minions that give them a damage boost; if the player has already completed Cloven Castle, they’ll also summon a minion for a health boost. The order in which the player fights through the realm also shapes the challenges they face throughout the run.

“We’re excited to share this unique addition to the turn-based strategy genre,” says Rob Williams, co-founder. The removal of manual targeting in the combat system may make it feel deceptively simple at first, he says. “But my favorite part of in-person playtesting has been watching players have that ‘ah ha’ moment during a difficult battle, when they realize the depth of decision-making available.”

Hewer’s Workshop is a two-person studio partnered with Jared Farney, a composer and audio designer, for all music and sound. Feedback is critical at this stage in development, when the game is being seen by the public for the first time. Playtest sign-up is available now on Steam, and select players will be admitted in late January in phases.