This article is sponsored by Asym Altered Axis. Play the demo on Steam for free here.
Sometimes choosing a game depends on the right mood, especially when gathering your gaming squad. It’s sometimes difficult to justify the same game when your friends have broad-ranging tastes. In the case of Asym Altered Axis, the debut PC gaming experience from Monster Strike developer MIXI, there’s something in it for everyone. Asym Altered Axis exists beyond the realm of any single multiplayer genre, so to call it a tower defense would only be scratching the surface.
Protect the Nexus, or Capture It with Your Buddies in Asym
Image: MIXI
Asym Altered Axis is a blend of third-person stealth action and capture-the-flag (CTF) mechanics for teams of 1-5 players. But that’s not all, as Asym can be a real-time strategy tower-defense base builder for single players. Simply put, you can choose a gameplay style akin to other asymmetrical games, but with a healthy blend of hot multiplayer genres to choose from.
Stealth and CTF Action in Asym Altered Axis for Any Play Style
Image: MIXI
Players choosing the third-person option are Infiltrators, seeking Cells and ultimately the Nexus they can capture on the Protector’s map. However, there are traps and adversaries along the way, such as guards placed by the protector, as well as deadly traps and direct intervention by the Protector as they watch from above.
In this mode, you can also defend yourself with weapons like Pistols, Assault Rifles, and Rocket Launchers in your loadout. There are even Ultimate abilities that transform you into different animals, such as the Cat that detects traps and has greater jumping abilities, the Armadillo with its fast terrain traversal, and the Rhino with its charge attack.
Infiltrators will have to choose between the stealth approach in Asym or going in guns-blazing. You can sprint in the game, but doing so leaves a blindingly bright light trail that’s hard to miss from a distance, so crouching is the way to go. You will want your team well-coordinated, as they only have 3 lives to pull off their mission alongside you.
The more Cells you steal, the better your rewards. If you make it to the Nexus, the most valuable point of the map, you can capture it and will have an easier time doing so with teammates present.
But acts like this will max out the Alert status, setting off a timer to escape. Think Metal Gear stealth action with a bit of that Fortnite aesthetic charm. While this sounds risky, it’s also inevitable if you want good rewards, and even being detected multiple times by the Protector will raise your Alert Level, making you easier to spot and track, so play it smart, or fend off the Protector’s goons when possible.
Protector Rules the Map and Customizes Its Lethal Tower Defense Potential in Asym
Image: MIXI
For fans of tower defense, this is an interesting twist where you can deploy traps, guards, or even yourself to stop Infiltrators from pulling off heists. You can build your map before starting a match with mindfulness of the paths Infiltrators will take to reach your Nexus. Much like with Infiltrators, Protectors also get Ultimate abilities, including options such as aerial bombardments to coax players from their hiding places or outright wipe them out.
Your best bet when playing this mode is to craft your map to your chosen play style, with traps set up either to corral enemies into other, more lethal traps or other threats. You can focus your searchlight on known enemies and raise your Alert Level over time, increasing your visibility and even opening up other tracking options like a Minimap to see precise Infiltrator positions. The more Infiltrators you take down, the better your rewards at the end, with each Infiltrator having 3 lives.
You can customize your map with anything from swinging mallets akin to a Fall Guys stage to spikes and explosives. There is a simple condition before you can start a match, namely the top-left meter, essentially “building points” that must reach 1000-1500 to start a game as a Protector.
Asym Altered Axis Boasts Variety and Asymmetrical Innovation
Asymmetrical gameplay is clearly part of the name of this game, and it shows. You can have wildly different experiences in this increasingly growing subgenre. With this variety, it’s harder to see this experience growing stagnant for players. It promises depth and creativity in its layered experience, where players are welcome to experiment and adjust with their play styles. It’s perfect for friend groups who otherwise have trouble finding something they all want to play.
If you’re looking to check out this game, you’re in luck: You can play the demo via Steam on July 20, 2023. But the best time for you to showcase yourself in this game along with your friends is on Steam Stealth Fest, between July 24 and July 31, 2023, starting at 10 a.m. PST.
