After a long early access, Cantata, by the fledgling studio Afterschool, alongside publisher Modern Wolf, is ready to be deployed. Cantata is a turn-based tactics adventure, or as Afterschool aptly terms it, a “Grand Strategy Game” – which transports players into a world of militia-building, expansion, logistics, and resource management.
In this sci-fi dystopian landscape, all exist on the sentient lifeform, Planet Shoal, a world teeming with psionic energy. In this playing field, we have three factions engaged in a power struggle to dominate the land and claim the spoils of war, namely the valuable resources the land offers.

The first stand-out is the art and cutscenes, which reminded me of the late 90s to early 2000s indie comics of the sketched, edgy, and stylized variety. It’s striking to the point it could sometimes be a bit hard to look at with intense colours and vivid linework. That’s not to say it isn’t magnificent, it most definitely is, especially down to the character design, with bizarre outfits and forms. From the main menu, the talent of the art team is undeniable and I couldn’t wait to see more of it. Likewise, the opening musical score was ominous, but it had a very retro sci-fi flair that set the tone for the universe Afterschool has created.

Unfortunately, the music was underused during gameplay, and while the sound design perfectly captured the retro-futurism vibe they were going for, I would have loved to have some atmospheric tracks humming in the background while I went about my business.

Cantata’s campaign spans nine chapters, each of which the player is able to alternate between each faction, giving a firsthand perspective of that side’s motivations and playing as one of nine commanders of the three factions. The Unified Spirit, a society of machines, are chasing the ultimate dream of being able to exist with their own free will and ceased mining the land in favour of making a prosperous world between humanity and robots.

However, the 111th Reign of Harmony and Prosper seeks to maintain superiority over their robotic counterparts, and in order to maintain their power, they seek to reinforce control over the machines. In between these two are The People of Sun and Shadow, alien inhabitants believing in the spiritual nature of the land and longing for a peaceful life, but with the arrival of warships signalling the destruction of all they hold sacred, they’re ready to defend Shoal with all they’ve got. The structure of Cantata is a clever take on a tale as old as time: colonisation, war, domination, and the resulting environmental impact.

What stood out about this set-up is the commentary on colonisation and its impact on the environment. Of course, we can’t have colonisation without a serving of war and a fight for dominance. Cantata goes somewhere often uncharted; the chance to play as all sides in the unfolding of the war, and it’s a story that while quite complex and lore-heavy, I would love to learn more about.

Embarking on my first venture in Chapter 1 was an unexpected challenge. Some dialogue from the clan’s top dogs provides a fairly straightforward idea of their goals and attitude. As the almighty commanding officer, it was my job to carry out the bidding of the higher-ups with not much to work with but a mere patch of land and no military force.

The first thing I did was survey my surroundings – I had an isometric view of colourful high-res pixellated alien-like flora, ruins, and mechanical beings not far off on the horizon. The main objective was to scout the land and begin claiming territory. To do so, one must build an army to colonise, destroy enemy bases, and create a network of buildings to deplete Planet Shoal’s resources. It was easier said than done when facing robots, the native aliens, and the less-than-pleased local wildlife.

The initial stage was a slow burn. With limited objective guidance and minimal tooltips, it took some time to get my bearings. While it all seemed fairly straightforward from a tactics game standpoint, it was a lot easier in theory than practice. With very little hand-holding, Cantata throws you into the fray, forcing exploration and discovery through pure trial and error.

Unfortunately for me, progression was often stunted by my inability to keep my troops alive long enough to move forward on the battlefront. Grunts were weak in both offence and defence, resulting in a constant cycle of calling in reinforcements. Troops move within tiles, with each step costing an Action Point (AP), which is expended for every move the player makes, whether it be attacking, advancing forward, or building.

Early on, AP is extremely limited, but exploring and engaging in skirmishes builds EXP, granting more points to do more with each turn. Alongside that, levelling unlocks new types of buildings and military forces. Carefully planning out steps is crucial and can be the difference between victory and defeat. After my first few attempts, I finally managed to complete the first objective, however, it took me an hour and roughly 60 turns to get there, and it wasn’t long after I met my end at the teeth of a local beastie. That one wrong turn ended my war efforts before they had really begun.

On my next attempt, I began gaining some strides, finally building my first mine and factory. Getting to this point was incredibly slow, and with a finite global supply, time is of the essence. The problem is, time is a resource that drains very quickly in this game. Resource management is crucial to keep the clan going, but between defending, attacking, and micro-managing it became more of a chore than a joy.

I did enjoy witnessing each faction’s ways of thinking about life, the universe, and everything. Involvement in their communities fleshed out the lore of Cantata and made my efforts feel much more meaningful. Clans have varied processes for their infrastructure and combat, meaning that different strategies tend to be necessary. Alternating between factions in each chapter does just enough to mix up the gameplay with some new challenges, enemy types, and biomes that make each zone of the Planet Shoal feel distinct.

There’s plenty of content in the game to keep busy; the campaign for the average player takes roughly 10-12 hours, or perhaps significantly more for those like myself. The devs have done a massive service to hardcore tacticians with the inclusion of the Map Editor, where players can devise their own battlefields and share them with the Cantata community on Steam. Skirmish mode provides a chance to take on friends in online and local multiplayer for even more playstyles.

Controlling troops and production lines is done by clicking and selecting options from the UI toolbar. While it’s super easy to click a few buttons, it’s definitely not easy to think far ahead, particularly with the focus on logistics. Some adaptable players, especially the methodical, may enjoy the chess-like progress, but for me, it took too long to start making headway that I lost motivation to complete objectives.

Luckily, a manual save system makes picking up where you left off a breeze. People who enjoy tactics games may want to give this one a shot, especially those who get invested in lore, war, and politics. For others like myself, who enjoy fast-paced turn-based combat and instant gratification, Cantata doesn’t quite hit that spot, but that’s not to say that it doesn’t have the potential to win me over with time.

Cantata is a glimpse into a strange dystopian world with a sci-fi twist. The distinctive art style and story piqued my interest and the gameplay concept is intriguing, but it felt slow to pick up. Afterschool’s first game is definitely one-of-a-kind, but parts of the game’s identity still feel relatively unknown to me. With time, I’m hoping I can move further than before and see all Cantata has to offer. My first impression may not have been grand, but my determination to face the battles ahead will keep me soldiering on.

Written by: Yasmin Noble