There is a price that must be paid for living in a Utopian society. In the world of Nexagon, that price is boredom. However, there just might be a way to relieve that boredom ...

The enemy awaits across the narrow bridge, knowing an assault from the thralls is coming, knowing there is only one way to get to them, or go through them to their sanctum. Should they fall, they hope the traps in place will deter the force gather to oppose them.

But what you are seeing is not actually reality, it is a game show, pieced together and offering death of thralls for the entertainment of the public.

The concepts behind Nexagon: Deathmatch, a PC release from Strategy First, are nice, but really have little to do with the game outside of laying the background for the battles.

Nexagon is a futuristic television show that pits two sides against each other in a deadly capture-the-flag scenario. The ‘flag’ in this case happens to be a sanctum, which can be fortified with warriors and traps. Of course, you don’t just get to throw whatever devices you see fit in the midst of the mapboard. You have to buy your way to power, and that means success in the arena.

Bypass the hype, the announcers who only want to see action, and consider the moves ahead of you. That bridge is awfully narrow and killing your foes is not always the easiest path to that end. Sometimes you need to maneuver around them instead of plowing through them.

But let’s backtrack just a bit and break down the game.

It is the 44^th Century and the population of the world has gotten lackadaisical. In order to generate new life into the society, stir in some excitement, the concept of Deathmatch was realized. Take two squads with diverse abilities, through them on a mapboard that allows only for victory or defeat and broadcast to the population.

You are in charge of one of the squads. You have a starting sum of money and must buy thralls (units) for the combat. Each has different skills and value to the cause. But you can’t just spend all your funds on the thralls. There is the sanctum to consider. You can make it a lovely place, full of trees and art objects (which do have some purpose) or you can bypass the pretty scenery and just go for the traps and obstacles to maneuver the enemy into the traps. Thralls can be healed, cremated or otherwise sacrificed for the good of the battle.

The object is really twofold. Capture the other team’s sanctum, but don’t let them end-run you and snag your’s first.

One of the biggest problems with Nexagon: Deathmatch is that it really does not feature an intuitive interface. It is hard to jump right into the game and play. Even the tutorial seemed a little sketchy on the details, but if you take the time to work your way through the game, you will see that this is game that requires thought in several different areas. You need to plan ahead in the pre-battle phase. During the actual combat, you will have to consider quickly everything you need to do. You snooze, you lose. If you manage to win, you will earn rewards which can translate into unit improvement.

There are four types of races available, each with species-specific skills. The fortresses (your sanctum) can be edited.

Graphically this game is well done. The environments are lush, and the animation is smooth. The sound tracks really do a nice job of supporting that television game show mentality and the announcers are sufficiently irritating.

But this is really a game that is about tactical combat in a confined area. There really is no place to run or hide. Each match is an all-or-nothing scenario. You must plan well and move quickly, and therein lies the charm of the game.

Nexagon: Deathmatch is a wild take on chess. You have to have the right pieces and play them well. The sanctum in the king, which cannot fall. This is a game that is conceptually sound, has solid graphics and sound and plays well. It will take time to get into and learn the intricacies of the game, but therein lies the fun and the challenge.

This game is rated Teen for Violence.

Gameplay: 8
This is a game that is not that quickly paced until it is time for the battles, then get ready to move lightly. The game has a solid pre-battle set-up which does slow down the tempo but is a necessary part of the game. The mapboards are also not that big, and tend to resemble each other.

Graphics: 8.4
The moveable camera provides a decent view of the action. The game is rich graphically, and the animation is smooth

Sound: 8.2
This sounds like a television show with the be-bop faked excitement banter of the announcers. The audio portion of this game really does give is a certain flair and dampens the violence.

Difficulty: Hard
This is a thought-provoking game with real-time movement, and the complexion of a match can turn quickly. The gameplay is not intuitive and will require players to spend 30-45 minutes to get comfortable with the controls and strategy.

Concept: 8
This is a wild version of chess. The characters, boards and preplanning phases give it a nice twist. While the interface does make sense after working through it several times, players will need to devote some time to the concepts of the game. It is not easy to jump right into and play.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Two players can go toe-to-thrall toe over a LAN. The gameplay does not change at all; instead of playing the computer AI, you are playing another human.

Overall: 8.3
This is a solid combat game that looks good and plays well. It will take some time to get into it, but much more than a reflexive exercise, this is a game that requires forethought in the pre-battle stages, measured action during the battle phase, then analytical planning afterwards to prepare for the next competition.