[Here's our own Tim Sheehy's exclusive first look at the upcoming release build of Hazardous Software's Achron. -Josh Tolentino]

For those of you who may not be familiar with the title, Achron presents real-time strategy with a bit of a twist. Rather than only functioning in real-time, it introduces the element of free-form time travel, effectively making it the first meta-time strategy game ever developed. In short, think Starcraft meets Terminator.

How does that work exactly? The game allows multiple players to travel to different points in time and alter future events. This could be anything from unit movements, and production, to actual warfare. These changes result in timewaves that allow others a limited amount of time to react before the changes become permanent. Subsequently, the ability to move through time requires the use of resources, which limit the distance and time one can use to travel.

It may seem like a lot to take in at first, but it's a lot less complicated in practice. Usually I'm not big on real-time strategy; micromanaging has never been my forte, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited by the potential that Achron offers. The concept alone is truly innovative. Suffice to say, it's easily among the most promising independently developed titles I've seen in quite some time, and we're looking forward to seeing more in the months to come.

If you'd like to give Achron a try, you can pre-order a copy of the game via their website. Like Minecraft, this allows you access to the beta and all future releases, including the full the game. Customers who pre-order also gain access to tournaments, mod tools, as well as community art and level submissions. For more information on the game, feel free to visit the website above.