Blow up legions of teddy bears in Toy Soldiers: War Chest

The contents of your childhood toy box were never this strategic. Signal Studios' Toy Soldiers: War Chest takes the pint-sized real-time strategy/tower defense series previously exclusive to Xbox Live and adds its own twists to the formula. That includes fairy weapons of destruction, zeppelins decimating teddy bear armies, and plenty of strategy to go around for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in early 2015.

Set in dioramas that change with each battle, Toy Soldiers charges you with defending your toy box against invaders. You play as one of four different armies, each led by an action figure hero, and use arms specific to that faction to win the day. The identities of two heroes are currently known: Kaiser Wilhelm, the grizzled army man known to players of the previous games, and Starbright, a fairy princess with enough cuddly firepower to put any encroachers on the ropes.

Because the weaponry available for each side is functionally similar (the Kaiser's anti-personnel machine is analogous to Starbright's bubble cannon, for instance), it's how you use your heavy artillery that will determine victory. You earn money and morale for every opposing footman your forces take down, and you stand to gain more by jumping into the action yourself. Players are able to tag in on any piece of machinery, manning this snail launcher or that anti-aircraft gun, and doing so racks up earnings even faster. Plus, you gain access to various trump cards as morale increases, like a devastating attacks from a zeppelin or Pegasus. But be careful--letting your guard down could mean a mortar launcher gets destroyed by a giant rolling cat bank, and something that simple can turn the tide of playtime.

You'll have to wait a while to play with these toys, but for now, check out the next few slides for screenshots and extra info!