It’s time to clench those fists like Arthur as the challenging XCOM franchise pulls a surprise invasion next week with XCOM: Chimera Squad.
XCOM: Chimera Squad takes place after the events of XCOM 2. Humans, aliens, and everything in between are working with each other “to forge a civilization of cooperation and coexistence.” The player’s unit is tasked with keeping the union stable and stopping any threats.
Publisher 2k and developer Firaxis is taking a different approach to this entry compared to past titles. This time around missions feature different entry points players will choose from. Also, on top of each squad member being fleshed out unique characters, there will also be no perma-death this time around.
The XCOM series was revitalized with 2012’s Enemy Unknown. The titles are known for their strategic turned based gameplay and the reason why I have trust issues to this day. All your soldier’s attacks can be set for a 99% chance of hitting before ultimately missing, and your controller ends up stuck in the wall.
Another change comes from the enemy and player units rotating turns. Instead of the player’s whole unit going, then opponents make their moves, they will alternate per character instead of unit.
Every team member has their own special ability that can be combined with another’s to create cooperative attacks. Check out the gameplay trailer below,
XCOM Captures More Players
2016’s XCOM 2 outpaced its predecessor in Steam sales upon release the first week with 500,000 copies. For context, the sequel was a PC exclusive while Enemy Unknown was multiplatform, being on the PS3 and 360 as well.
Firaxis could be using this new game as a way to test the waters possibly prepare players for XCOM 3. Chimera Squad launches on PC April 24th at $10 for initial buyers, before moving up to $20 on May 1st.
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