I remember seeing an edition of XCOM (XCOM: Enemy Unknown) many years ago and thinking, ‘What is this alien rampage shooter thingy?’ Shortly thereafter, I found myself strangely addicted to its turn-based battle style game. It blew my mind that the 2012 game I was currently lost in was actually a remake of its original 1994 release. Knowing that there was a huge backlog of games to play, I dove into the series and wanted to play through the timeline all the way to today’s current release. With that being said, let’s jump into the Firaxis Games latest XCOM release – XCOM: Chimera Squad!

STORY

Many years have passed since the events that unfolded during XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. Based on traditional XCOM related history, you are put in charge of a customizable team set with defending against a looming invasion, or fight back against the tyranny as a member of a resistance team. However, Chimera Squad flips the script and this time you are acting as a UN / peacekeeper defence member for the famed City 31.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay revolves heavily around turn-based combat missions, which are the main ‘battles’ or ‘fights’ of the game. When a combat mission has been undertaken, you can choose which members of your team will participate (there are 11 in total to unlock), who all possess their own individual pros and cons to the upcoming battle.

Missions begin with a new mode to the XCOM series called ‘Breach mode’, which presents more of a strategic approach to the looming fight by allowing you to pick and place your selected units at various points, seemingly then approaching the battle zone from various positions. The game then loads into its next phase, dubbed ‘Interleaved turns’, to which both the player (you) and the CPU controlled players / enemies will take turns in movement and, if applicable, battles.

Another new addition to this chapter in the series is that members of your squad poses certain ‘action’ skills, eg: manipulating turns, allowing you extended time during your portion of the battle sequence.

GRAPHICS + SOUND

The overall graphics for the XCOM series have naturally improved overtime, and Chimera Squad is a huge step up in the HD department. Characters, environments, weapons, explosions have all had a massive overhaul and are clean and crispy, leaving you with a mass sense of accomplishment after downing your gwarning foe. The addition of the new ‘comic book style’ cutscenes and transitions are a unique treat, often reserved for comedy / comic book games, but it works here too!

The soundtrack is futuristic, yet nothing truly stands on. Which isn’t exactly a negative as, being a strategy game, a loud soundtrack would do nothing but distract you.

If you’re a fan of the XCOM series, then this standalone spin off is definitely worth your time!

Written by: Brutaleo