The latest installment in the XCOM universe as rebooted by the legendary developers Firaxis dropped yesterday (24th of April). It isn't the XCOM3 that we are all holding our breath for, but more of a story first interlude that expands and develops some of the mechanics that were in XCOM2: War of the Chosen. It also introduces some new mechanics that are unique to the urban based warfare that dominates this release.
This isn't the first time that Firaxis has released a story first interlude between major XCOM releases... however, it is the first time that it has been released as a standalone purchase. Previously, there was a DLC for XCOM2 (the Tactical Legacy Pack) that recounted the story between the XCOM1 and XCOM2... how XCOM was defeated in the first release and survived Resistance force until liberating the "Commander" in the tutorial of XCOM2.
This is my first impressions of Chimera Squad, with about 7 hours of play in it... of course, that isn't really enough to give a comprehensive review, I will be doing that when I've got more hours under the belt!
XCOM: Chimera Squad is set in City 31 five years after the victory of the XCOM resistance against the Ethereal overlords that were mind controlling the alien ADVENT occupation. Freed from their mind control, the various powerful alien species have found themselves marooned on Earth... City 31 was founded to be a showcase of unity and co-operation between humans and their former oppressors. However, not everyone wants to let the past be bygones and move forward...
This is where Chimera Squad steps in... a special green detachment from the XCOM organisation made up of humans and aliens it has been dispatched to City 31 at the request of the Mayor to try and quell discontent and emerging factions that want to revive old grudges and return to war with each other.
First up, there are many things about Chimera Squad that will be familiar to XCOM fans... the Earth spanning Geoscape is replaced by the much more intimate City 31, which only has 9 districts to try and juggle... however, the same sort of strategy layer is present... research, mission prioritising, inventory juggling and character development are all present and accounted for... and the fact that we are leading a new and green squad is the excuse given for resetting the research in comparison to where XCOM2 left us.
The biggest change in mechanics relates to the change in roles of XCOM as a resistance organisation to being the keeper of the order. A typical mission encounter (or each string of encounters in an extended mission) begins with a Breach moment... you are stacking your forces at various entry points to a room which will give various advantages and disadvantages during the initial Breach round. It also serves to (hopefully) preposition your forces in an advantageous tactical position after the initial surprise.
Battles are played out in a confined urban setting with battles being short and sharp lasting on the order of about 3-5 rounds. The tactical field is quite cramped in comparison to the large open spaces of XCOM2, which means that you are pushed straight into a close quarters situation from the start. For me, I wasn't quite so fond of this... I prefer the larger tactical engagements which allowed me to engage from afar and then to close at a time of my choosing. That said, it is an adjustment in expectations of what the combat is... after some initial terrible outcomes, I started to change my play style to better suit this sort of battle.
Another big change to the game is the introduction of the interleaved turn order based upon each unit's individual speed. The original XCOM mechanic had the two sides (three if you count the Fallen...) take their turns as a team... again, this introduces a distinctly different style to how the game plays out... it is more akin to a turn based RPG or JRPG where keeping track of the turn order is critical to the success of your tactical play.
You have unique named characters in Chimera Squad instead of nameless procedurally generated soldiers. This allows for tighter story-telling as each character has their own unique backstory and arc development... however, all of them are a bit cheesy and a touch stereotyped.... their various unique skills make the game into a tactical puzzle of placement and synergy.
That said... as Chimera Squad is definitely a story first take on the XCOM universe, there is instant failure for any of the squad members dying. This is quite different from the XCOM experience of losing soldiers left, right and centre with only a few surviving to form the core of your elite unit...
The various factions that are seeking to destabilise City 31 are a representatives of the extreme ends of the human, psionic and ADVENT troops that have refused to accept the outcome of the XCOM2 war. I'm curious to know if there is a big bad behind all of this... I suspect that there will be, and that will be the mysterious enemy that was alluded to by the Chosen in XCOM2, who will possibly be the big bad of XCOM3!
Consider my appetite whetted!
Chimera Squad runs pretty decently on my XPS15, which is more of a productivity machine than a dedicated gaming machine. So, if you have a middle of the road dedicated graphics card, you will probably be able to run this. Let us just say that if you were able to run XCOM2, you will have no problem with Chimera Squad either... after all, it is the same game engine! Most of the story is told through comic pane style narratives... so again, no real demands on the machine in this department!
This is a pretty cool teaser for XCOM3... the new urban setting with it's associated game mechanics does make for a familiar but very different game for XCOM veterans. In many ways, it is more difficult, as you are a bit shoe-horned into a particular style of tactical play which might not be so natural for all players.
It isn't the perfect game... but it is definitely trying to set the narrative ground for XCOM3. The most annoying thing that I found with the game was the endless enemy reinforcements during missions... it does place some urgency to your missions, but it seems a bit weird as you are supposed to be the dominant force in the city... yet you are the one that is being overwhelmed!
At 10 euros, if you are a XCOM fan and you can overlook some of the mechanic flaws and can adapt to the different play style, then this is a great way to check in on the XCOM universe in advance of the XCOM3 release!
DELL XPS15 (9560)
CPU: i7-7700HQ
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: SSD
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050
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