News XCOM: Chimera Squad - announced for April 24

prudis

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XCOM: Chimera Squad delivers an all-new story and turn-based tactical combat experience in the XCOM universe.

After years of alien rule, humanity won the war for Earth. But when the Overlords fled the planet, they left their former soldiers behind. Now, five years after the events of XCOM 2, humans and aliens are working together to forge a civilization of cooperation and coexistence.

Welcome to City 31, a model of peace in a post-invasion world. However, not all of Earth's inhabitants support interspecies alliance. Chimera Squad, an elite force of human and alien agents, must work together to destroy the underground threats driving the city toward chaos.

Your agents are unique: each of them equipped with special tactical abilities and driven by a different motivation for joining Chimera Squad. Deploy targeted team members to investigate and combat the dangers that pervade the districts of City 31. Lead Chimera Squad through a new experience that innovates on XCOM's turn-based legacy, utilizing strategy, teamwork, and new breach-and-clear gameplay to complete your mission objectives.

The future of City 31 depends on you.

Unique Alien and Human Agents

Each of the 11 agents have their own distinct personality and tactical abilities, including species-specific attacks like the Viper’s tongue pull.

Specialized and Complementary Classes

Execute devastating combos by teaming the right agents and utilizing cooperative actions. The difference between mission success and failure can depend wholly on team composition.

Re-Envisioned Tactical Combat

Missions are structured as a series of discrete, explosive encounters, keeping the action intense and unpredictable.

Breach Mode

Shape the battlefield to your advantage with a new combat phase that injects your squad right into action. Strategically assign your agents to different entry points and coordinate their assault with a range of Breach-specific skills.

Interleaved Turns

An automatic initiative system slots individual agents and enemies into an alternating turn order, creating new strategic possibilities based on what unit is queued to act next—and what unit is at the greatest risk when they do.

Suspenseful Strategy Layer

Outside of combat, manage the operations of a high-tech HQ, where you must prioritize competing tasks, investigations, and agent assignments in the face of a ticking clock: the constantly rising unrest in the city’s various districts, driving City 31 closer and closer to total anarchy.

 
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ISee

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Mar 1, 2019
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That's a pleasant surprise.
Sounds like they are experimenting with the mechanics for a proper sequel.
After hundreds of hours in X-Com 2, this is a no brainer for me. Especially for 9.99€.
Even if this is probably rather short.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
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So what's the catch here?

This is like 5 times cheaper than XCOM 2, many years after release. Is it pretty short or something?
Xcom 2 DLC that went overboard?
Short Story to build a bridge to whatever they want to do in X Com 3?
Test for new gameplay mechanics that were impossible in Xcom 2?

No matter what it is, I wouldn't expect a long term investment. But if I get a couple hours of fun out it...
I really liked XCom 2, especially WotC.
 
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So what's the catch here?

This is like 5 times cheaper than XCOM 2, many years after release. Is it pretty short or something?
It's a spin-off, apparently made by a small team, possibly to try out something different, or even gauge interest and feedback on some new mechanics/gameplay changes.

For the current discounted price, which is less than the price of many DLCs, I'm totally up to give it a go. (y)
 
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texhnolyze

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They're quite stingy with the regional pricing and discounts so I have my doubts about this one.

I bought it anyway just in case they change their mind and raise the price here. And I like the Mass Effect-esque of the squad and skills in here. Hopefully I can deal with the tension and timers.
 

Durante

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Looks like a "standalone expansion" style project, but with gameplay changes they wouldn't want to try in the main series.

I like the interleaved turn stuff, quite JRPG-esque.
 

Alextended

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50% off pre-release is suspicious tbh. Specially when it's pretty cheap already. Maybe scared of Gears Tactics competition since it seems closer to that in style.
 
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Durante

I <3 Pixels
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50% off pre-release is suspicious tbh. Specially when it's pretty cheap already. Maybe scared of Gears Tactics competition since it seems closer to that in style.
50% off only for preorders might be "suspicious" (though not really on Steam where you can just return it), but as far as I can tell the offer extends one week after release.
 
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Parsnip

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I bought it, it's probably well worth the asking price here.
The small tactical legacy pack for XCOM 2 was also great.

Also hey it's standalone so the size requirements aren't as nuts as XCOM 2 with WOTC.

Not terribly fond of the portrait art, but someone will probably mod in something else in no time.
 
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Myradeer

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Interleaved turns do solve the problem of alpha strike which plagued the series, so I hope the new experiment turns out to be successful.
 
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Deku

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I am a cheapass gamer, so I am always looking for cheapest price, this game is no exception.
Currently GMG has the cheapest price with VIP discount, which is €9,20


I am wondering whether Humble Store will sell it or not. If they will sell it, then it's probably going to be cheaper with the subscriber discount
 

Deku

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And Humble Store does have the game!

It's 8 euro with subscriber discount
 

ISee

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Played for 2 hours, but my initial impressions are positive.
Nearly got my team killed in mission 3 because I briefly forgot that initiative is a thing now... :face-with-cold-sweat:
But overall I like the change, for now.

Encounters and maps are smaller in nature, but feel even more like puzzles than in X-Com 2. Abilities are now even more key to victory and must be used as much as possible. The game still puts pressure on you during missions to fulfill certain objectives asap, but I'm already used to that from X-Com 2. It's there to force your hand and to provoke errors. I do not like the idea that agents have to survive though and I wish they would have allowed to customize the look of your soldiers (hair, tattoos etc.) but that would have probably broken their budget and forced them to use something more expansive than comic cut-scenes.

Performance is also greatly improved, probably because maps are significantly smaller now.

But most importantly, it feels like XCom at heart. And instead of blowing a lot of money on promotion they decided to nearly stealth release this and to discount it instead. In all honesty: This seems to be a killer 10€ deal for strategy fans.
 

ISee

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Went completely under equipped into the cathedral mission, with t1 armor and weapons.
That was quiet a hard fight! Three squaddies were down and bleeding out in the end. But Terminal stood like a champ.

There are some nice equipment options, but overall like with X-Com 2, it might make the most sense to rush weapons and armors first.
 
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kio

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Zephyr is the best!
She has great mobility, great damage output, great survivability and pairs so well with so many other characters like Terminal or Cherub, allowing so many combos and diversity. Definitely an A rank agent so far.

I just can't understand why her breach attack happens after the aggressive attacks...
 
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