KEY POINTS

  • "XCOM: Chimera Squad" is a new installment in the "XCOM" series. 
  • The game focuses on a group of 11 new characters who meet up in a new location called City 31. 
  • There's a new mechanic in-game that's meant to change the order of turns and the flow of battle. 

The popular strategy game series "XCOM" is welcoming a brand-new entry into the fold near the end of the month with "XCOM: Chimera Squad."

Publisher 2K Games and developer Firaxis Games made the surprise announcement Tuesday (April 14) along with a brief glimpse at how the new title's gameplay loop will work itself out.

"XCOM: Chimera Squad" will follow 11 new characters, all gathered together in a new area called City 31. The group works together as the titular Chimera Squad as they take on missions in a universe set five years following the previous title "XCOM 2: War of the Chosen."

These new characters are a ragtag bunch of combat veterans comprised of both human and alien military forces. Among them, they have telepathy, mind control, super strength, and super speed with which they can defeat their enemies. That's why they've been called upon to defeat anyone who would stand in the way of enforcing a time of peace following an in-game event known as the "fall of Advent."

Players will work to create a customized team of both human and alien agents to make Chimera Squad as they take on missions that will require new levels of teamwork, strategy, and new "breach-and-clear" gameplay. To that end, the very order of turns players and the AI opponents go in will change, thanks to a new system called Interleaved Turns. There will be ways to change this between rounds, but they'll be limited – hence playing into each individual players' strengths.

Additionally, there will be chance encounters throughout each mission with a series of sequential battles. If a character goes down but does not perish in the middle of battle, they'll then be replaced with mechanical beings with fewer abilities. If a character dies during a mission, there's a restart that will be required if you want to save them or continue.

Outside of battle, players must also manage their own HQ by "completing tasks, investigations, and agent assignments in the face of a ticking clock," said 2K Games in a press release. "The constantly rising unrest in the city’s various districts, driving City 31 closer and closer to total anarchy."

"XCOM: Chimera Squad" is set to debut on Steam for $9.99, which is 50% its normal price of $19.99. The sale will be going on for a limited time, should this new vision of the "XCOM" series strike your fancy, so it's prudent to buy early.

RELATED STORIES
Gaming