Nearly 10 years out from its original release, Firaxis’ XCOM 2 remains the gold standard of the turn-based tactics genre, and for good reason. Building off of the work done to revitalize the classic XCOM franchise with 2013’s Enemy Within, XCOM 2 is a quantum leap forward in terms of tactical options, map variety, campaign length, and difficulty. Its two expansions, War of the Chosen and Chimera Squad, are no less impressive, either, but even the most recent of those is approaching its 5th anniversary. With series producer Jake Solomon now out of the picture and moving on to his own studio, the future of the XCOM franchise could look to another alien species, the Xenomorph, for a potential direction to take.
Last year’s Aliens: Dark Descent was a surprising entry into the growing number of games using the Alien license, taking a different approach from both the spectacular survival horror of Alien: Isolation and the squad-based shooting of Aliens: Fireteam Elite to deliver a unique hybrid of turn-based tactics and real-time strategy that did a great job capturing the atmosphere and tension of James Cameron’s 1986 sequel Aliens. That hybrid of RTS and turn-based gameplay proved to be one of Aliens: Dark Descent‘s greatest strengths, and it could potentially serve as a framework for a new XCOM game that moves the needle forward for the franchise.
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Those who have played Aliens: Dark Descent can attest to the game’s successful blending of two different types of strategic gameplay, combining the real-time movement and auto-attacking of an RTS with the metered approach and careful planning of a turn-based tactical RPG. Players guide their 4-marine squads through dangerous scenarios in which they must fight against the Xenomorph species in the form of Facehuggers, Big Chaps, and other, strange mutations exclusive to the game’s story surrounding an evolution-obsessed cult. In between those stages, it falls on the player to manage both a growing base and their squad, reducing effects like Stress and Trauma to keep the colonial marines in fighting shape.
That structure of stage-based engagements against enemies with base and squad management in between is already the same general framework by which the modern Firaxis XCOM games operate, but the flow of combat is where Aliens: Dark Descent and XCOM diverge. Many modern turn-based tactics games are moving away from the grid-based movement that permeates the genre, and the next entry in the franchise could go a step further to push the envelope by incorporating some real-time elements. The next XCOM has a great example to look to with Aliens: Dark Descent thanks to it having one foot firmly planted in both the real-time and tactical approaches.
One of the larger questions surrounding the fate of the XCOM franchise and a potential XCOM 3 is who will spearhead the design and direction of the game now that series producer Jake Solomon is no longer part of Firaxis. The XCOM license continues to be lucrative for Firaxis several years after each game’s initial release, with both Enemy Within and XCOM 2 having a long tail in terms of their sales. As such, it’s almost a certainty that Firaxis will hang on to the IP. But with no clear leader to steer the ship, perhaps the developer should partner with Tindalos Interactive in some capacity.
Even if Tindalos isn’t part of the design and development of the next mainline XCOM game, its experience in the RTS genre could be invaluable toward a new RTS-focused XCOM game more similar to the original entries in the franchise. Turn-based tactics games in both the indie and AAA spaces have continued to push the genre forward in novel and inventive ways, so the next XCOM would do well to not rest on its laurels as simply “more XCOM 2,” as tempting as that might be.
You are in control of X-COM: an organization formed by the world’s governments to fight the ever-increasing alien menace.
Shooting down UFOs is just the beginning: you must then lead a squad of heavily-armed soldiers across different terrains as they investigate the UFO crash site. Tackle the aliens with automatic rifles, rocket launchers, and even tanks in the struggle to retrieve useful technology, weapons or life forms.
Successful ground assault missions will allow X-COM scientists to analyze alien items. Each new breakthrough brings you a little closer to understanding the technology and culture of the alien races. Once you have sufficient research data on the UFO’s superior weapons and crafts, you’ll be able to manufacture weapons of equal capability.
You must make every crucial decision as you combat the powerful alien forces. But you’ll also need to watch the world political situation: governments may be forced into secret pacts with the aliens and then begin to reduce X-COM funding.
Strategy
Tactical
Action RPG
simulators
- Franchise
- Xcom
- Released
- March 1, 1994
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- ESRB
- m