XCOM: Chimera Squad has been revealed today, and you won't have to wait long to play it.
Firaxis Games and 2K have today revealed the latest installment of XCOM, a budget-priced spinoff, is hittings Windows PC next week. Its retail price will be $19.99, though the game will debut at half price for $9.99 for a limited time.
In Chimera Squad, 11 named heroes make up your roster and each brings unique skills to the game a la a hero-based shooter, only this time it's set to XCOM's turn-based strategy combat. Players can choose from human or alien allies to form their team for each battle. For story fans, the events of Chimera Squad begin half a decade after XCOM 2: War of the Chosen.
"Lead Chimera Squad through a new experience that innovates on XCOM’s turn-based legacy," said 2K in its reveal staement, "utilizing strategy, teamwork, and new breach-and-clear gameplay to complete your mission objectives.” Because characters are established heroes in a more rigid story, their deaths won't mean the simulated demise of your friends and family like XCOM of old. This time, it will trigger a game over and force you to restart a scene.
Alongside a story trailer, Firaxis also released a gameplay trailer which details other ways in which Chimera Squad alters the formula of the popular strategy series, including new luck-based mechanics, and breach-and-clear moments that give players the opportunity to start strong.
PC players can pick up Chimera Squad in just ten days, on April 24. No console plans have yet been revealed, though recent entries have all hit consoles including Nintendo Switch, so it seems likely ports may be in the works.
