XCOM: Chimera Squad is an XCOM 2 follow-up that offers its own story and more of the series’s famous turn-based gameplay. The surprise standalone title got a reveal trailer along with some gameplay footage today, letting hungry XCOM fans know that they’ll get their hands on the game on April 24 when it comes to PC via Steam. Watch the tone-setting cinematic trailer below or head to the bottom for a look at some XCOM: Chimera Squad gameplay.
Developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K, XCOM: Chimera Squad takes place five years after the events of XCOM 2. Here is a synopsis of some of the game’s story:
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.
Firaxis has seemingly put more of a focus on teamwork by giving each member of the squad their own unique abilities and roles to play, but the developer’s next stab at the XCOM series goes further than that. One of the biggest changes sees the inclusion of interleaved turns, meaning your characters and the enemies will all act and alternate turns according to a single timeline. You can see some of this re-envisioned gameplay in action below.
As a special introductory promotion, 2K says XCOM: Chimera Squad can be bought for half price — $9.99 — until May 1.
