XCOM: Chimera Squad is a brand-new, standalone game in the XCOM series. Announced by 2K and developer Firaxis today, XCOM: Chimera Squad has a release date of April 24, 2020. Coming to PC with a special introductory price of $14.98 AUD ($15.98 NZD, $9.99 USD), XCOM: Chimera Squad is neither a sequel nor an expansion.
Set five years after the events of XCOM 2, humans, aliens and hybrids are working together. The promise of a peaceful, co-operative society seems to be realised until a mysterious group who opposes the alliance threaten everything.
City 31 is a “model of peace in a post-invasion world” and it’s here that the titular Chimera Squad must stop the underground threat before it pushes the city into chaos.
XCOM: Chimera Squad
Steve Martin, President of Firaxis said of Chimera Squad;
We’re inspired by our passionate community and excited by the opportunity to create a dynamic, innovative, and unique XCOM experience for both fans of our games and new players in XCOM: Chimera Squad
Players can look forward to 11 distinct Agents, each with their own personality, tactical abilities and class-specific attacks. For example, the Viper can use its tongue pull attack. Because of the varied and different Agents on Chimera Squad, players will also be able to create combos by using the right agents together.
Firaxis has said that it has “re-envisioned tactical combat” with this game and that “Missions are structured as a series of discrete, explosive encounters, keeping the action intense and unpredictable.”
A brand-new mechanic — Breach Mode — has been added to combat. This new combat phase puts squads right into the thick of the action. Players are able to assign different entry points to their Agents and determine who they’ll approach the situation using specialised Breach-skills.
In combat, Agents and enemies will be slotted into an alternative turn order. Firaxis believes this will create “new strategic possibilities” and that players will have to take into account which unit is acting next, which is most at risk and how to counter the enemy appropriately.
Finally, outside of combat, players will engage in an in-depth meta game by managing the HQ. This involves completing tasks, investigations and Agent assignments with the growing unrest in City 31 putting a clock on everything. If the Agents can’t succeed in time, City 31 will devolve into anarchy.
Mark Nauta, Lead Designer at Firaxis Games said;
With XCOM: Chimera Squad, we felt there were exciting gameplay opportunities yet to be discovered within the XCOM universe.
Gameplay like Breach Mode, interleaved turn order, and the introduction of agents as fully fleshed-out characters will revolutionize how the game plays while still retaining the combat experience that makes the XCOM series so loved by gaming communities around the world.
The special introductory price for XCOM: Chimera Squad is part of the franchise sale celebrating the fans and the support of the community. The special price will be available until May 1, 2020, after which time the price will be $29.95 AUD / $31.95 NZD.
The XCOM: Chimera Squad release date is set for April 24, 2020, as a digital-only, Steam PC release.
