XCOM: Chimera Squad review – human-alien hybrids lay down the law - MW

Beginning when most of the disaster films end - with ruined cities and civilizations in complete chaos - XCOM: Chimera Squad tells of the horrific consequences of an alien invasion planet. Our team of scientists and heroic soldiers may have defeated the extraterrestrial conquers at the end of the acclaimed sequel to XCOM 2, but the world they regained is virtually inactive. . A team member mentioned that he was from Canada before admitting that this was when such a thing existed. A task summary notes that hard cash is the only currency after the explosion of the global financial system.

To make things even more complicated, aliens are still here. The trapped remnants of the invading forces are trying their best to assimilate into human society, with varying degrees of success. And even human notions are changing thanks to the wide creation of alien alien hybrids during the occupation.

The Chimera Squad takes place in City 31, no different from Los Angeles depicted in the 1980 Alien Nation horror film series. In an integration experiment, humans and aliens live side by side - and the scene force The city must reflect the diversity of the people it protects. Players must command a team of human law enforcers, aliens and hybridists, harnessing their various abilities to address a new threat to the city's annoying peace.

The Torque lizard woman can lash out at her tongue and dislodge enemies across the map; The axiom Muton can race with enemies and smash them with flesh with his fists; and Verge, a former skinny man (the invading arm of the alien invasion force), can approach the minds of enemies and manipulate them like puppets. After years of being tormented by these capabilities in previous XCOM games, it was great to use them for yourself.

Then again, not much has changed actually. In essence, Chimera Squad is XCOM 2 with some genetic connections. The base building is no longer available, although you still have the duty to research weapons and train rookies in the middle of battles, and the scope is limited to one city, not the whole planet. But now you have a permanent unique character team, and smaller and more intense battles.

Instead of attacking with your team then waiting for your finger to pass to the computer to operate, in Chimera Squad you can see the order each warrior will move. This allows you to focus attacks on the enemies that will attack next, and even change the order in turn with special movements. It's satisfying to work your way through a room, methodically selecting the most urgent threats, although it tends to make the game a little easier than its predecessors. its mission.




Perhaps the most fundamental change is the birth of a superhero team with unique abilities; Battles can take place very differently depending on the team member you choose. The highlight is, unlike in XCOM 2, the characters cannot die. If they leak, you only need to send them again for the last save. This will eliminate some of the stress of previous games, all the time taking it up to unify whether to hit or replay a long level because one of your teams bought it at the end. . However, small featured snippets are welcome in the clinical category - although developers may have gone further, can add crew-specific tasks like in Mass Effect 2, or a Something similar to the Fire Badge relationship building.

XCOM: Chimera Squad is essentially Agents of Shield for XCOM 2 Avengers Avengers. It gently plays with the formula, and tells peripheral stories about a wider world with a much tighter budget and with much smaller stakes. In other words, it's XCOM Skewer but chills - and, in these desperate times, that's great.

MW