XCOM: Chimera Squad is not a direct sequel to XCOM 2, but an independent spin-off.

XCOM: Chimera Squad is not a direct sequel to XCOM 2, but a small, independent spin-off that puts players in control of a fixed character, a human or human-alien hybrid created by the developer, in a branching campaign lasting about 20 hours. Interestingly, the game will be available on Steam at half price ($10) until May 1, after which the price will increase to the regular price of $20.

Much has changed in the five years since the events of "XCOM 2." Defeated overlords have fled the earth and a new era of interspecies cooperation has dawned. Humans, hybrids, and the alien soldiers left behind are working together to create a new era of peaceful coexistence. Well done, everyone. But not everyone is happy with this turn of events: a mysterious force lurking in the shadows is determined to burn this brave new world to the ground, and it is up to the Chimera Squad to stop it.

A short standalone game may be an unexpected direction for the series, but Firaxis says the deviation from the story and gameplay makes more sense as a standalone experience. after releasing XCOM 2 and the expansion War of the Chosen After releasing XCOM 2 and the expansion War of the Chosen, the team felt there were exciting gameplay opportunities yet to be discovered," a studio spokesperson told PC Gamer. XCOM: Chimera Squad is a bold change to the traditional "XCOM" formula. Squad makes multiple bold changes to the traditional "XCOM" formula, and this particular vision for "XCOM" made more sense as a standalone title as opposed to a direct sequel."

The game is a "new, more accessible, and more accessible title"

and "a more accessible title"

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Unlike previous XCOM games, where you name your soldiers after your friends and colleagues and feel bad when it goes to waste, Chimera Squad agents have their own unique personalities and abilities, including species-specific attacks like the Viper's Tongue Extraction. Characters of different classes can (and should) work together to perform powerful combo moves. Turns are "interleaved," with individual agents and enemies acting on initiative rather than moving back and forth across the team.

Combat in Chimera Squad appears to be more focused than in the previous two games. Publisher 2K describes the new missions as "a series of individual, explosive encounters" set in the various districts of the multi-ethnic City 31, "a model of peace in a post-invasion world."

This is also reflected in one of the game's most interesting new elements, the new Bleach mode: instead of having your squad drop into a predetermined location on the map and move toward a goal, you assign agents to different entry points, Bleach use their specific skills to coordinate their entry and maximize the impact of their arrival.

Death is also handled differently, given that you play with only 11 characters. A Firaxis spokesperson told us, "Instead of permanently losing a unit when it reaches zero health, agents enter a bleed-out state, giving players the opportunity to stabilize them." 'Any agent can stabilize a teammate, but if the player doesn't succeed in stabilizing the agent, they lose the mission and have to restart.' Perhaps one avenue to tweak this would be a mod: according to Firaxis, Chimera Squad has the same mod features as XCOM 2. Players can create their own enemies, characters, maps, and other content to expand XCOM: Chimera Squad."

While the battlefield is more focused, there's also the need to manage tasks, research, and missions, minimizing unrest in the city while still getting back to headquarters to take care of things. [Mark Nota, lead designer for Firaxis Games, said, "With XCOM: Chimera Squad, we felt there were exciting gameplay opportunities within the XCOM universe that had yet to be discovered.

"Gameplay such as Breach Mode, interleaved turn order, and the introduction of Agents as full characters will revolutionize the way the game is played while maintaining the combat experience of the XCOM series beloved by the worldwide gaming community.

"XCOM: Chimera Squad," which launches on April 24, will be released four days earlier than the XCOM-esque "Gears Tactics" (which we noted in March was "shockingly good"), and is a step forward for Xbox Game Studios' turn-based tactics It's definitely a move ahead of its time. Read more at xcom.com. Screens from the following.