Firaxis’ re-imagining of 1994 strategy classic UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-COM: UFO Defense in the US) aims to update that classic’s blend of strategy and tactics for modern platforms. Players engage in base-building and maintenance before dispatching troops to interrupt abductions and raid crashed UFOs in a turn-based tactics layer.
An elegant control system and robust AI make these missions a treat to experience and varied enemies and objectives provide consistent challenge. Thankfully, frequent cutscenes and reminder messages make this game rather less arcane than the original.
Soldiers are now customizable by appearance as well as name, and new class and perk systems make each of your troops feel rather less replaceable than before.
The game’s visuals pull off an Advance Wars-style balancing act; enemies and environments are cute and inventive but convey just the right amount of seriousness for the game’s apocalyptic tone.
The game’s atmosphere benefits greatly from its audio. The score comprises menacing drones from Firaxis sound designer Roland Rizzo and stirring orchestral pieces by Deus Ex: Human Revolution composer Michael McCann. The sound design is also a highlight: the interactive XCOM headquarters screen whirrs and beeps pleasingly, and each alien species has an unnerving and memorable sound of its own.
The game’s multiplayer allows two players to throw together teams of up to six humans, aliens or a mixture of both, and then duke it out on a range of maps. Occasionally frantic time-limited turns make this mode a nice counterpoint to sometimes drawn-out singleplayer missions.
A complaint could be made about the difficulty levels. Normal mode may prove slightly too easy for a diligent player. The game’s hard mode (termed “Classic”) is predictably unforgiving, but can sometimes even seem actively unfair. Even your most well-thought out plans will regularly see your favourite soldiers splashed with plasma and brought home in body bags.
This and occasional graphical glitches can sometimes frustrate, but fail to detract too much from what is a very good game, certainly one deserving of the XCOM name.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is published by 2K Games and out now for 360, PS3 and PC.