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Step up as humanity’s last hope in XCOM 2
After finding success on PC and Mac, a thoroughbred strategy classic is headed to consoles.
Hide and seek
© XCOM/2K Games/Firaxis
As far as revivals go, the release of XCOM: Enemy Unknown was astonishingly successful. Based on Julian Gollop's legendary turn-based strategy series from the mid '90s, the 2012 reboot took the core concept of mankind vs aliens and gave it a much-needed next-gen facelift, pleasing not only existing fans but also creating a legion of new followers in the process.
A sequel was inevitable, and earlier this year XCOM 2 arrived on Windows, Mac OS and Linux to widespread critical acclaim. That sequel is about to follow in the footsteps of its forerunner by making the leap to consoles, a move which will bring mankind's desperate fight for survival against a sinister alien menace into the living rooms of millions of potential new fans.
What makes this chain of events all the more remarkable is that not so long ago, many considered the turn-based strategy genre to be in grave danger. Real-time titles such as Command & Conquer and Homeworld threatened to dominate the genre, but over the past decade we've seen a series of more methodical turn-based titles reclaim lost ground. Could we be entering some kind of golden era for this style of play?
"I wouldn’t call it a strategy renaissance, per se, because I think there’s something special about strategy games that have made them timeless, and perennially relevant," says Garth DeAngelis, XCOM's senior producer at Firaxis Games. "There are landmark series, like Civilization, which have been around for what feels like forever by industry standards, and they haven’t missed a beat over the decades. Games, at their heart, are about solving problems in a playful manner, and the strategy genre, with its deep and meaningful challenges, are the epitome of this, more so than any other genre. It’s always encouraging to see new ideas come to fruition in the genre. We love games like Invisible, Inc. and the Banner Saga pushing the strategy label, as well."
While turn-based strategy arguably never went away, the XCOM reboot has certainly benefited – and perhaps even encouraged – a rise of consumer interest in this type of game. However, like any video game it wasn't totally perfect, and fixing the issues raised by players was one of Firaxis' first tasks. "There were a few key pillars that could be summed up into one term: unpredictability," replies DeAngelis when asked how the sequel aimed to better its predecessor.
The number of decisions at any given point is both vast, but intuitive.
"The variability of the game world is encompassed in two areas: a more dynamic strategy layer and procedural combat. The player manages the war from a high-level strategic standpoint, deciding when and where to move their mobile headquarters, which regions to liberate, what technology to research and build to use against the aliens, and much more. The number of decisions at any given point is both vast, but intuitive. This high-level layer then trickles down into the game’s second portion, which is combat.
"On the combat layer, the primary difference from Enemy Unknown is that the battlegrounds are now procedurally generated; you will not get the same exact layout twice. This was in response to one of our largest pieces of fan feedback, that the static maps of Enemy Unknown became identifiable. Between that, concealment-driven gameplay, and the many new enemies and classes, we wanted to ensure combat was a game-changer."
The use of procedurally generated levels is something that Firaxis wanted to include in the 2012 reboot, but wasn't able to. "It goes back to making the entire experience feel malleable and impossible to predict," DeAngelis says when asked why the studio was so keen to include them this time around.
"Procedural maps were something we wanted to execute on in Enemy Unknown, but it was a nut we couldn’t crack in time. So, we decided to tackle this as the first pre-production system to resolve for XCOM 2.
"We wanted to over-deliver by ensuring it would be nigh impossible to see the same battlefield layout twice. A side benefit is the eerie feeling you get exploring an alien-occupied planet, one that used to be run by humanity. It’s a dreadful but satisfying feeling to not quite understand the cities, since the aliens reconstructed the actual city centres themselves, trying lure in humans like a moth to a flame."
The aliens reconstructed the actual city centers themselves, trying lure in humans like a moth to a flame.
In terms of storyline, XCOM 2 finds the human race in a pretty tight spot, irrespective of how well you did in the previous outing. While some might see this as an odd way to start a sequel, it actually opens up a lot of possibilities. "XCOM 2 actually tells the story of an alien-occupied earth that assumes the player lost the first game," explains DeAngelis.
"In 2012, Enemy Unknown told the story of a massive alien invasion, and many players actually lost the game many times. Since the XCOM franchise is built upon consequences, we wanted to set the stage where the odds could be even more stacked against the player. So we asked ourselves, since this actually happened to many players, what would the world be like if XCOM failed in the first game? And this premise snowballed for us.
"The more we considered it as a narrative possibility, the more it made sense for the game’s mechanics. Research and technology could be reset, the troops themselves would have no skills from Enemy Unknown (since they’ve been eliminated or hiding underground without an organisation), and the aliens have evolved visually and mechanically, which allows for world building and surprising new tactics. It all just fell into place, and it’s a risk I’m really happy we embraced."
Ready for battle
© XCOM/2K Games/Firaxis
While the console release of XCOM 2 won't arrive until September, DeAngelis is in the unique position of being able to speak about the game's critical and commercial reaction thanks to the fact that it's already being played and enjoyed by PC and Mac owners. The response has humbled him and his team.
"I truly don’t know where to start," he says. "I’m going to sound like a proud papa, but I’m probably most proud of how the total package comes together, including the contributions of all disciplines, from writing through audio. Working on a strategy game with turn-based tactics at this scale, with this level of design depth, graphical fidelity, and high-quality narrative and cinematics, is all pretty astounding considering XCOM is under the strategy umbrella.
"Strategy, historically, is often focused on abstract gameplay and number crunching as the clear priority, and XCOM weaves the spectacle of action games into an incredibly deep strategy and tactical design. From a player standpoint, I love how I’m still not tired of playing this game, trying to keep my beloved soldiers alive. Each mission I load into still gives me that inkling of excitement, as I don’t quite know what I’m going to encounter, who’s going to survive, and how I’m going to solve the combat puzzles in front of me."
As you might expect, the overwhelmingly positive reaction afforded to the game on PC and Mac has proven to be a considerable boost to the entire team at Firaxis. "I used to play sports, and in a weird way, it’s like the thrill of winning a championship with a team," comments DeAngelis.
"I’m lucky to be a part of this team that cares so deeply for the project it works on. Many team members invest their own extra time to make the experience as magical as possible because they love what they work on, and they want to give something special to our fans and a new generation of XCOM players. To see that appreciation translate to the final product, with validation from the community and reviewers, makes the effort worth it."
Such acclaim naturally makes it easier to focus on the notion of bringing the game to a wider audience – something that will definitely happen when XCOM 2 arrives on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this September – unfortunately, Nintendo owners have been left out in the cold, with no Wii U version planned.
"We always consider many hardware options, but the PS4 and Xbox One made the most sense," explains DeAngelis. He also states that he and his team are making sure the game plays just as well with a pad as it does a mouse and keyboard. "We have ensured the UI and user experience are outstanding with a controller in your hand. Areas like the Geoscape, the overworld, have received various user experience improvements. We had a lot of fans clamoring for this support, as it was popular with Enemy Unknown, and we’re excited to reintroduce it with the console release.
"We want to ensure that next-gen console owners receive an experience that is in parity with the PC version, and ensuring everything looks and runs optimally is a ton of work. Our technical leads and external partners have been working tirelessly to make this happen. As a lifelong console gamer, it’s a dream to bring something as unique as the XCOM franchise to console owners and hopefully capture the imaginations of some players that haven’t experienced this type of game before."
Sadly, DeAngelis also confirmed that the new mod feature introduced on the PC and Mac versions won't be making the leap to consoles in the near future – an acceptable compromise when you consider how tricky it would be to include.
Thankfully, DLC is a different story. "All DLC will be available at launch for the consoles," he says. "This includes Anarchy’s Children, Alien Hunters and Shen’s Last Gift. They’ll be available in a shared package, ad hoc, or you can purchase the base game only. These DLCs add some great new content, from massive soldier customisation options, new boss enemies and weapons, unique battlefields with new environment art and story threads, to an entirely new robotic class."
Firaxis has been focused on the XCOM series for the past few years, but has continued to create other strategy offerings, such as Sid Meier's Civilization VI and Sid Meier's Starships. Given that the company is perhaps best known for working on franchises which originated elsewhere, it's tempting to ask if the team is hankering for a fresh challenge that moves away from aliens, space marines and Sid Meier.
"It’s certainly a bit early to discuss what’s next," says DeAngelis. "Right now, we’re hoping console players catch some fire with this game and enjoy the experience on their console of choice." Regardless of what Firaxis takes on as its next challenge, in XCOM 2 it's giving console players the perfect gift with which to see out the remainder of 2016, and perhaps even beyond.
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