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It goes without saying that XCOM 2 bundled with its War of the Chosen expansion pack is one of the best turn-based strategy games on the market. This does not, however, mean that the game is perfect, or that it caters to everyone's whims and follies. Quite the opposite: while the renewed XCOM series has seen considerable success following its rebranding, fans of the traditional style of XCOM-flavoured gameplay (X-COM, if you will) were sort of left behind, and that was where the first Xenonauts carved itself a dedicated niche.
Where XCOM created a new, streamlined sort of turn-based combat-oriented gameplay, Xenonauts did no such thing, opting instead to distill and perfect what had already been accomplished years back. There is merit in both approaches, of course, but it's a given that not everyone's going to enjoy either type of game. With that, those who prefer traditional turn-based mechanics with TUs (turn units) and heavy micro-management had to turn to this scrappy new indie, which is getting a fully-fledged sequel sometime in the future. Xenonauts was great, but what is it that Xenonauts 2 can do to build upon that without losing what makes it unique in today's gaming arena?
The most prominent thing to note about Xenonauts 2 is that it is not a direct, chronological continuation of the first Xenonauts. Instead, developers Goldhawk Interactive describe it as "an updated portrayal of similar events," where alien activity prevented the end of the Cold War. Players will, then, have to balance the odds between the Eastern Bloc and NATO, as well as attempting to handle the threat posed by the aliens in the first place. This might create a very particular sort of powder keg, with numerous points of conflict popping up all the time. Where Firaxis opted for a more limited three-pronged gameplay mechanic (the Lost), Goldhawk may well be producing a more large-scale version of the same thing.
Also important is that Xenonauts 2 will, unlike its predecessor, be a fully-3D offering, which allowed for the developers to produce more complex combat scenarios. This is accomplished by, quite simply, granting the players access to a significantly wider selection of tools while having them face a more competent and dangerous enemy. Keep in mind, too, that the enemies in Xenonauts were quite clever and unforgiving already, so Goldhawk is definitely gearing up to deliver a hardcore gaming experience from the get-go.
In doing so, Xenonauts 2 is likely to be even more terrifying than the first Xenonauts. In Xenonauts, terror comes from a unique combination of features that's not present in any other modern release. Not only are your soldiers always underpowered and underequipped compared to the Aliens' terror squads, but they are also very prone to panic, should they witness atrocities outright. Whereas cover provides a (sometimes false) sense of security in XCOM 2, Xenonauts has never been particularly interested in giving you a mid-mission breather. In short, Xenonauts 2 is likely to be a hardcore tactician's game, which is also where its appeal stems from.
Xenonauts 2 is, according to what we've been privy to so far, pretty much a straight-up upgrade to the first game, doing everything it did (but better) while still providing more content and features in virtually every aspect that's even worth a look. Perhaps crucially, it is unlikely to appeal to the same crowd that enjoys the modern XCOM games, but it's not trying, either. Instead, Xenonauts 2 will almost certainly deliver the same sort of tens and unforgiving experience that we had back in 1999, when the first X-COM game came out.
At the time of writing, Xenonauts 2 is still in its early production stages, trudging slowly toward an Early Access release where players will finally have the chance to see the game in action. There's no release date to go off, but it is good to see that the developers are taking their time even though the game won't launch feature-complete. After collecting invaluable player feedback, the game will be in the perfect position to enamor its target audience all over again, so there's good reason to be very excited about Xenonauts 2.
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