XCOM: Enemy Within
2013
- strategy
- turn-based strategy (tbs)
- action
- science fiction
- single player
- multiplayer
The story
XCOM: Enemy Within is a non-console expansion pack for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a turn-based tactical strategy game. The expansion adds the ability to gene mod soldiers to add to their powers as well as the ability to create MECs, powerful robotic soldiers. These new features are created by collecting a resource called Meld on the tactical battlefield. A number of new maps were also added to the tactical game, as well as multiplayer. The PC version of Enemy Within is an add-on that requires the base game Enemy Unknown. The Console version of Enemy Within is a standalone expansion that does not require the base game Enemy Unknown.
What it’s like
Cool, desaturated military greens and steel greys dominate the base-building and battlefield views, with the alien world rendered in sickly teal, bruised purple and the hot orange of muzzle flashes against night-dark cities. The camera orbits slowly over the Geoscape globe and drops into tight, isometric tactical maps where soldiers crouch behind cover in crisp, readable silhouettes. Sound design leans on low ambient hums, distant sirens, sudden alien shrieks and the clatter of weapons, with a brooding synth score that swells during ambushes and falls quiet during the long stretches of managing bases and research. The pace is deliberate and tense: each turn is a small decision, and losing a named soldier lands with real weight. Intensity is moderate: frequent sci-fi gunfire and alien combat, some gore and blood spatter, and occasional deaths of characters, but no sexual content and nothing gratuitous. It suits a focused evening at the desk, a long stretch of planning with a cup of tea, or a slow, strategic weekend session. It is for players who enjoy methodical tactics, careful risk management, and the satisfaction of building a crew they grow attached to.
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