It’s been nearly a year since XCOM: Chimera Squad launched for PC, and though it was a fairly experimental title that deviated from established series conventions in some key ways, it was a great strategy game in its own right. Given the series’ popularity, there’s been no shortage of questions about when Chimera Squad will release for more platforms, especially since the series does have a pretty successful presence on consoles as well- and it seems the turn based tactics title could be headed to more platforms soon.

XCOM: Chimera Squad has been handed an age rating for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch by Pan European Game Information (or PEGI), the European ratings board. There has been no official word on Chimera Squad releasing for additional platforms from developers Firaxis or publisher 2K Games, but hopefully, the PEGI rating will mean that an announcement is imminent, as if so often the case in similar situations.

Currently, XCOM: Chimera Squad is available exclusively on PC. In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, “XCOM: Chimera Squad isn’t the next big step for the franchise but it is a fun detour into an alternate scenario, one with its own hooks and idiosyncrasies.” You can read our full review through here.

XCOM: Chimera Squad is about maintaining order and ensuring that Unrest doesn’t overtake a district (or two). While you can’t be everywhere at once, it’s possible to keep things calm using Intel. How do you get Intel though?

Aside from arresting suspects during missions (which provide a chance for Intel), it’s earned through a variety of means. Sending team members on Spec Ops missions for Intel ensures a steady supply and can be done early on. As upgrades are unlocked, the payout from these Spec Ops missions will increase.

The other method is to establish Security Field Teams in each district. This will cost Intel but you can also earn plenty each week after upgrading said teams. It also doesn’t hurt that they’ll provide other bonuses like reducing Unrest by a certain amount each week.

If you have a Security Field Team in each district, then you gain access to special Field Team abilities. These can be used to reduce Unrest in an area, freeze the Unrest entirely, decrease the overall Anarchy of the city and more.

Finally, look for missions that provide Intel as rewards. Make sure to think carefully about a district’s Unrest since completing a mission may reduce Unrest in that district while increasing it in others. You won’t always get Intel as a reward but it’s easy to see which missions offer what rewards.

Aside from establishing and upgrading Security Field Teams, Intel can also be used to purchase items from the Scavenger Market. These are a source for invaluable items, including Epic Weapons which have a chance to show up. If you have an excess of Intel, don’t be afraid to check out the Scavenger Market every now and then.

While Firaxis’s XCOM: Chimera Squad isn’t quite as difficult as a fully modded XCOM 2 play session, it still presents its own set of challenges. Don’t worry though – there are plenty of ways to cheat in the game. No, not cheap tactics but actual cheats just waiting to be enabled via console commands.

It takes some doing though. You need to enable the console for in-game use first. Head over to the installation folder location for XCOM: Chimera Squad by right-clicking on the game in Steam and choosing “Manage” then “Browse Local Files”. Look for xcom.exe and create a shortcut. Right click the shortcut and then choose properties. For the target entry add “-allowconsole”.

It should now be possible to bring up the console in-game. Hit the [~] and input any of the following cheats. Remember to replace ### with the relevant figure and [Character] with the desired character’s name.

• GiveResource credits ###
• GiveResource elerium ###
• GiveResource intel ###
• GiveXP [Character] ###
• GiveItem KevlarArmor ###
• GiveItem WPN_XcomShotgun ###
• GiveItem WPN_XcomSMG ###
• GiveItem WPN_XcomAR ###
• GiveItem WPN_XComWardenPistol ###
• GiveItem WPN_XComGunslingerPistol ###
• GiveItem WPN_BreakerShotgun ###
• GiveItem Medikit ###
• GiveItem APRounds ###
• GiveItem VenomRounds ###
• GiveItem MissDamageUpgrade_Sup ###
• GiveItem AimUpgrade_Sup ###
• GiveItem ClipsizeUpgrade_Sup ###
• GiveItem WPN_EpicAR_1 ###
• GiveItem WPN_EpicAR_2 ###
• GiveItem WPN_EpicShotgun_1 ###
• GiveItem WPN_EpicShotgun_2 ###
• GiveItem WPN_EpicPistol_1 ###
• GiveItem WPN_EpicPistol_2 ###
• GiveItem WPN_EpicSMG_1 ###
• GiveItem WPN_EpicSMG_2 ###

How to Acquire Epic Weapons

Epic Weapons can also help turn the tides in battles, especially since they provide an additional ability to the character who equips them. You can find Epic Weapons by participating in missions which list Epic Weapons as a reward. Of course, keep checking the Scavenger Market and you might find Epic Weapons on sale there as well.

What does each Epic Weapon do? Let’s take a look here.

• Crucial Symmetry – Submachine gun. Grants the ability Chain Shot. This lets you take fire at an enemy but with -15 penalty to Aim. If the shot hits, then you’ll fire another shot at it immediately.
• Surly Constant – Submachine gun. Grants the Hail of Bullets ability. This fires a lot of shots at your foe, usually the entire magazine, but it’s guaranteed to hit.
• Endless Brevity – Pistol. Grants the Fan Fire ability which lets you fire it three times at the same target. Unlike other abilities with cooldowns, this can only be used once per mission.
• Artful Fathom – Pistol. Grants the Lightning Hands ability which allows you to fire the weapon at a target without losing any action points.
• Impetuous Spire – Assault Rifle. Grants the ability Banish. When firing at a target, you’ll keep firing until the weapon either runs out of ammo or the enemy dies. This can only be used once per mission.
• Fortunate Blossom – Assault Rifle which grants the ability Serial. When used, every kill made will automatically refund any action points used. This can be used to chain kills continuously on enemies (though your ammo can still run out in between). Can only be used once in a mission.
• Lonely Herald – Shotgun which has the Run and Gun ability. This lets you perform an action after dashing.
• Callow Ember – Shotgun. Grants the Rapid Fire ability which can fire twice in a row in exchange for each shot having a -15 penalty to aim. This ability can only be used once per mission.

Development

XCOM: Chimera Squad was officially unveiled on April 14, 2020, and confirmed to be coming to PC 10 days from the date of its announcement, on April 24. The developer has confirmed since then that there are no plans to bring the game to consoles, nor are there any plans for expansions or DLC.

According to Firaxis Games, XCOM: Chimera Squad was chosen to be a standalone spinoff rather than a numbered sequel or an expansion for a previous entry due to the different gameplay mechanics it introduces. The developers felt the somewhat experimental mechanics could be aptly implemented in a spinoff. Firaxis Games also commented that the game was challenging enough to appeal to veteran series fans, but due to its new elements and more small-scale nature, would also be able to draw in new players. For this purpose, the game was also released at a lower than usual price of $20 (and was discounted to $10 for its first week on sale after launch).

Various members of the development team that worked on XCOM 2 were also involved in the development of XCOM: Chimera Squad, and work on the game began after development on XCOM 2’s large scale expansion, War of the Chosen, had been wrapped up. Firaxis Games Sid Meier also provided support for some features during the game’s development- namely, it’s new interlaced turn order mechanic.

Several of the new ideas in Chimera Squad were influenced by similar things that War of the Chosen experimented with. For instance, the former included various unique soldiers that could be recruited, as well as unique enemies. This led to named, unique characters being implemented in XCOM: Chimera Squad, as opposed to the procedurally generated characters that previous entries had.

The developers also confirmed following the game’s announcement that the game would still feature mod support, allowing players to add custom characters, missions, equipment, and more to the game. Firaxis Games stated prior to launch that the game’s campaign would take approximately 20 hours to finish.

Story

XCOM: Chimera Squad takes place five years after the events of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. It is set in City 31, a model experimental city where humans and alien species live together in harmony, after an alien government was overthrown and defeated in the previous game. Unknown elements seek to upend the peace in City 31 and are against the coexistence of humans and aliens. Players take control of the eponymous Chimera Squad, an elite force of soldiers that is tasked with maintaining peace in the city and fighting against any possible insurgencies.

Gameplay

Like its predecessors, XCOM: Chimera Squad is a turn based tactical strategy game, but it introduces several changes and new gameplay mechanics not seen in past XCOM games. While previous titles in the series had procedurally generated recruitable soldiers, XCOM: Chimera Squad introduces named, unique characters that players take control of. As such, the permadeath mechanic is changed.

Characters are downed in combat, and have to be revived by other squad members. If the downed character isn’t revived within a certain number of turns, the battle is lost and the player is forced to restart. However, Ironman Mode makes a return and enables permadeath, while also limiting players to a single save slot. Ironman Mode also has a special difficulty modifier called Hardcore Mode, in which players cannot restart failed missions, and are forced to start the campaign from the beginning if a mission is failed.

Turn order in XCOM: Chimera Squad has also been changed. In previous XCOM games, all units in a squad would take their turns, after which the other side would do the same. In Chimera Squad, a Dungeons and Dragons style interlaced turn order is introduced that is mixed for player units and enemy units, so that players can plan ahead tactically rather than having to react to enemy movements after the entire enemy squad takes its turn in one go. Some abilities for certain characters allow players to disregard the turn order and force turns.

There are eleven playable characters – or agents – in XCOM: Chimera Squad. These are as follows:

• Axiom, of the Muton species, classified with Breaker role; has high proficiency with high damage dealing abilities; carries a shotgun.
• Shelter, a human, classified with the Psion role; specializes in psionic abilities, mental attacks, and buffs for allies; carries a submachie gun.
• Zephyr, a Hybrid, classified with the Hellion role; has high mobility and specializes in close quarters combat; does not carry firearms and focuses only on melee strikes.
• Patchwork, a human, classified with the Operator role; specializes in electronics and tech and is proficient in hacking and fighting against robotic enemies; carries an assault rifle.
• Blueblood, a human, classified with the Gunslinger role; specializes in precision targeting and can counteract line of sight penalties and cover bonuses for enemies; carries a lancer pistol.
• Torque, of the Viper species, classified with the Inquisitor role; specializes in unit manipulation by using her tongue to reposition enemy and ally units, and can also poison or bind enemies; carries a submachine gun.
• Cherub, a Hybrid, classified with the Warden role; has high defence and health stats and specializes in protecting and defending ally units; carries a pistol and an energy based riot shield.
• Terminal, a human, classified with the Medic role; functions as the sole combat medic support unit of the Chimera squad; carries a submachine gun.
• Claymore, a human, classified with the Demo Expert role; specializes in explosives, removing obstacles, breaching, and attacks with area of effect damage; carries a shotgun.
• Verge, of the Sectoid species, classified with the Envoy role; specializes in offensive psionics, and can also use telekinesis to pull enemies out of cover; carries an assault rifle.
• Godmother, a human, classified with the Ranger role; specializes in critical hits and accuracy, dodging attacks, and stealth; carries a shotgun.

Operations in XCOM: Chimera Squad take place across multiple sectors of City 31. Each sector of the city has its own Unrest meter, which rises if players ignore their missions and falls by undertaking various missions and side activities. As the Unrest meter in various districts rises, so too does the overall Anarchy in City 31. If Anarchy in the city reaches the maximum limit, the player loses the game.

Each Operation is divided into Encounters, and each Encounter begins with the new Breach Mode. Breach Mode sees players selecting which Agents to use in the Encounter, before assigning the selected Agents to individual points from which to enter the battle arena, called Breach Points. Breach Points can have unique buffs and debuffs attached. Breach Points can range from windows and doors to stealthy entries or paths that are only accessible by specific Agents.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

Following the destruction of ADVENT in XCOM 2, City 31 is established. This bustling metropolis sees humans, aliens and hybrids living together in mostly harmonious ways. Of course, it isn’t long before someone tries to disrupt the peace, killing Mayor Nightingale. As part of Chimera Squad, a ragtag squad of agents with multiple species, it’s your job to find out who’s responsible. All the while, peace must be maintained in City 31 or Unrest will build and result in a collapse (read: Game over).

"While I can’t attest to everyone enjoying every back and forth quip or plot point, they suit this constrained powder keg of an urban setting all the more."

Instead of single-mindedly working on dismantling the aliens and the Overlords, there’s a stronger emphasis on cooperation and understanding between squad mates. It’s all the more obvious when the various personalities banter, work together and even clash on some occasions. Terminal is a wise-cracking human and generally helpful medic. Verge is your mild-mannered, polite Sectoid capable of bending enemies’ minds to his will but there are hints of past atrocities in a sealed file. Torque is a snarky Viper who has some kind of past with ops-driver Whisper. And so on and so forth.

It’s a stark contrast to XCOM 2‘s blank slate character, which could be molded into anything you desired as their exploits defined their identities. Chimera Squad offers a more personal touch, which is helped by mostly good writing and interesting backstories. While I can’t attest to everyone enjoying every back and forth quip or plot point, they suit this constrained powder keg of an urban setting all the more.

Unrest permeates the atmosphere in more ways than one. After the initial set-up, you’re tasked with investigating one of the three main factions that could be responsible for Nightingale’s assassination. Each has their own modus operandi, whether it’s the Grey Phoenix with their advanced weaponry, the Sacred Coil with their robots or The Progeny and their psionic powers.

Once the Groundwork is done, you’ll undertake different Operations which won’t be available until a few days have passed. Completing side missions, where you control your squad, and Situations, which are more like menu-based events that dole out rewards (but cause the day to pass) help to quell Unrest while passing time till the next Operation. Spend enough Intel and you can deploy Field Teams in different districts for earning additional resources. It’s even possible to reduce Unrest or overall City Anarchy thanks to Field Team abilities.

"Some of the visual design is revamped especially with a sleek comic book-style aesthetic used for character portraits, cutscenes and conversations."

The Assembly is still used to research new upgrades while new items are purchased in the Supply menu. Training is a bit more streamlined, either increasing an Agent’s stats or unlocking new abilities like Guardian for Terminal or Return Fire for Cherub. They can also be used to get rid of Scars – permanent debuffs to one’s character if they fall in battle.

You can also send Agents out on Spec Ops missions to obtain Intel, Elerium or Credits. As time goes by and the roster grows, multiple Agents can be assigned to speed up research or take on Spec Ops missions. The trade-off is they’ll be unavailable for deployment where their talents might be useful, especially when Dark Events come into play, making Investigations that much more challenging. Subsequent upgrades increase the complexity of resource management as well, especially when you consider the the Scavenger market that appears intermittently with its own inventory.

Much of this will be familiar for XCOM 2 veterans, right down to similar looking enemies like Berserkers and Sectoids. Some of the visual design is revamped especially with a sleek comic book-style aesthetic used for character portraits, cutscenes and conversations.

Then there’s the combat, which offers significantly more changes. First off, you’ll start each mission in Breach Mode, choosing different points of entry for a combat situation. Different entry points can have both positive (like extra damage dealt) and/or negative effects (a unit being marked or rooted after the breach is finished). You also have to weigh the pros and cons of damage to an Agent, especially when deciding where to send someone like Cherub who can effectively tank hits from aggressive foes.

"Combined with Breach mode, encounters can devolve into intriguing mind-games."

Once you clear an area, it’s on to the next and the breaching process starts anew. Agents can unlock abilities to use before a breach and – depending on the items they have equipped or their own special talents – also use different entry points. As a Viper, Torque can slither into vents to surprise the enemy. Axiom, the Muton, can burst through walls a la Koolaid Man. Though Breach encounters start off fairly one-note, their complexity builds at a steady but none-too-overwhelming pace.

Normally in an XCOM game, your units would all take their turns and then the enemy side would take their turns (with some exceptions here and there). XCOM: Chimera Squad offers a more RPG-esque turn-order system. After a Breach, a timeline will be displayed, showcasing the order that different units will take turns. Different abilities like Verge’s Stupor can be used to stun enemies, causing them to bypass their turns completely. Further throwing a wrench into all of this is Preparation, which is akin to Hunker Down but can also move someone’s turn up in the timeline, and Team-Up, a once-per-mission perk that immediately moves up an Agent’s turn in the timeline. The latter can be invaluable when taking down a potentially dangerous foe, given the circumstances.

Combined with Breach mode, encounters can devolve into intriguing mind-games. Do you take out the more dangerous enemies first or weaken them to make subsequent fights easier (if not to apprehend them instead of killing)? Do you spend a Breach ability early on or save it for latter encounters? Who should be deployed where for the best advantage? Such decisions help mitigate some of the mechanical repetitiveness of breaching. I would have also liked being able to manually reposition allies after each Breach but alas.

"It’s all fairly simple but the synergies and different ways to use these abilities, especially depending on each situation, can be pretty deep."

Fair warning: Much of the standard RNG nonsense will still apply for hit percentages so be prepared for shots with a 94 percent hit chance to whiff. At the very least, the penalties for failure are much less severe since units can’t permanently die. Instead, they’ll enter a downed state and can be stabilized. Not doing so will cause the mission to fail. If a unit goes down before the last Breach section, then robots can be deployed as temporary squad members (and can most certainly be destroyed, costing resources to replace).

Though the customization isn’t on the level of War of the Chosen, Chimera Squad still does a good job with giving you different options. Cherub gains Charges when his Kinetic Shield is destroyed, which increases the damage of his Shield Bash. One upgrade will cause enemies to focus fire on him and build Charges more quickly, which can make for more devastating shield-bashes.

Torque can either opt for more mobility and a permanent increase to Dodge or have her Bind do more damage, making quick work of bigger target. When using Psionic abilities on enemies, Verge will add them to the Neural Network and can either increase his aim and crit chance per foe added or knock out all connected enemies instead of killing them. Again, it’s all fairly simple but the synergies and different ways to use these abilities, especially depending on each situation, can be pretty deep.

"The premise of “XCOM meets Cops” could have used a bit more objective variety though."

Given everything that XCOM: Chimera Squad has to offer, is it fair to compare it to XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, even without all the mods attached? Well, no. While certainly a more constrained in a number of ways, Chimera Squad is also a more focused experience, both in terms of its narrative and combat loop. The tension of permanently losing allies is gone, for sure but the game does a good job of keeping you on edge with impactful tactical decisions. Admittedly, missed shots feel annoying and less like the deciding factor for a character’s life.

The premise of “XCOM meets Cops” could have used a bit more objective variety though. When a district descends into Anarchy, it would be the perfect time to work with 31PD to arrest rioting civilians along with any enemy faction that may be contributing to the Unrest. Alas, these Anarchy missions are little more than “Stop enemies from escaping” through a set number of sections as you breach and clear.

The multiple stages of the investigations are nice, as you unearth a faction leader’s identity and subsequently take them down, but there’s nothing in terms of mission variety that a grizzled XCOM veteran – forget RPG and strategy fans – hasn’t seen before. At the very least, in addition to Ironman Mode, there are difficulty options like Hardcore where a single mission failure results in campaign loss and the option to add five levels to City Anarchy to start with. You can also adjust how much your squad heals after every Breach encounter – set it to “none” to add a bit more consequence to skirmishes.

"XCOM: Chimera Squad isn’t the next big step for the franchise but it is a fun detour into an alternate scenario, one with its own hooks and idiosyncrasies."

Also, it wouldn’t be an XCOM game without some bugs, like enemy corpses or Agents glitching out. At one point, reloading from a previous save point caused enemy reinforcements not to spawn (despite the loud “Reinforcements Imminent” notification in the timeline). The game also hanged and crashed at least once. While the number of bugs and issues wasn’t overwhelming, they’re definitely there along with your standard delays in enemy reactions and weird animations, like the camera focusing on a target as your Agent fires in the complete opposite direction (and still hits the target)

There’s a lot to like about XCOM: Chimera Squad though. It’s not going to reinvent the tactical turn-based strategy wheel or stand out as the best the genre has to offer. But it will offer a relatively quick experience with nuanced tactics, interesting characters, fun mechanics and tense moments against the backdrop of a city on the edge. Mod support is also included which should lead to more expanded scenarios and customization down the line. As it stands, XCOM: Chimera Squad isn’t the next big step for the franchise but it is a fun detour into an alternate scenario, one with its own hooks and idiosyncrasies.

This game was reviewed on PC.

BREACH MODE

One of the most important new mechanics XCOM: Chimera Squad introduces is Breach mode, which is sort of a pre-battle preparation, but given just how much it determines for the rest of the battle going forward and how influential the decisions you make here can be for your squad, it’s something that you need to pay very close attention to. Unlike many other turn-based strategy games, Chimera Squad’s pre-battle preparations are not just simply about deciding where to place which units (though that is certainly a factor)- there’s a lot else at play. Let’s go over some of those things one by one.

BREACH POINTS

When assigning your units to Breach points, you need to be careful about who goes where and pay close attention to various positive and negative effects. Each Breach point can have a positive or negative effect on the Agent that uses them, so rather than just randomly assigning an Agent to any Breach point, you need to pay attention to whether or not the buff or debuff in question suits them. Make sure the positive effects are applied to those who need them most, and that the negative ones – if there are any – go to the ones who won’t be affected by them terribly.

TURN ORDER

Turn order is something else that XCOM: Chimera Squad has changed. Unlike earlier games, in Chimera Squad, the interleaved turn order now dictates which unit will be allowed to take an action at which point. As you can imagine, this changes the flow of battles significantly, and also has a huge impact on how you strategize. You need to be aware of how long your units have to wait for their turn, whether or not there are any immediate threats coming up thanks to the turn order, and shift priorities accordingly. Speaking of…

WEAKER ENEMIES

The turn order is something you can and should manipulate in Breach mode- at times, it almost becomes essential. In regular fights where you’re being attacked by enemies in numbers, it’s a smart idea to make use of Breach mode to either injure multiple enemies or take some out entirely to give yourself a boost in the turn order. Many times, it’s best to injure as many enemy units as you can rather than taking any out, and then use the fact that they have lower health with your turn order to quickly eliminate them one by one before they have a chance to attack.

STRONGER ENEMIES

Some fights, however, will see you coming up against an enemy that is much harder to take down, one that can be devastating if it is allowed to attack- for fights like these, it is best to focus everything you’ve got during Breach mode on that enemy (or enemies, as the case may be). Even if you find you cannot kill them, you can give yourself a huge boost by at least chipping away at them as much as possible.

BREACH ABILITIES

Something else to keep in mind during Breach mode is Breach Abilities. Not all Agents have these, but you should try and make sure you take advantage of the ones who do have them- some of them can be especially useful. Verge, for instance, has an ability that allow him to lift an enemy into the air, so that all the Agents who breach after him can attack that enemy more easily, which means this ability can be very useful for situations like the one we spoke of just now where you should be focusing all your Agents on stronger enemies while breaching. Make sure you pay attention to Breach Abilities then- not just what they are, but when they would be best used.

RESTARTING

There’s no shame in restarting the game in XCOM: Chimera Squad and going back to an earlier point- always be ready and willing to restart encounters, missions, or even days. There can be a lot of trial and error involved in the game, so using the knowledge you’ve gained to come back at the challenge at hand with better preparation can be crucial. Just as an example, there are often some Breach points that can only be assigned to specific units, so it’s best to save before battles and restart if you find you came into the fight without an Agent who’d be able to take full advantage of that Breach point.

UNREST

Your primary goal in XCOM: Chimera Squad is to keep the peace in City 31 and ensure it doesn’t fall victim to a violent insurrection. To that end, each district of the city has an Unrest meter, and that’s something you’re gonna want to keep an eye on constantly. If you keep ignoring missions in a district, its Unrest keeps growing, and the more it grows, the more difficult missions become. As such, don’t ignore any district for too long, and choose which missions to take on based on that when you need to. Yellow side missions are great for this, while Spec Ops missions also help.

FIELD TEAM ABILITIES

A great way to reduce Unrest in a district is using Field Team Abilities. Assigning Field Teams to districts unlocks Field Team Abilities, and these abilities can be used to either freeze or reduce Unrest. The more Field Teams you have assigned, the more Field Team Abilities you have, so assign as many as you can. Field Team Abilities also have cooldowns, so keep that in mind while using them.

SCAVENGER MARKET

The Scavenger Market is something you have to unlock, but once you do, make sure you make full use of it. The Scavenger Market – whenever it is open – has some excellent higher-level stuff on sale, but since it only opens up on a strict schedule, make sure you buy stuff from it whenever you can. To that end, also ensure you have plenty of Intel on you any time the Scavenger Market opens up.

AUTO-LOADERS

Keeping an eye on your units’ ammo is quite important in XCOM: Chimera Squad, because reloading takes up an action, and can affect your battle strategies pretty significantly. Auto-Loaders, however, are great to counter this crutch- by equipping each unit (or as many as you can) with an Auto-Loader, you allow them to reload their weapon for free once every mission. Saving up that action point can be a huge boost, especially in the really tough Encounters.

Firaxis Games’ XCOM: Chimera Squad is out this week after a rather sudden reveal recently. Taking place after XCOM 2 – but not a sequel or expansion – the game sees an inter-species force working to preserve peace in City 31. You’ll have a team of 11 agents to tackle missions and each has their own unique abilities.

To highlight each agent’ background and origin, Firaxis has released different profile videos. The latest ones focus on Patchwork and Cherub, the former being an Operator who received cybernetic prosthetics as a child. The latter is a Warden, a Clone Hybrid meant to serve ADVENT but lacking purpose when the Psi Network was destroyed.

More agent profile videos will be coming before release so stay tuned. XCOM: Chimera Squad is out on April 24th for PC and makes several changes to the series’ standard formula with the removal of permadeath and Breach Mode, which determines your approach in missions. Currently, the title is 50 percent off until May 1st so keep an eye on it in the coming days.

2K Games and Firaxis announced a new XCOM game out of nowhere yesterday, due out merely days from now, and it’s not your typical XCOM title. Though XCOM: Chimera Squad still employs the same turn-based tactical combat, there’s a lot of new mechanics in play. Permadeath is gone, named characters are in, characters’ turns are based on initiative, and there’s a new Breach mode, among other things.

Given all that in mind, the developers decided that it would be best to release the game as a standalone spinoff, rather than a direct numbered sequel, even though the game is set after XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, chronologically speaking.

Speaking to PC Gamer, a Firaxis spokesperson said that the XCOM: Chimera Squad “made more sense as a standalone title” rather than a full-fledged sequel.

“After releasing XCOM 2 and the War of the Chosen expansion, the team felt there were exciting gameplay opportunities that had yet to be discovered,” they said. “XCOM: Chimera Squad features multiple bold new changes to the traditional XCOM formula … This specific vision for XCOM made more sense as a standalone title as opposed to a direct sequel.”

Speaking to GamesBeat, 2K marketing boss Melissa Bell voiced similar opinions, saying that the game intentionally lowers its barriers of entry so that it can be enjoyed by both, series veterans and newcomers.

“We know fans have been eager to dive back into the world of XCOM,” said Bell. “XCOM: Chimera Squad offers tremendous value and we’re intentionally lowering the barriers of entry for new fans to the franchise with a game XCOM veterans will really enjoy.”

XCOM: Chimera Squad is out for PC on April 24.

2K and Firaxis have announced a new game in the XCOM series- XCOM: Chimera Squad, a standalone spinoff that takes place five years after the events of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. With the Overlords having been forced out of the planet, the game takes place in City 31, described as “a model of peace in a post-invasion world.” An interspecies alliance has been established, with humans, aliens, and hybrids living and working together. Some, however, are not happy with the alliance, and unrest continues to grow- which is where the titular Chimera Squad – made up of veteran soldiers from various species – comes in, tasked with maintaining order in the city.

XCOM: Chimera Squad is bringing about some interesting changes to the gameplay as well. Instead of naming each of your characters and units, you will now be controlling named characters, each with their own unique abilities and attributes and species-specific powers. Permadeath is also gone, and if a character dies, players will be forced to restart the mission. There’s also a new pre-battle preparation Breach Mode, which will allow players to set up their squads for different tactics and approach battles in various ways. Meanwhile, assignments, investigations, and management of an HQ are still going to be part of the gameplay loop.

XCOM: Chimera Squad is out for PC on April 24, and will be sold for a price of $20. On Steam, it’s available for half price until May 1. New trailers introducing the game’s narrative premise and some of its most major gameplay changes and mechanics have also been released- check them out below.