XCOM CHIMERA SQUAD Announced by Firaxis

Firaxis, the company behind XCom: Enemy Within and XCom 2: War of the Chosen, announced that they’re releasing a new XCom game. Said game, titled XCom: Chimera Squad, will release on April 24th.

The XCom franchise is a series of tactical, turn based RPG’s where you command a legion of troops to save the planet from invading alien forces. This is achieved by stopping alien attacks, shooting down UFO’s, building your base, and trying to appeal to a board of directors that is steadily losing faith in your ability to lead.

This spinoff game will change that formula a bit, though. Instead of playing as a human faction trying to keep aliens from conquering the Earth, you’re a police force tasked with keeping the peace in a city where humans and aliens live in harmony. Set five years after the cliffhanger in XCom 2, the story revolves around a squad of humans and aliens that must work together to keep the peace that was established in XCom 2: War of the Chosen. The game will have a “civil unrest” meter that rises the more you fail to stop crime, which gives you a “game over” if you fail to prevent it from filling up all the way, similar to the Avatar Project bar in the previous game.

Unlike previous XCom titles, this game will feature playable characters not created by the player; they’re all predetermined party members, with personalities, backstories and story arcs. The game will also not feature permadeath, instead featuring a “bleed out” timer that players must stop from counting down in order to save your comrades. If not stopped in time, you must play the mission over again.

XCom: Chimera Squad is a Steam exclusive title, and it’s 50% off on Steam until May 1st.