Xenonauts 2
XENONAUTS-2 is a vast single player strategy game in which you control a multi-national military organisation defending our planet from alien invasion.
Battle the extraterrestrials in tense, complex turn-based combat across a variety of maps and missions, recovering and researching their technology to unlock new weapons and equipment!
Take a global view with the real-time strategic management layer: you must establish and develop your bases, conduct research, battle for air supremacy and try to keep the panic level in your funding regions under control.
The strategic and tactical layers of the game are directly related, with ground missions affecting the overall balance of the Geoscape and your research efforts on the recovered items unlocking new equipment for your squads and aircraft. Every management decision you make filters down to the troops you control in battle; every shot you fire could change the balance of strategic power.
Can you hold off the invasion long enough to discover a way to defeat the alien forces?
No knowledge of the previous game is required to play – XENONAUTS-2 is a standalone title with its own setting and narrative.Key Features
- Ground Combat: The highly-detailed turn-based combat system gives you fine control over your soldiers as they battle the aliens across multiple different mission types and numerous varied environments. The day / night cycle and destructible battlefields open up endless tactical possibilities to defeat your enemies, and your soldiers will grow stronger as they gain combat experience – provided you can keep them alive!
- Strategic Management: A complex strategic layer allows you to coordinate the defence of our planet. Establish bases to extend your reach and use customisable interceptors to shoot down attacking UFOs, then deploy your soldiers to secure resources. Capturing crash sites can secure alien technology and live specimens for research, whereas protecting regions from alien activity and terror attacks will protect your funding and prevent them surrendering to the aliens.
- In-depth Simulation: The structure of Xenonauts-2 is not linear; no two campaigns unfold in exactly the same way. Every element of this complex interlocking simulation has been designed to create maximum coherence between the strategic and tactical layers: small decisions can have an impact across the entire game.
- Extensive Tech Tree: XENONAUTS-2 contains a vast variety of aircraft, vehicles, weapons, armour, and battlefield equipment for you to experiment with. and a deep research tree with over a hundred projects to unlock. Play the game the way you want to play, devising your own tactics and strategies to defeat the extraterrestrial threat!
Key Improvements from XENONAUTS-1
In addition to the new modular upgrade systems mentioned previously, here is a very small selection of key changes and enhancements:
- Improved visuals across all parts of the game, including full 3D tactical environments with a rotatable camera!
- A more detailed and immersive Geoscape simulation incorporating greater player choice and stronger elements of territory control!
- More environments and maps to fight in – including our new Jungle and Boreal biomes!
- New aliens have been added and many existing ones have been redesigned, all of which will benefit from our new and improved AI system!
- A larger research tree with more lore and an expanded variety of equipment for your soldiers to use in battle!
Game Discussion
Steam User 140
An upgrade to Xenonauts and the original XCOM. If you think beating XCOM is going to prepare you for this game... you're wrong. Why?
The stat system in this game means that the only way you get 'OP' soldiers is through out thinking the AI in the early game and using meat/robot shields to lessen the blow of your inevitable casualties. It's through utilizing the suppression system, using smoke grenades to rush, and using meat shield privates to scout ahead. There are no class skills; only the weapons you give your soldiers. If you think giving all your soldiers rifles is going to be a good idea, good luck scouting ahead and suppressing that Mantid across the desert. All heavies? Good luck pushing ahead when you get an accuracy penalty while using heavy weaponry. Getting your boys through chokepoints in an alien base? You should probably place a shield there and crouch your shotguns in the corners of that ominous, closed door. Xenonauts is a game that rewards creativity and change, so even your squad weapon composition can change subtly depending on your goals for that mission or the terrain.
On a strategic level, depending on your difficulty, you'll also find the game very different than XCOM. Scientists and Engineers are not only few in number, but are expensive both to acquire AND to maintain. This means even if you have a lot of capital in the beginning, over expanding R&D means you might end up firing that personnel anyways to keep the lights running in your bases, or to acquire new equipment. Remember what I said about skillful aggression? Building one super-base in the Middle East and calling it a day won't work when you're leaving the Far East, North America, and South America undefended and subject to surrendering. Nor will overextending yourself and finding yourself without the funds to meaningfully modernize your airforce, bases, or soldiers.
Xenonauts greatest strength is its freedom, but to many people, it's also its greatest flaw because this game doesn't hold your hand. If you feel like you're unsure of getting Xenonauts 2, I'd recommend trying Xenonauts 1 Community Edition. It's a fantastic way of getting into the original XCOM/Xenonauts experience, and getting an idea as to what you're getting into. If you feel it's too easy or empty of mechanics, I'd recommend playing it through the modpack X-Division as I have done for years. That modpack is a good example as to the potential of Xenonauts 2 when the community creator tools get set up.
Overall, Xenonauts 2 is to Xenonauts as XCOM 2 is to XCOM 1. Better graphics, new art, new mission types, but fundamentally the same gameplay. But again, comparing XCOM to Xenonauts 2 is like comparing apples to oranges. Yea they're both strategy games, but be aware Xenonauts is not for everyone and IS harder on the learning curve than XCOM.
With that said, I love this game, it's actively maintained and developed in an era of early access scams, and most of all, offers the truest form of the original XCOM. This game will not be finished fast, it is not perfect, but it is definitely unique in the way it delivers. With immersive art, music, and even research reports, it's a truly unique experience in the turn-based combat genre. Love it or hate it, that is undeniable.
Steam User 31
I absolutely love classic X-COM. This is a really good modern version of that same model that I love so much. Does Xenonauts 2 do something new? Not really, at least not yet. I'm still waiting for revamped interceptions, but even then that won't do too much and there aren't any other milestone goals that I know of that will step outside the tried and tested formula. But it doesn't have to for me to love the game to death. I would recommend this game to anyone who loves X-COM UFO DEFENSE or for anyone who wants to see a little bit of what playing the original game was like.
Some things I would like to see improved on:
- Faster load times
- More campaign customization. (Looking for a Long War type experience)
- Base planning or recommendations. Losing in the strategy layer always sucks and it's hard to see where you go wrong, especially for new players. Giving a little bit more information and planning tools could help players make better choices and see where they go wrong.
Steam User 50
The only issue with Xenonauts 2 is the name. It's not a sequel. It's more of a second try at Xenonauts. Not that Xenonauts wasn't a good game, but it was lacking in some features from the original X-COM without modding.
The 3D engine is styled to where it almost looks identical at times, but the environments are now fully destructible and you can even move the camera freely, if you enable it. Each of the systems has seemingly been flushed out and polished and overall it feels much more strategic AND tactical than the first.
I'm only 9 hours in, though, and the Devs say only 75% is available in early access, but so far it seems like a much more complete X-COM experience, with some of it's own charms, than the first. It's what you'd imagine Xenonauts 1 to be if it was made in 202X.
Steam User 25
The game is still in need of a lot of work, but the developers truely aren't letting the community down, and new updates (both hotfixes and huge content patches that require campaign restarts) are being pumped out on a monthly basis. The effort in itself requires some kudos.
Can't wait for the final release!
Steam User 31
Still early, but the original X-Com games and TFTD come to mind. I'm getting old, but old is the new good.
Steam User 26
Great potential. I don't want to play it any further until the game is complete. Mostly so I can enjoy the full experience and not burn myself out before then.
Steam User 25
--Please keep in mind that this is an updated early access review from 11/28/24 and will be updated when the game comes out. --
If you are disappointed with the direction that the "new" versions of Xcom went, Xenonauts 2 i is a good choice. Xenonauts 2 has a really good atmosphere that makes the game world feel real. The real feeling along with the music gives the game a sense of dread and importance. Graphics in Xenonauts 2 are a huge step up from the original Xenoauts. One of the nice things is graphics effects are not overly done which makes for a more startling feeling when weapons are fired or alien events occur. Things glow or move for a reason, not just to "look cool". In addition Xenonauts 2 provides you with more freedom to make more complex decisions and actions. It is very much like the old 90s Xcom games used to have before the new versions took over and made everything too simple. I am going to list some of the things that Xenonauts 2 allows you to do that the new xcom versions have removed or simplified to oblivion.
Want to do a mission with 1 guy, or fill your drop ship to its brim from 9 to 24 depending on drop ship? -The game says Sure. Do you want light tanks with that at early game? - Yes please. Want to run into the map and just grab equipment and leave when you decide without killing everything? -Sure. Want to just blow everything up? - Sure. Want to overload your guys so you have more equipment at start? -Game says Sure. Want to make some odd knife or grenade only class? -Sure. Want overwatch to make sense? -Yes please. Want cover to actually make sense? -Sure. Want brick walls to not just blow up randomly for no reason just because of a fire? -Yes please. Want to level every building to the ground? -Sure. Want to ignore missions? -Sure. Want to manage your base inventory? -Sure. Want multiple bases? -Sure. Do you want to worry about base attacks more? -Sure. Want to make your own soldier specialty types and decide that weapon they will use? The game says Sure. Want your troops to have actual stats? -Sure. Want to sneak your troops through the map and know how many movement points you have left? - Sure. Do you want to rotate your troops to the direction you want? -Sure. Want to decide how many grenades and other equipment your troops have? - Sure. Want to shoot down UFOs with 1 or 3 aircraft, or just let it wander the map? -Sure. Want to be able to use fallen units equipment on the battlefield? - Yes please. Want a story that is engaging?- Sure. Want to stockpile lots of stuff for no reason? - Sure.
I could go on, but a lot of the more complex options you might miss or want from the "New" Xcom games are here. It's also only going to get better with more because it's still under development. This is the way to go if you want a better tactical game.