Xenonauts: An Alien Invasion Turn-Based Tactics Delight!

Forget your fancy graphics and real-time explosions; sometimes, the purest form of tactical warfare comes from carefully plotting your moves on a grid, anticipating alien maneuvers with bated breath. Enter Xenonauts, a love letter to classic turn-based strategy games like X-COM: UFO Defense, but with a modern polish that doesn’t sacrifice the core gameplay loop that made its predecessors so addictive.

Developed by Goldhawk Interactive, Xenonauts throws you into the role of commander of a multinational organization tasked with repelling an alien invasion. The year is 1979, and humanity is caught off guard by a technologically superior enemy force descending upon our planet. Your mission? Build bases, train soldiers, research alien technology, and engage in intense turn-based battles against a variety of extraterrestrial foes.

A Retro-Inspired Tactical Experience with Modern Refinements

Xenonauts seamlessly blends the classic “one more turn” gameplay of its predecessors with contemporary features that enhance the overall experience.

• Intricate Base Management: Constructing and upgrading your bases is crucial for success. Each base serves as a hub for research, training, and manufacturing, allowing you to develop new weapons, armor, and even alien technologies captured during missions. You’ll need to balance resource allocation carefully, as each decision impacts your ability to field effective troops and counter the evolving alien threat.

• Deep Soldier Customization: Assemble and train your squad from a pool of recruits with varying backgrounds and skills. Customize their loadouts, assign them roles based on their strengths, and level them up through combat experience. Witnessing your soldiers evolve from green rookies into hardened veterans is incredibly satisfying.

• Tactical Turn-Based Combat: Engage in tense, strategic battles on procedurally generated maps. Each soldier’s movement, action points, and line of sight must be carefully considered, making every turn a crucial decision. Utilizing cover, flanking maneuvers, and exploiting enemy weaknesses are key to survival. The game also features a reaction system that allows your soldiers to respond to enemy actions in real-time, adding an element of unpredictability to combat encounters.

• Extensive Alien Roster: Xenonauts pits you against a diverse array of alien foes, each with unique strengths, weaknesses, and attack patterns. From the agile Scissies to the heavily armored Andromedons, understanding your enemies’ capabilities is crucial for formulating effective strategies. The game also features a variety of mission objectives, including intercepting UFOs, rescuing civilians, and conducting reconnaissance.

Immersive World-Building and Story Elements

Beyond its core gameplay mechanics, Xenonauts offers a surprisingly immersive world with engaging story elements woven into the narrative.

As you progress through the game, uncover the motivations behind the alien invasion, decipher cryptic messages left behind by extraterrestrial artifacts, and make difficult decisions that impact the fate of humanity.

Is Xenonauts Right for You?

If you’re a fan of classic turn-based strategy games like X-COM or Jagged Alliance, then Xenonauts is a must-play. It offers a deep and engaging tactical experience with modern refinements that enhance its appeal to newcomers and veterans alike. Be prepared to invest countless hours strategizing, customizing your soldiers, and battling for humanity’s survival against relentless alien invaders.

Pro Tip: Mastering the game’s reaction system can be crucial to success in challenging encounters. Learning to anticipate enemy movements and react accordingly can give you a significant tactical advantage.