Xenonauts 2 Early Access is just about ready to make first , scheduled for launch in the second quarter of the year. It's been a long time coming: strategy game with old-school XCOM sensibilities.
You could think of Xenonauts as another evolutionary branch from the original X-COM: UFO Defense, or UFO: Enemy Unknown as it was called in Europe. Firaxis went in one direction with the unhyphenated (and massively popular) XCOM: Enemy Unknown series reboot that launched in 2012, and Goldhawk Interactive has gone in another direction with Xenonauts, which kept many of the original ideas and mechanics of the original X-COM while adding depth, challenge, and a unique storyline.
Xenonauts 2 takes place in an alt-history 2009 in which the Cold War is still raging. Aliens have naturally picked this as the perfect moment to make first , and suffice it to say that they're not going to be bought off with a packet of peanut butter candies this time. Goldhawk says you won't need to be familiar with the events of the first game, since Xenonauts 2 has its own story and setting.
Publisher Hooded Horse says Xenonauts 2 "cranks everything up to 11" as you lead a multi-national force to send the extra-terrestrial menace back where it came from. As in the original X-COM, you'll be managing your squads, building subterranean facilities, directing research, and leading your team on the battlefield in turn-based combat.
You can try out the best turn-based strategy games rounded up in our handy guide if you're looking for more tactical goodness.