XCOM timeline is more complicated than we thought, this is how Chimera Squad fits in

The original X-COM: UFO Defense, which came out in 1994, has a fairly straightforward narrative: the aliens go into orbit and start terrorizing the planet. It is up to you and your small team of soldiers to kill them or die trying.

The modern incarnation of the Firaxis Games XCOM franchise, on the other hand, is more complicated. Over the years there have been multiple pieces of downloadable content, multiple expansion packs, and even a full remake of a previous game. The launch of XCOM: Chimera Squad, a stand-alone title with a low price, only makes things more confusing.

To set the record straight, I got Chimera Squad chief designer Mark Nauta on the phone. Where does the modern history of XCOM begin? What downloadable modules and snippets are canon? And how does that set the stage for Chimera Squad and potentially the next major game in the franchise?

Image: Firaxis Games / 2K

Nauta explained that the starting point of the modern XCOM universe is XCOM: unknown enemy, which It came out in 2012. That story canonically begins in the spring of 2015 with a series of extraterrestrial forays into planet Earth. It includes a number of different alien races: classic sectoids, mutons, and more, all controlled by a behind-the-scenes puppet master. They are all more than a rival to the best technology Earth can muster, but they give it that title about 50 hours of its life and can reliably beat the invasion.

Canonically things are not that simple. In the XCOM franchise tradition, humanity actually fell into the hands of alien invaders.

That means XCOM: internal enemy – the expansion from 2013 to XCOM: unknown enemy – It never really happened. The narrative of that game, which focuses on a mixture of nanomachines called Meld to explore transhumanism issues, is a completely alternative XCOM universe. It is a separate branch, Nauta explained, one that does not even occur in the events leading up to XCOM 2.

Hardcore fans of the valiant extraterrestrial combat force should choose Greg Keyes’ novel titled XCOM: Resurrection to learn the circumstances around which humanity falls before the alien threat. After that, the next canonical game is XCOM 2.

Image: Firaxis Games / 2K

XCOM 2 it effectively restarted in 2017 with an alternative story of its own. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen add three new factions to the game. They include the stealthy human hunters known as the Reapers, the hybrid human and alien warriors known as the Skirmishers, and the powerful psionic warriors known as the Templars. But the overall story remains the same. The puppeteers who control the other alien races, known simply as the Elders, are destroyed. Without them pulling the strings, Earth is successfully liberated.

But how XCOM: Chimera Squad Explore in detail, our planet is forever changed by the battle against the Elders. In 2040, when the game takes place, it is home to multiple exotic full-blooded species, as well as strange human and extraterrestrial hybrids. Powerful weapons and dangerous psionic warriors are still hidden among the population, and XCOM itself has had to integrate all of these different species into its ranks to fight them.

Firaxis Games / 2K Games

Nauta explained that it is the restart, War of the electthat leads directly to XCOM: Chimera Squad. That’s why several of his named characters play as members of the Reaper, Skirmisher, and Templar factions that were first introduced in the expansion. Chimera Squad Similarly it is based on the most elaborate writing in War of the elect adding more than a dozen new characters to the tradition.

So if you have your pencils and score card ready, know that the canonical XCOM video game universe now includes XCOM: unknown enemy, XCOM 2: War of the Chosenand XCOM: Chimera Squad.

When are we getting adequate XCOM 3? I pushed Nauta on the subject, but all he would say is that fans shouldn’t see the new game changes in Chimera Squad – which emphasize small-scale combat indoors – as indicative of where the franchise is headed. Instead, it’s more of a “test bed” for game ideas. But if the past is precedent, fans should expect the next numbered game in the modern XCOM series to have more narrative depth than ever.

XCOM: Chimera Squad It is now on sale for Windows PC.

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