The gameвЂ™s other layer is its turn-based mission mode, in which you control a squad of troops on a 3D map, completing objectives and fighting alien units. If such a point exists in XCOM 2, I havenвЂ™t found it вЂ“ this time, youвЂ™re always feeling stretched and hounded by an implacable foe on the strategic level. In previous games, there was always a вЂњtipping pointвЂќ where you felt the strategic balance turn in your favour, giving you breathing room to build up before embarking on the tougher missions. XCOMвЂs difficulty curve has always been one of the seriesвЂ™ hallmarks, and it has been ramped up to a deviously challenging level here. In this game youвЂ™re constantly made to feel like youвЂ™re on the back foot. You wonвЂ™t be able to undertake all of them, so you need to carefully pick which option is the best вЂ“ or more frequently, the least terrible. For instance, youвЂ™re regularly forced to choose between several missions, each of which will stop a Dark Event (essentially a boost to the aliensвЂ™ strength). Firaxis has made this part of the game much more involved now, and youвЂ™re constantly presented with decisions that have a huge bearing on the war and how it plays out.

These cells are the key to winning the war, as you can only attack enemy bases in a part of the map with which youвЂ™ve already made contact. Because your base is now mobile, you can move it around the world map to perform time-based scanning missions that net you much-needed resources and staff, as well as make contact with resistance cells. In true XCOM fashion, this struggle plays out in two distinct fashions.ДЇirst, thereвЂ™s an overarching strategic layer in which you build and maintain a base (this time a giant repurposed alien battleship), recruit and train soldiers and other staff, research technologies and build better equipment.

Xcom 2 point of no return