A Demo for XCOM Spiritual Successor Xenonauts 2 has Landed
Goldhawk Interactive has debuted a demo for the upcoming sequel Xenonauts 2. The demo, according to a statement on GoG.com, is described as being a “free public pre-alpha” of what will eventually become the final product that is “intended for gameplay and stability testing.” You can download and try it for yourself on the official website, though the GoG Galaxy client is required to play.
The original game, released in 2014, was a spiritual successor to the old school X-COM: UFO Defense, and offered nostalgic gamers an alternative to Firaxis Games’ rebooted XCOM series. Rather than implement realistic 3D graphics, Goldhawk instead built Xenonauts with a 2D isometric art style, emulating PC strategy games of the 90s. While the game received mixed reviews, Goldhawk later commented about how they struggled to balance staying faithful to the original X-COM while still making a playable game. The studio would go on to describe these struggles as a learning experience:
Some of the issues in the original game were caused by our lack of experience / lack of early funding, whereas others were caused by the constraints [of] remaining faithful to the design of a game dating back to 1994. The experience and income we have accumulated from the development of Xenonauts mean that we can make a sequel that significantly improves and expands on the first game—and this time we can be more innovative than before.”
Upon announcement of Xenonauts 2 earlier this month, Goldhawk showed off an updated 3D art style that allows a free rotation of the camera and presents several completely redesigned elements. On top of that, the sequel touts enhanced combat with increased tactical options. The setting will not be the same as the original Xenonauts, but will take place in an alternate Cold War-era timeline, meaning alien technology from the first game won’t be available in the second.
Are you going to check out the Xenonauts 2 demo? If you’ve already done so, do you feel it’s an improvement? Let us know in the comments and be sure to follow DFTG on Twitter for more alien warfare updates. Also, head on over to our official Disqus channel for interesting video game chatter. You can read about more strategy game news from these links below:
Eric Hall2712 Posts
Phone-browsing Wikipedia in one hand and clutching his trusty controller in the other, the legendary Eric Hall spreads his wealth of knowledge as a writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. Be sure to catch his biweekly "Throwback Thursday" segment for a nostalgic look at trivia from the past.
