XCOM: Enemy Unknown is coming to iOS. Firaxis announced the news at PAX East over the weekend, and 2K Games has also published a video on its YouTube channel in which lead designer Jake Solomon demonstrates the popular game running on an iPad (though he says it also runs on his iPhone, he only shows the camera the back of that device so it may not be totally polished yet).
According to Solomon, this version is “the full game”:
“All the tactical, strategic gameplay that you have experienced on the PC and the consoles has now been optimised for iOS devices.”
Then we get to see the game in action. We can see the base, with what look like buttons along the top of the screen, one for each room. Solomon taps the mission control section of the base, and the camera flies in closer. It does look pretty smooth, and you can drag the view around to look at the floating globe from different angles.
As for the missions themselves, it does look like the same tactical play fans of the game will be used to, though controlled with taps and drags rather than mouse clicks. Intuitive menus along the bottom of the screen allow you to switch squad member, change weapon, and choose what action to take. You can pinch and drag the screen to change the camera angle.
“As you can see, all the tactical controls and the gameplay is still there,” Solomon says, “It's just been optimised for a touch interface, which makes it easy, frankly, to jump into the game, learn the mechanics, and move onto the important part, which is killing aliens and saving the world.”
Would you play XCOM: Enemy Unknown on the move?
