XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a game with real consequences. When soldiers die out in the field, they're gone for good.
In a feature story on PC Powerplay, Firaxis's developers elaborated on their adherence to the brutality of the original XCOM. It was an unforgiving game that tolerated few mistakes—and quite rare for games these days.
"You can lose soldiers permanently because by having real consequences in a game, it creates real successes," said lead designer Jacob Solomon. He explained that much of the game would revolve around non-linear missions, which the player would have to react to without being fully aware of the situation on the ground.
While the game retains much of the tension of the original title, pitting players against an unknown enemy in unfamiliar terrain, players will only have to take charge of a squad consisting of fewer than six soldiers, as opposed to the twelve or more units you had to take charge of in the original.
Still, despite making the game easier for players to manage, the risk of losing soldiers exists, and their deaths will be permanent. With fewer units under your command, the death of each individual would also be a lot more impacting. It may prove especially true for players who customize their units. According to Firaxis, each unit can be customized in terms of name, nationality, appearance, and voice.
In addition to unit customizability, units also come in four distinct classes now. The assault class wears light armor and carries a heavy shotgun. They're built for leading charges and blitzing the enemy. In contrast to the assault, the heavy weapons class is heavily armored and heavily armed, sporting massive armaments capable of laying suppressing fire to pin enemies down while the rest of the team performs a flanking movement. They're backed up by the support class, who carries a rifle and grenades for fire support. Last but not least, the sniper class has the option to stay back and hit enemies from a safe distance.
Solomon explained that the game's class system will not serve as a limiting factor to how you play the game or what you decide to do with your units. "It's a way of augmenting soldiers. Every class of soldier is good at killing," he said. "The classes are new abilities over the top of those soldiers' stats that give them some distinction."
In other words, you'll be able to make your soldiers better at some things than others, but they'll always be useful. Each class will also get an ability tree that branches, providing you with two different options every time a unit levels up.
The designer mentioned that with skills, the sniper class can be customized to become a quick-firing pistol gunslinger or a long-range sharpshooter. The sharpshooter also comes with an unlock called "squad sight" which provides the entire team with everything the sniper sees.
With a level of customization this intimate, players are going to want to take care of their XCOM squaddies more so than ever before. Needless to say, each squad is going to be a unique one.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is set for a release on the PC this fall.
