FULL REVIEW: UFO2: Extra-terrestrials - Battle for Mercury

[Two Clicks]

IN A WORD: MAYBE

IN A NUTSHELL:

WHAT TO EXPECT: Passion project, 12 years in the making. Retro strategy. Turn-based tactical combat. Alien invasion, sci-fi setting. Real-time base management and UFO interception. Solitary main base and 8x satellites. Squad inventory management. Streamlined logistics, research and manufacturing. Some feature and inventory reduction. Clunky interface and somewhat unresponsive controls. Single-player only.
ACHIEVEMENTS: MOSTLY ORGANIC WITH SOME REQUIRING CULMATIVE REPEATED ACTIONS.
STATUS: COMPLETE BUT BEING SUPPORTED. POSSIBLY WITH ADD. DLCs.
WHEN TO BUY: FOR FANS OF RETRO and ALIEN INVASION GAMES WITH TBT COMBAT

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2629808652
More info below....

THE LOWDOWN:

UFO2: Extra-terrestrials - Battle for Mercury (U2EBM) is a game that has suffered many long delays and postponements over the course of its twelve year development cycle. A labour of love taken on by a small team of developers reworking the original 2007 game with significant influences from X-COM: UFO Defence. Adding minor features and player requests such as; dynamic lighting, personnel and craft, shields, mortar AOE weapon and naval forces such as aircraft carriers, acting as mobile bases.

It is a strategy game set in the near future. Like with its derivative cousins, the player takes control of a secret elite taskforce which must finance its expansion to fight-off an impending invasion of Earth by hostile aliens. Starting with a single remote base and minimal capabilities it must detect and destroy UFOs incursions as they occur. Stopping the little blighters from establishing a foothold and spread their nefarious tentacles across the globe.

The game is played on two levels. Aerial combat and operational management is conducted on a map of the globe in real-time which can be paused, called the Geoscape. Tactical turn-based battles occur when alien craft are shotdown or intercepted, on isometric maps. While in Geoscape mode bases are managed, new ones built, alien incursions detected and fighters sent to intercept them. The action is viewed on a fully accessible, revolving representation of the globe. When combat occurs a small squad of elite soldiers are sent by transport to the alien crash site or if lucky, a UFO has landed and been caught napping . Troops can be equipped with an assortment of inventory and accompanied by armed drones. Their mission to kill any remaining aliens and recover what technology they can. To be researched and used in the effort to beat back the alien threat.

Bases contain infrastructure and are filled with facilities to expedite the mission. Hangers field conventional and alien hybrid craft. Armed with a range of weapons systems and eventually shields. They are sent to intercept enemy craft. To bring them down. Stopping them from gaining a foothold that lead to terrorisation events. Squads of elite troops are housed then instructed to assault crash sites. Bringing back whatever alien tech can be recovered for study. Laboratories host scientists in their efforts to research new items based on alien technology. Workshops contain the engineers to build what the scientists discover. An assortment of defensive systems protect bases from alien attacks. While radar complexes work to detect alien craft when they enter orbit. Only the primary base houses the soldiers that make up the elite retrieval force. With a hospital to enable the recovery of injured individuals injured while on duty..

When an alien craft is shot down, caught on the ground or terror-attacks are instigated combat can be initiated. Turn-based tactical combat takes place on a variety of maps using IGOUGO to determine turn sequence. A small squad of soldiers and drones is sent to eliminate the threat. To defeat any surviving aliens or when the opportunity presents itself, to capture live ones. Squad members can be loaded with equipment up to what their strength allows. Including: firearms, missile launchers, mortars, grenades, armour, shields and med-kits. With each successful mission alien corpses and technology is recovered for research. While soldiers are promoted resulting in points being allocated to various stats, to increase their abilities.

Logistics plays a small part. With vehicles, weapons, armour, equipment and ammo being purchased and shipped to bases where they are needed. The war-effort costs money. Which is provided by nations funding. At the end of each month the player receives additional money to spend on gearing up their organisation. The devs have indicated that they are looking at developing and releasing at least one DLC with additional content that could not be implemented in the base game.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2629819062

THE GOOD:

+ A competent rework of the original X-COM games. With nostalgic qualities that fans of the originals are sure to enjoy.
+ Very good streamlined IGOUGO turn-based tactical combat played on several tile-set specific maps full of indestructible terrain.
+ Distinct features: Build bases at sea using aircraft carriers. destructive mortar weapon, attack helicopter, and; personal and craft shielding.
+ The re-worked many TBT, inventory, research and manufacture components to reduce micromanagement.
+ Can launch interceptors without being fully fuelled.
+ Variation between hit chance and actual hits is much more 'realistic' than newer versions from alt. franchises.
+ Requires low PC specs.

THE BAD:

- Missing some key features: Cannot choose starting base position. Cannot build more than one base with assault personnel. A lot of the equipment that made TBT combat in the originals as enjoyable as it was.
- Missing some nice to have features: No unused asset alerts. No flares. No smoke grenades. No motion sensors. Cant sell dead alien bodies. New drones cannot be researched or built. Not enough researchable Terran or alien influenced weapons. Less weapon types.
- Weapon damage balance seems a little off.
- Clunky interface and combat animations.
- Some garish use of colour.
- No tutorial. Bad for new younger players.

AND THE REST:

+ Fair-sized. detailed equipment and inventory pool. Not as much as the original X-COMs.
* Functional aerial combat versus alien craft. Balance favours the player on stand. diff.
* Implementation of night and during the day. But no flares or night-vision to see in the dark.
* Can build nine bases in total. On land and [later] at sea. Though only one that houses assault troops.
* Decent enemy AI apart from in some cases making illogical moves.
* Three types of TBT mission; crash recovery, UFO capture and terror attack.
* Basic colourful visuals with an old-school charm.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2629820609

ANALYSIS:

With its multiple monikers over the past decade, U2EBM sure has been through the existential grinder. Its recent release caught me off-guard. Thankfully and surprisingly dropping a pretty decent experience with its release. One that took me back to my time with the original. Retaining its gameplay dynamic, style and pace. Instantly inducing a sense of familiarity with that game from my past. Something sure to please fans of the franchise.

For veterans of the new X-COM games this one is sure to have a dated look and feel. The very definition of retro. I could be mistaken but the original soundtrack seems to be here. Perhaps added to. Another component that took me back but may sound dated to modern gamers. The GUI remained unchanged. As far as I can remember. Clunky in executing combat actions. With some issues with movement and clicking on some buttons or on the correct part of the screen for some operations remaining. Not to any large detriment. Its missing some useful touches, like pressing esc to cancel an unwanted selection or bring up the menu screen. Overall not much has been touched here. Its perfectly useable but mistakes can occur.

A noticeable lack of features make the game stand out against the original X-COMs. Some good. Some bad. Mainly in terms of the research, manufacturing and the use of a select number of craft and inventory items available in the original. These take the form of a lack of drone types, grenades, lighting sources, intermediate weaponry gained from researching tech. Causing a noticeable trimming of the research tree. One that condenses mid-game logistics and micromanagement due to reduced a inventory pool. This could be a good thing or bad thing. Depending on where you stand. The overall effect was the diminishing of tactical combat options. While I missed the the latter, the former at least kept the flow of the game streamlined. Allowing the focus to remain on gameplay and progression.

The operational strategy level had more in common with new X-COM games that the originals. A good thing in limiting over-micromanagement and producing yet more streamlined gameplay. This was due to having only one main core base, where squads of assault troops were stationed with all the components needed for them. Possibly where the newer X-COMs got their design from. This made the defence of this base vital. For if it taken over, the game would end. Making every other base essentially a satellite operation; full of intercept aircraft, detection pods and defences to withstand enemy incursions.

I can remember having multiple bases of soldiers in the original XCOM games. Ensuring that games were long, lasting several hundred hours. While enjoying games of that length when I had the time, by only having one base for soldiers, the amount of micromanagement has been reduced. Considerably. Allowing for more reasonable playthrough durations.

The eight in-game months played on standard difficulty proved easy. Keeping the alien incursion checked the same. Allowing funding to remain in the black. Intercepting and assaults also went mostly without issue. In the original [and modern] versions by this time I would have lost at least one craft. More than likely a few soldiers. In this session neither happened. Worryingly neither did a terror attack. Though its possible that the aliens did not gained enough of a foothold. Could it be that these are not implemented? Of this I am unsure.

In all likelihood anyone only interested in playing the latest, modern incarnation of this sub-genre are likely to find this game unattractive. As I've written - dated. In fact the developers have made it clear their goal was to take this game to a level that fans of the original would be happy to play. After which they intend to add features by player request. Possibly through a DLC scheme. For these we will have to wait and see.

There are a few noticeable differences in the overall experience. Foremost the combat is much easier (on standard difficulty) than the originals or the new games. Shooting and grenade throwing is much more likely to be successful. This could have been down to the difficulty level being played. While raising soldier stats makes them noticeably more accurate. Allowing progress to occur more quickly. Mainly due to the lack of need to research and manufacture. The components that stand out; the personal and aircraft shields are a nice touch. The mortar though felt unwieldly even if immensely satisfying when used to flatten swathes of the map.

U2EBM does not have the style and panache of the modern X-COM incarnations but has most of the trappings from the original games. If not everything. By sacrificing choice by volume the game presents a much more manageable and streamlined experience. Allowing players just to focus on base building, shooting down alien craft, assaulting them, recovering alien tech, research and manufacturing new items, to progress to a point in its play, that the player can go on the offensive. Gameplay keeps to its a tight cycle but research and manufacture can reach a point where either is not needed. Standing idle. Apart from when new aliens where encountered so that research could be restarted and the fruits manufactured for use. Something that reminded me of the original X-COM games and falling into the same trap. One that would eventually lead the player into a mostly formulaic experience in between those cycles.

VERDICT:

Its damn near a miracle that U2EBM has been released. Its far from perfect and doesn't offer much to a modern cultivated gamer but is a good fit for fans of retro gaming. Its clunky GUI and controls will not be up to par for those same gamers and accessibility is nowhere to be found. I relied on my past experience. If you have no knowledge of the original alien invasion games patience and determination will be your allies. Youtube videos too. Otherwise trial and error will be the order of the day.

It may look dated and garish at times but the no nonsense gameplay is exactly what I remember playing many years ago. Not stacking up to other games in the sub-genre, it is at least its own game. Competent and enjoyable. Maybe a guilty pleasure that could be overlooked for modern incarnations. Therefore in my opinion I think this game would be a WORTHWHILE purchase for a grizzly ol' dog like myself. If however you are a gamer of this generation, its a MAYBE at best.

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