Wrote a blog post on my site that I thought could be worth sharing. You can read it down below, or on my site, if interested. It seems 2024 will be the year of X-com-likes. The criteria I went for is turn-based, with some kind of home base to manage.
The formatting looks better on my site, but this will have to do. Anyway, I have never seen a year packed like this before.
You can say that I'm excited for the coming months. I probably missed some games also, which would make the number even higher.
2024, the year of X-com-likes
The X-com genre hasn’t exactly been dead, so I can’t say 2024 is the year it will make a glorious comeback, but hot damn, there sure are a lot of games coming out in the genre making it somewhat of an event. For X-com aficionados the world over it’s going to be a very busy year with a lot of turn-based tactical combat and the building of bases. Now, I can’t say for certain that all these titles will come out this year, but the prognoses are looking good for many of the games. I will list the games under three categories. Games that are set for a 2024 release (according to Steam), games with a more unclear release, and then games that are out already. Here we go!
Games set for a 2024 release (full or early access)
Let’s start with something close to my heart, Xenonauts 2. Technically, it’s out already, but as an early access title. This game I have played a lot of already, as some of you might know. I truly enjoy it, and I think it will be a great sequel to the already excellent Xenonauts. It’s set for a 2024 release as far as I know. Let’s just hope they meet that date, because I want to take the fight to the aliens once more.
Galdred’s fantasy epic Zodiac Legion is set for an early access release in 2024. Having it taking place in a fantasy world sets it apart from the rest of the games on this list, well, most of them at least. The demo was entertaining, and the interview here on the site gives an impression of being a true passion project that is many years in the making. I hope it all comes together, and we get to slay enemies in the name of the zodiac signs soon enough.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint was released in 2023 in early access, but I decided to include it nonetheless. Because why the hell not? I have not played it much, as I’m holding out for the 1.0 release, like an Amish man waiting for the long-awaited wedding night. However, the small amount I played impressed me. It felt very tactical, and cyberpunk, with you infiltrating, sneaking, and shooting up corpos in a sleek setting. There is even base-building, a fundamental for the genre.
Time for cyberpunk-themed game number two on the list. I have played the demo of Project Haven many times, and from my time with it, the future is looking bright. If you want simulated projectiles and cover that actually matters more than just being a defense number this is the game to pick. The combat is pretty slow, but oh-so satisfying on an autistic level.
King Arthur: Legion IX is out soon, and I mean imminent release. Under ten days from when this article is written. It’s a stand-alone expansion for King Arthur: Knight’s Tale, a game I wasn’t sold on hundred percent. However, it wasn’t unredeemable bad or anything like that, so the expansion is well worth a place on the list. More X-com games are always a good thing, and fighting as undead Roman legionaries is not exactly a common theme in the genre. So, that’s going to be interesting.
Here we have another game that is out soon. Three more weeks until release from the date of this article. Crown Wars: The Black Prince seems to take a more modern X-com approach, in the style of Xcom 2. But that doesn’t matter, as both turn-based combat systems have their positives and negatives, and are above all entertaining. A medieval-themed X-com-like is not something to scuff at regardless, especially for a game lacking monsters. A realistic take on the theme is most welcomed. I just hope it will be good!
Here we got a game with some serious hype behind it, well, at least from a personal perspective. Menace is the new game from the developers of Battle Brothers. Battle Brothers is a fantastic tactical game where you run your own mercenary company in the style of the novel The Black Company. However, in Menace they have ditched the medieval age for science fiction, set in a mutant horror-infested future filled with strife. I’m excited since sci-fi horror is something I hold dear. The systems will not be the same as Battle Brothers. Instead of managing individual units, you now equip and level up platoons, which is an indication of the larger scale of the battles. Menace will be released in early access.
Here is a game that follows the X-com style of game to a tee. In Every Day We Fight you will be doing battle against aliens invading Earth. A very classic theme indeed. What sets this far apart from the original X-com is the scale. It seems to be concentrated on a neighborhood block instead of saving the whole world from nasty green men. There are more differences, of course. The game seems to also involve time shenanigans, and the combat leans towards nuXcom in its approach. There was a demo released at one point, but sadly I never got to try it before it was removed. Going by the videos released, it does look promising.
It’s time to go to the red planet and go full Total Recall. In Mars Tactics you will either battle the rebels as the Capital army or fight the ruthless corporations as the Labor revolutionaries. The tactical turn-based combat is absolutely brutal and very deadly. When I tried the demo, I got my ass handed to me on a platter on more than one occasion. What made the demo stand out beyond the incredibly cool setting, is the classic action point system with fully destructible environments. That is not all, as it seems to incorporate a light 4X approach to the gameplay. You must conquer and hold important positions on the map to win. Looking forward to it, even if I’m afraid my time with it will be a lesson in humiliation. Yes, it was that hard!
The world is once again messed up. In Interregnum: False Prophet an alien mind virus has killed off ninety percent of the population and thrown the world into an eternal ice age. Sounds pleasant, right? Well, this doesn’t excuse humanity from killing each other. In this game, you will have to fight off other survivors and keep your base of operations, aka the caravan functional. Sounds pretty X-com to me. I played the demo when that was available, and I found the turn-based combat enjoyable. Beyond that, the setting is just cool and spooky.
Games with a more unclear release year, yet lean towards 2024
Oh, man. I have been waiting for Urban Strife seemingly for years now. My first interview for the site was made with the developers of this game, and that was two years ago. That’s a long time to suffer to be able to once again pop zombie heads. But as the saying goes – good things come to those who wait. Sadly, the release date is still up in the air, however, they recently started to do developer updates. So, that’s a good sign. The demo that was released a while back was great, with good combat, and atmosphere. I can only imagine what the game feels like now. Let’s hope it’s improved, and that Urban Strife becomes a new zombie survival classic and finally takes over after Dead State as the supreme zombie survival experience.
Archrebel Tactics is another game with uncertain release date. However, I believe from the footage I have seen that it will be a 2024 release, or at least I hope it will be. Archrebel Tactics is inspired by the old 1986 game Rebelstar. A title I have no experience with, but according to what I have read about Archrebel Tactics, it also takes heavy inspiration from the original X-com. That is good enough for me. Turn-based tactical combat with marines battling vicious robots and other creatures from the depths of space is always a huge win in my book.
Another cyberpunk game. Sure, why the hell not? It’s an awesome setting that fits the genre like a glove. Twilight Wars skips the top-down viewpoint and instead copies the style from Darkest Dungeon where you view your augmented agents from the side. Nevertheless, the combat will still be tactical, and you still have a base to take care off and upgrade. Unfortunately, the release date is unknown, but I think I read somewhere that it’s scheduled for a 2024 release. Don’t quote me on that though. They do have a demo out, ready for download, unlike many of the other games on this list. So, that’s something.
Games already released for 2024
Classified: France ’44 is the only game making the list of titles already out. I have not actually played this one, but going by the good reviews, and footage shown, I really should. It looks pretty fun. As you might suspect going by the title, this game takes place during World War II. If it’s not aliens or robots, German soldiers are a sure bet when it comes to turn-based tactical games. Vive la France!
And there we are. That’s all of them. If even half of them, including the one game released already comes out, it will be a busy remaining months of 2024. I have never seen a year this tight with releases in the X-com genre before. It tells me the future is looking bright for the genre because this can’t be coincidence only. Man, I remember back a few years, and as most you could hope for maybe one game in the genre each third year or so. The times were dire, but then came the retelling of X-com in the form of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which revitalized the genre. Thank the lord for that. Even if you don’t like that form of turn-based tactical combat, it did good for the genre overall. Well, that’s all from me. See you on the battlefield, probably fighting some kind of alien.
Thanks for reading.
The X-com genre hasn’t exactly been dead, so I can’t say 2024 is the year it will make a glorious comeback, but hot damn, there sure are a lot of games coming out in the genre making it somewhat of an event. For X-com aficionados the world over it’s going to be a very busy year with a lot of turn-based tactical combat and the building of bases. Now, I can’t say for certain that all these titles will come out this year, but the prognoses are looking good for many of the games. I will list the games under three categories. Games that are set for a 2024 release (according to Steam), games with a more unclear release, and then games that are out already. Here we go!
Games set for a 2024 release (full or early access)
Let’s start with something close to my heart, Xenonauts 2. Technically, it’s out already, but as an early access title. This game I have played a lot of already, as some of you might know. I truly enjoy it, and I think it will be a great sequel to the already excellent Xenonauts. It’s set for a 2024 release as far as I know. Let’s just hope they meet that date, because I want to take the fight to the aliens once more.
Galdred’s fantasy epic Zodiac Legion is set for an early access release in 2024. Having it taking place in a fantasy world sets it apart from the rest of the games on this list, well, most of them at least. The demo was entertaining, and the interview here on the site gives an impression of being a true passion project that is many years in the making. I hope it all comes together, and we get to slay enemies in the name of the zodiac signs soon enough.
Cyber Knights: Flashpoint was released in 2023 in early access, but I decided to include it nonetheless. Because why the hell not? I have not played it much, as I’m holding out for the 1.0 release, like an Amish man waiting for the long-awaited wedding night. However, the small amount I played impressed me. It felt very tactical, and cyberpunk, with you infiltrating, sneaking, and shooting up corpos in a sleek setting. There is even base-building, a fundamental for the genre.
Time for cyberpunk-themed game number two on the list. I have played the demo of Project Haven many times, and from my time with it, the future is looking bright. If you want simulated projectiles and cover that actually matters more than just being a defense number this is the game to pick. The combat is pretty slow, but oh-so satisfying on an autistic level.
King Arthur: Legion IX is out soon, and I mean imminent release. Under ten days from when this article is written. It’s a stand-alone expansion for King Arthur: Knight’s Tale, a game I wasn’t sold on hundred percent. However, it wasn’t unredeemable bad or anything like that, so the expansion is well worth a place on the list. More X-com games are always a good thing, and fighting as undead Roman legionaries is not exactly a common theme in the genre. So, that’s going to be interesting.
Here we have another game that is out soon. Three more weeks until release from the date of this article. Crown Wars: The Black Prince seems to take a more modern X-com approach, in the style of Xcom 2. But that doesn’t matter, as both turn-based combat systems have their positives and negatives, and are above all entertaining. A medieval-themed X-com-like is not something to scuff at regardless, especially for a game lacking monsters. A realistic take on the theme is most welcomed. I just hope it will be good!
Here we got a game with some serious hype behind it, well, at least from a personal perspective. Menace is the new game from the developers of Battle Brothers. Battle Brothers is a fantastic tactical game where you run your own mercenary company in the style of the novel The Black Company. However, in Menace they have ditched the medieval age for science fiction, set in a mutant horror-infested future filled with strife. I’m excited since sci-fi horror is something I hold dear. The systems will not be the same as Battle Brothers. Instead of managing individual units, you now equip and level up platoons, which is an indication of the larger scale of the battles. Menace will be released in early access.
Here is a game that follows the X-com style of game to a tee. In Every Day We Fight you will be doing battle against aliens invading Earth. A very classic theme indeed. What sets this far apart from the original X-com is the scale. It seems to be concentrated on a neighborhood block instead of saving the whole world from nasty green men. There are more differences, of course. The game seems to also involve time shenanigans, and the combat leans towards nuXcom in its approach. There was a demo released at one point, but sadly I never got to try it before it was removed. Going by the videos released, it does look promising.
It’s time to go to the red planet and go full Total Recall. In Mars Tactics you will either battle the rebels as the Capital army or fight the ruthless corporations as the Labor revolutionaries. The tactical turn-based combat is absolutely brutal and very deadly. When I tried the demo, I got my ass handed to me on a platter on more than one occasion. What made the demo stand out beyond the incredibly cool setting, is the classic action point system with fully destructible environments. That is not all, as it seems to incorporate a light 4X approach to the gameplay. You must conquer and hold important positions on the map to win. Looking forward to it, even if I’m afraid my time with it will be a lesson in humiliation. Yes, it was that hard!
The world is once again messed up. In Interregnum: False Prophet an alien mind virus has killed off ninety percent of the population and thrown the world into an eternal ice age. Sounds pleasant, right? Well, this doesn’t excuse humanity from killing each other. In this game, you will have to fight off other survivors and keep your base of operations, aka the caravan functional. Sounds pretty X-com to me. I played the demo when that was available, and I found the turn-based combat enjoyable. Beyond that, the setting is just cool and spooky.
Games with a more unclear release year, yet lean towards 2024
Oh, man. I have been waiting for Urban Strife seemingly for years now. My first interview for the site was made with the developers of this game, and that was two years ago. That’s a long time to suffer to be able to once again pop zombie heads. But as the saying goes – good things come to those who wait. Sadly, the release date is still up in the air, however, they recently started to do developer updates. So, that’s a good sign. The demo that was released a while back was great, with good combat, and atmosphere. I can only imagine what the game feels like now. Let’s hope it’s improved, and that Urban Strife becomes a new zombie survival classic and finally takes over after Dead State as the supreme zombie survival experience.
Archrebel Tactics is another game with uncertain release date. However, I believe from the footage I have seen that it will be a 2024 release, or at least I hope it will be. Archrebel Tactics is inspired by the old 1986 game Rebelstar. A title I have no experience with, but according to what I have read about Archrebel Tactics, it also takes heavy inspiration from the original X-com. That is good enough for me. Turn-based tactical combat with marines battling vicious robots and other creatures from the depths of space is always a huge win in my book.
Another cyberpunk game. Sure, why the hell not? It’s an awesome setting that fits the genre like a glove. Twilight Wars skips the top-down viewpoint and instead copies the style from Darkest Dungeon where you view your augmented agents from the side. Nevertheless, the combat will still be tactical, and you still have a base to take care off and upgrade. Unfortunately, the release date is unknown, but I think I read somewhere that it’s scheduled for a 2024 release. Don’t quote me on that though. They do have a demo out, ready for download, unlike many of the other games on this list. So, that’s something.
Games already released for 2024
Classified: France ’44 is the only game making the list of titles already out. I have not actually played this one, but going by the good reviews, and footage shown, I really should. It looks pretty fun. As you might suspect going by the title, this game takes place during World War II. If it’s not aliens or robots, German soldiers are a sure bet when it comes to turn-based tactical games. Vive la France!
And there we are. That’s all of them. If even half of them, including the one game released already comes out, it will be a busy remaining months of 2024. I have never seen a year this tight with releases in the X-com genre before. It tells me the future is looking bright for the genre because this can’t be coincidence only. Man, I remember back a few years, and as most you could hope for maybe one game in the genre each third year or so. The times were dire, but then came the retelling of X-com in the form of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which revitalized the genre. Thank the lord for that. Even if you don’t like that form of turn-based tactical combat, it did good for the genre overall. Well, that’s all from me. See you on the battlefield, probably fighting some kind of alien.
Thanks for reading.
The formatting looks better on my site, but this will have to do. Anyway, I have never seen a year packed like this before.
You can say that I'm excited for the coming months. I probably missed some games also, which would make the number even higher.
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