Xenonauts

 PC
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. Hooked Gamers
    Jul 2, 2014
    90
    Taking everything into consideration, it's safe to say that Xenonauts is a must play for any fan of turn based strategy games, as it is one that I'll be playing for some time to come.
  2. Ragequit.gr
    Jul 11, 2014
    86
    Whether you're a fan of the old X-COM/UFO games and you were not covered by the streamlined version of Firaxis either you adored the recent XCOM: EU and you are looking for something in the same style, but with more gameplay depth, then Xenonauts must go directly to your "to-buy-list".
  3. GameOver.gr
    Aug 27, 2014
    85
    The X-Com sequel we all have been waiting for.
  5. IGN Italia
    Jul 6, 2014
    85
    Xenonauts is the best possible tribute to an evergreen masterpiece like the original X-Com.
  6. Multiplayer.it
    Jul 2, 2014
    85
    Many software houses tried to follow the path of X-Com. Goldhawk Interactive is the first one that managed to do it.
  7. Gamer.nl
    Jun 27, 2014
    85
    While XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) is a modern twist on the game UFO: Enemy Unknown (1994), Xenonauts is an exact copy of the classic that was released in 1994 – and that, we're happy about! Although the game looks much simpler than XCOM in terms of graphics, by remaining faithful to the original it is a lot more challenging and profound than the XCOM reboot. Unfortunately, faithful also means that it contains few original features. Nevertheless, it is a strong turn-based strategy title that mainly evokes a lot of nostalgic feelings.
  8. PC Gamer
    Jun 23, 2014
    85
    With deep strategic systems, omnipresent dread, and clean turn-based combat, Xenonauts is a triumph of rebooted game design.
  9. Pelit (Finland)
    Jan 21, 2015
    84
    If you wish to dethrone the Eternal Emperor of computer gaming, you can't have gaping holes in your armor, and thanks to the repeating and completely flat terrains as well as some balancing issues, that's precisely what Xenonauts has. However, in many other ways this is the best UFO-game thus far and thanks to modability and an active community, we just might be witnessing the birth of a legend. [Jan 2015]
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  10. Games Master UK
    Aug 24, 2014
    84
    A true X-COM successor, its tactical depth will engross anyone up for the challenge. [Oct 2014, p.72]
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  11. Softpedia
    Aug 6, 2014
    80
    The tactical squad-based combat is engaging and has plenty of depth, although there are moments when it also feels a little too long and the various human soldiers seem much too dumb to be the first line of defense against an alien invasion.
  12. Eurogamer Italy
    Jul 17, 2014
    80
    An ode to the strategy genre and a tribute to UFO: Enemy Unknown, Xenonauts takes all the best characteristic from his spiritual father and makes some little and very much welcome changes.
  13. GameSpot
    Jul 2, 2014
    80
    Xenonauts is an unlikely success, a challenging clone of a beloved classic with enough tweaks to entice fans and newcomers alike.
  14. GameWatcher
    Jun 20, 2014
    80
    Xenonauts is a faithful modernization of a classic. It retains the features that made X-COM such a tense and memorable game, with base invasions and a gigantic open-ended campaign of depth and freedom. If Firaxis' revamped take on the series felt a little too directed and linear for you, then Xenonauts is likely to delight.
  15. Gameblog.fr
    Jun 17, 2014
    80
    Mission accomplished for Xenonauts, who brings to the modern world all the refinement and gameplay depth of the original XCOM game.
  16. IGN
    Aug 6, 2014
    78
    It may be the closest thing to X-COM: UFO Defense we’ve seen in 20 years, but its frustrations make it tougher to recommend than it should be.
  17. CD-Action
    Oct 22, 2014
    70
    A worthy tribute to UFO: Enemy Unknown/X-COM: UFO Defense, but far from perfect. If you feel that your inner hard core gamer is not dead yet, give it a try and have fun. [Sept 2014, p.64]
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  18. Riot Pixels
    Aug 27, 2014
    70
    Retro looks can only get you so far, and in the case of Xenonauts, the longer you play it, the more annoying things you discover. A primitive leveling up system (there are no classes or special abilities), contrived combat mechanics, a moth-eaten 2D engine that doesn’t know how to rotate or zoom. In the end, the strategic part becomes much more interesting than tactical battles.
  19. Everyeye.it
    Aug 6, 2014
    70
    Xenonauts is, in the end, a remake of the original UFO: Enemy Unknown. It has this retro-feeling and an old-school complexity: enough to please those who didn't appreciate the (solid) 2K remake.
  20. Eurogamer
    Jul 3, 2014
    70
    Xenonauts knows exactly who its audience is, exactly what it's aiming for and, while it may never achieve a wider appeal, it will capture that audience in a very familiar act of alien abduction.
  21. Games.cz
    Jun 25, 2014
    70
    A tough turn-based strategy game with first-rate AI and well-executed level-design that suffers from a number of tiny technical issues, map repeating and a research tree that is not branched enough. If you get over its problems, in company with Xenonauts you will enjoy plenty of hardcore entertainment, however, do not be expecting strategic nirvana.
  22. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Aug 25, 2014
    40
    The road to this borefest was paved by good intentions: building on a classic wasn't a bad idea, not improving on it is an opportunity sorely missed. [Issue#244]
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Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Best PC Game of 2011
82
#82 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
51
#51 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 196 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 140 out of 196
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 196
  3. Negative: 24 out of 196
  1. Sghignifiss
    Jun 16, 2014
    10
    Here we are, finally writing the proper review for this game. I've decided to wait for the final version before writing anything about itHere we are, finally writing the proper review for this game. I've decided to wait for the final version before writing anything about it because despite the long time it took to be finished, it really deserves to be evaluated in its final shape.

    First thing first, I must say there are lots of x-com remakes out there. Since I'm one of the few lucky players that have played (and loved, despite I was just a kid) the original series the time it was released, it is well-known that all later remakes never really succeed to reach the quality (or even the game type) of the original. X-Com: Enemy Unknown and its successors were a very complex but still very engaging type of game. None of the later versions was as deep as the old ones, and this is plain truth.

    Xenonauts is just another remake, but this time it is the right one. It is clear that the developers have vastly played the old series and have absorbed the real nature of it. Everything here is in place and working, something (aka aerial fights, just to tell one) is even better than the original, if it could be possible!

    Now that I'm grown up and I understand what tactics mean, playing this game make me desire to come back in time and play the old series the way I'm playing Xenonauts now. It's really a lot of fun. My love to the old series is even bigger now, thanks to Xenonauts and its incredible fidelity to the original game.

    The game itself is really well done, in mostly every aspect. It does give you the right sensation of alien invasion, it is really hard to manage every ufo in sight and succeed. Aerial fights are often quite difficult but entertaining (only con: waiting time during retreat). Ground combat is simply great, the AI is sufficiently smart to even surprise you, sometimes, and that's really appreciated for a game like this. Base management is quite intricate due to a menu system I really do not love that much, but it is still playable without great difficulty.

    For me is a plain 10/10 also considering it is and indie game. Absolute try for every fan of the old series.    … Full Review »
  2. iseeall
    Nov 22, 2014
    7
    This remake of XCom is the closest one to the original, yet it still changes some things, and the changes are a mix of good and bad.

    The    This remake of XCom is the closest one to the original, yet it still changes some things, and the changes are a mix of good and bad.

    The good:

    - music is excellent
    - excellent writing! Also, the descriptions are very logical (e.g. why invasion starts with small UFOs, why laser weapons have similar types like the ballistic ones and many other).
    - controls are much easier (especially compared to "instant scrolling" you get when playing XCom: UFO Defense, which was a DOS game, on fast modern computers - where you'd have to exit to battlefield map overview to move camera)
    - 2D air combat where you can sometimes win by manually controlling the planes even if the enemy ships were stronger and would win on autoresolve)
    - you can airstrike crash sites for smaller cash reward if your chopper is too far away
    - can see the line your shot will fly along and percentages about what things may block it!
    - shield which is a must for earlier missions.
    - graphics of the xenopedia
    - more types of terrain objects which provide partial cover (which works like it should, e.g. if you are right behind a tree, you will shoot thru it easily while it will block shots of the enemy).
    - can open/close doors without walking thru them

    The so-so things:

    - many small details where streamlined, e.g. inventory management, selling of loot, equipping interceptors, upgrades of weapons. Storage room has unlimited capacity, basic ballistic weapons cost nothing etc. They wanted to free the player from the "tedious micromanagement". Apparently, micromanaging was part of the fun.
    - the Earth is flat. It's maybe easier this way, but the 3D globe of the original with more realistic radar coverage felt better.
    - graphics of the battlefield, of the GUI, the soldiers. It feels like graphics in the 2D client of Ultima Online or something. It's still an improvement over the original, but after 23 years?!
    - almost all tactical maps are mazes, overfilled with things, which looks unrealistic and also makes sniper rifles almost useless - but well, it also helps to make more useful the weapons with shorter range
    - the game keeps the system of time units (action point) and "reflexes"/return shots just like in the original. I know some people like the old XCom system a lot but I much more prefer the JA2 system, for example, where turn-based mode only starts when solders of opposing teams see each other. This makes for much more fluent gameplay, and also a fairer one (cuz in XCom you are punished for moving forward because you always have fewer action points left than camping enemies). Besides, in JA 2 you could do anything during a turn interrupt (e.g. move away) while in XCom your solders would usually do 1 or 2 useless snap shots.
    - just like in the original, randomness of hits/misses in battle, combined with overpowered enemy shots in the beginning of the game results in a feeling that it's too much a game of luck than tactics and at some point you notice that you reload every time your soldier is killed, especially if it's your first playthru and the death was due to a rule/glich/feature you didn't know/expect.

    The bad:

    - most terrain objects now have a lot more hitpoints, so it takes much longer to destroy them, which results in very static battlefields. No more shooting wild with laser rifles or throwing grenades just to clear the view (even Alien grenades don't destroy walls, wtf!). The fact that terrain is now almost indestructible takes away a whole (interesting) piece of gameplay.
    - some interesting weapons missing (grenades with motion sensor? fire grenades/rockets? do you recall that fire actually was a light source in night missions in the original?)
    - night missions are now dull. Aliens can see in the dark, and at the same time you have an endless supply of light flares. Which means now you move even slower and throw endless light flares on every step. This doesn't make the game more interesting. In the original at least it was fun when you ran out or light flares and had to pick up those you had thrown already and throw them again.
    - throwing range of grenades is significantly shorter now, making grenades of very limited use. Oh and now grenades destroy ALL loot and the corpse itself! In the original the grenades would leave the corpse and the loot first, but more grenade explosions would wipe out the corpse first, then the loot.
    - smoke system is a joke, as well as fire system. In the original, smoke would slowly make soldiers unconscious, also there was a lot more smoke from every grenade and every fire. Fire used to spread.
    - aliens don't attack your base (haven't seen it?)
    - AI seems to always know where your soldiers are (so flanking or coming from behind is useless)
    - all soldiers have the same models which makes them feel anonymous
    - no frontal/rear/side armor, just armor
    - ufos always the same (in the original the hull could have holes, even in the roof, depending on the type of rockets you downed it with).    … Full Review »
  3. cleavland
    Jul 13, 2014
    0
    This is a truly awful game. After reading some of the reviews on here, I thought that it might not be that bad and in fact might be a goodThis is a truly awful game. After reading some of the reviews on here, I thought that it might not be that bad and in fact might be a good alternative to XCOM Enemy Unknown, but that is very incorrect.
    Cover system does not work
    Every turn is separated by a loading screen which displays only 1 image.
    Economy at a preschool level
    Extraordinarily Clunky UI
    A PDF for a tutorial
    Hidden enemy movement when INSIDE YOUR FIELD OF VIEW
    Graphics from Pokemon gold
    They should pay you to play this game (save your money!)
    Others...    … Full Review »
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