XCOM: Enemy Unknown iOS Review

There was never any real doubt that 2012’s turn-based strategy darling XCOM: Enemy Unknown would be a good fit for iOS. Its isometric battlefields, uncomplicated menu-driven controls, and methodical turn-based pace all practically screamed for a touch-based interface. The only question was what it would look like once it got there — and now that it's about to hit the App Store tomorrow, we can say it’s lost impressively little in the translation.

Part tactics game, part management sim, XCOM tasks you with running a secret multinational agency, whose mission is to fight off what will eventually become a full-bore invasion of Earth. Your time is split between running things behind the scenes — i.e. building up your underground base, directing R&D, and trying to scrounge money to keep the lights on — and directing squads of operatives in the field against increasingly tough and bizarre alien threats. It’s long, it’s involving, and it’s tense, as your enemies lurk in the darkness, obscured by a fog of war. It can also be surprisingly emotional; as your fragile soldiers survive battles and grow in ability, you may find yourself projecting personalities onto them, or customizing them to look like friends or family — which makes it all the more wrenching if you pull a boneheaded move and get them killed.

XCOM doesn’t look anywhere near as good on iPad as XCOM: Enemy Unknown Elite Edition does on Mac, but that’s not surprising. It’s also lost some of the battlefield animations and brief combat cutscenes that popped up in the original — and while we’ll miss the satisfying “kill cam” close-ups of our soldiers as they successfully gun down an alien, it’s nice to not have to waste seconds watching the same canned alien animations whenever you find their hiding places. Also, some of the game’s numerous maps had to be cut to bring down its size — which still weighs in at a hefty 3.2 GB. Finally, the competitive multiplayer mode is missing, although we're told it'll be added in a later update.

That aside, however, XCOM made it onto iOS unscathed. Everything, from the researchable alien gadgets and multi-tiered battlefields to the advanced alien horrors and diverse difficulty options, is present, and now it’s complemented by a beautifully intuitive touch interface that lets you tap soldiers to switch between them, pinch to zoom in or out of the map, and rotate your view with two fingers. Even the story cutscene videos made it in with no sacrifices (although it’s worth pointing out that the title-screen intro movie, which plays on every startup and covers up a pretty lengthy loading event, can’t be skipped until it’s nearly over). As a mobile game, XCOM is an impressive feat, even if it had to trim down a little to squeeze onto iOS.

The bottom line. Casual fans might balk at the huge download or $20 price tag, but for serious gamers and strategy fans, the lure of a near-perfect portable XCOM may be irresistible.