XCOM: Chimera Squad is a fast-paced and exciting strategy game, a worthwhile component to Firaxis Games' overall vision of their version of XCOM, and it may not be the game you think it is.

As a sequel to the finale of XCOM 2, this game introduces a post-alien-invasion society where humans mingle with aliens in a city built back up with futuristic space-tech. Of course, tensions arise, and you as the player must take control of an elite special forces group comprising a mix of unique human and alien agents, each with their own special abilities. Tactically deploy them on missions to address threats across the city while keeping the civilian population as calm as possible, and at the same time uncovering the truth of a city-wide conspiracy.

Visually and game-structurally, Chimera Squad will be very familiar to those who have played Firaxis Games' first two XCOMs, but at the same time, there are also certain key differences (which you might notice has raised the ire of a few other reviewers out there).

One crucial change is the agents you control, who are now no longer randomized, but rather pre-designed characters with specific individual skill-trees and voice-lines. They cannot die permanently (although they can be scarred, which affects their stats), and all agents being downed in a mission means an automatic game over. Missions themselves (and the maps they are set in) are now smaller, sometimes separated into segments that the agents travel to through the new Breach mode.

There are quite a few other changes to list, but essentially, Chimera Squad is a redesign of the Firaxis XCOM formula to make a shorter but punchier game. Tastes may vary, but personally I quite enjoy this installment's faster pace too. The cinematic shots are also here, adding a special flavor of action-packed to the new Breach mode and turning the short but frequent missions into bursts of tense excitement. On top of that, I was also delighted with the writing and voice-acting of the agents. Many of them bring colorful personalities to the field, showcased in many ways including between-mission conversations that occur while you strategize. These are largely just flavor text, but they help give this game the entertaining feel of a futuristic police sitcom.

From start to finish, Chimera Squad was a sensational episode in Firaxis' XCOM saga. Compressed in a sense, but I dare say that helps it to appeal to players outside of the strategy genre and perhaps to those with shorter attention spans. Definitely recommending this to friends who enjoy tactical challenges, as well as folks who'd want to know what an alien cop show would be like.

The writing and voice acting is atrocious. The turn order is innovative but I don't like it. Play the XCOM 2 legacy missions instead if you want short missions.

Just finished the game

Pros
-Breach is a nice mechanic would have actually made Xcom2's base assault missions a lot better.
-Control aliens, something I've always wanted from xcom
-Less Xcom's trademark BS: 95% hits 95% of the time here and it feels right.
-More early and later stringency of resources and area management then X2

Cons
-Breach being in every mission quickly makes it suck and creates a general lack of mission variety
-Tiny maps, small as hell, no multistory (3+)buildings anymore
-Boring bad guy, each of the three main factions were infinitely more interesting then the bbeg and they really weren't
-Timeline is a mess, 5 years after xcoms 2 and things are all fine? That's just plain stupid. In a game of space creatures, high tech weapons and space magic; this is the single most unbelievable thing.
-Writing is just awful, some of the voice acting was horrendous, few of the characters were actually interesting
-No real innovation, most of the enemies just feel like left over scraps from 2 or rehashing the same enemies
-Simultaneously too easy and horrendously unbalanced; I like xcom but I know I'm not the best by far, but most missions were a cakewalk, with the exception of the sacred coil fight at the end, as my first investigation WhoTF thought that was appropriate as a final fight for a barely levelled squad, the other two factions were so boring. The ronin can go straight to hell.
-Psionics suck, they just are kinda boring, basic and just don't do anything important.
-The new abilities also suck, the old abilities were much better and you knew that making it because they got locked behind weapons
-WTF did you do to the mutons? They look like worm people with down syndrome
-short campaign
-no stealth
-No cool armour suits
-no sniper
-Can't even use all the character's in one play through
-No custom made character; whotf am I to these people? i was the commander, controlling the units in the previous games? what am I here? A robot, the commander? Kelly?
-Same crappy Ai
-Glitchy
-Various other things I'm probably forgetting

To summarize; this isn't an xcom game, it's a game made to resemble xcom but it doesn't play like xcom, it doesn't look like xcom, it doesn't feel like xcom. It has the tagline but none of the character. If this was just something called Alien cops or something, this game would be 5-6.5/10 but with the xcom tagline, and thus bringing with it the expectations; 2-2.5/10