The people reviewing this game claiming it's a "masterpiece" are either literal children or don't speak English as a first language and have serious issues with their vision in general. The art and gameplay are like something from a 2003 flash game on newgrounds (one of the bad ones) and the writing is so bad not even a key could unlock its potential. Did that sound idiotic? It should have, because I lifted it from that shitty game. If you want something to laugh at or if you want to buy a gift for someone you hate, I guess you could buy this on sale.
I have this game on Steam and sank hundreds of hours into it. If you loved the original X-Com and thought the sequels were a garish on-rails mess of hand-holding then this is the game for you. Ignore all the other bug-ridden attempts at a spiritual successor, this is it. It even gets the spirit of the original aesthetic right, which, coincidentally, is something the "true" sequels could not manage. You actually feel as if you're against impossible odds, and as if you have total control over the X-Com (or in this case Xenonauts) project. This is the X-Com-like to buy. Ignore all else.
This game is easily one of the best ever made, for any platform, in the history of gaming. That said, this version of the game is garbage relative to the FREE version that has fewer bugs, the original voiceovers, and in some cases, an optional HD graphical overhaul. The free version is based on the source code that the devs released years ago. Many space RPG games that kids like these days can likely trace its lineage back to this game. Even Mass Effect arguably draws some of its mechanics from this game. This game, however, does those mechanics better, and more importantly, it does the writing better. Vastly better. The alien species in this game have more character and are more interesting and fun than the alien species in literally all AAA space games in the past 20 years. This game is something you must experience if you take gaming at all seriously as a hobby. Leave the children to their boring "gamer" trash and pick up this timeless title for free. Just google ur quan masters. It's insane that anyone would be selling this.
Do you like the HOMM series? Then you'll probably enjoy its tactically simpler cousin, Disciples. What it cuts in battlefield tactics it makes up for in overworld tactics and art style. Most importantly, however, this game actually RUNS, unlike the Disciples games being sold at a certain other unnamed vendor. Buy your classics from GOG. They, at least, guarantee that they'll run or your money back.
