First released for DOS and Windows 3 back in 1994, the XCOM series is one of the best-loved tactical shooters in the history of gaming. Originally somewhat inscrutable due to crushing difficulty, the game’s reimagining with 2012’s XCOM: Enemy Unknown was met with universal acclaim. Followed by a popular sequel in XCOM 2, the series has proven one of the industry’s most influential, at least until now.
With the launch of the mobile XCOM Legends game, fans are left scratching their heads, and wondering why developer Iridium Starfish saw fit to release what many already consider a stain on the series’ legacy. So, what does it do wrong, and how could other series avoid this problem in the future?
A Legendary Disappointment
Certain key elements make up the best XCOM games so far. These include turn-based tactics, explorable maps, and base management. XCOM Legends, apparently not having got the memo, includes none of these things. Instead, what players have been treated to is an automatic and linear encounter system, backed by the gacha-style character collection that has become standard and often derided on mobile ports. Rather than a love letter to fans, this game seems content to head towards cash-grab territory, and players aren’t happy.
“XCOM-6” (Public Domain) by crpgbook
Finding Footing for a Port
The concept of moving a major PC and console game series to mobile systems isn’t a new one, but it is a concept flooded with poor decisions and lacklustre attempts. According to popular opinion, some other famous series to have made similarly disappointing leaps to mobile systems include Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, and even the Konami classic Silent Scope. Even though some of these went to dedicated handheld devices, their ports all suffered similar problems, generally tied to poor performance and control.
Performance and control are the two most important factors for many gamers and, frustratingly, they’re issues that can be overcome with the right approach. Perhaps the best illustration of this idea comes from online casino titles such as online slots. Originally developed on PC, these games use streamlined controls and performant HTML programming to deliver titles like Midnight in Tokyo, Pet Pay Day, and Mystic Staxx. Each of these plays just as well over desktop and mobile, creating a much healthier industry environment overall.
On mobile phones, it’s only natural that more complicated and fast-paced titles would be held back by the issues that bingo overcomes. An FPS game, for example, will tend to stress the mobile platform and be difficult to control. Therein lies the big problem with XCOM, in that these issues for the game should not apply.
XCOM doesn’t require fast reflexes, so control on mobile shouldn’t be a problem. It’s also not visually demanding, so performance concerns should also be minor. In other words, a straight delivery of the best elements that made XCOM popular is easily possible, yet Legends went in the complete opposite direction. It didn’t just make a bad game, it made a bad game when a good game was easily achievable.
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Ultimately, the reason why Legends failed has to be the result of market research. Rather than lean into what made the series great, the developer was likely pressured by notorious publisher 2K to deliver something in the same vein as the other current big mobile games. In doing so they might find temporary financial success, but only at the cost of confidence in the series as a whole. It’s not a great situation, but at least XCOM fans still have the better titles to fall back on.
