XCOM: Enemy Within, the 2013 expansion to Firaxis’ fantastic reboot of the classic tactical strategy game of fending off alien invasion, is coming to Android and iOS on November 13, according to publisher 2K. The expanded game is a standalone app for $13 on Google Play and the iTunes App Store. It is compatible with Amazon Fire devices, select other Android devices, iPad 3, iPad mini 2, and iPhone 5 and up.
The base game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, was ported to mobile by 2K China in 2013, to great success. The turn-based tactical combat proved to be a perfect match for touch controls and on-the-go play. Enemy Within, true to Firaxis’ tradition of releasing meaty, gameplay-enhancing expansions rather than simple content dumps, added an exciting variety of new weapons, strategies, and enemies to spice up an already engrossing strategic experience.
Related: You can now get BioShock on iPad, and yes, it’s the full game
Chief among these additions is meld, a substance that can be collected by your soldiers during missions. The limited resource is used to either integrate alien biology into your soldiers through genetic modifications, or merge them with machines, turning them into cybernetic powerhouses. The meld canisters also fundamentally alter the pace of gameplay by expiring within a fixed number of rounds, encouraging faster, riskier advancement through the stages rather than the conservative style encouraged by the first game.
Publisher 2K has led the charge recently on bringing serious gaming to mobile platforms, also releasing an iOS port of Irrational Games’ first BioShock earlier this year. Which gamers’ games would you like to see go mobile?
