The Bureau: XCOM Declassified review

2012’s XCOM: Enemy Unknown by Firaxis and 2K games was a welcome treat for fans of the originals, and perhaps a good primer for the release of The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (henceforth known as The Bureau).

But be warned; this is a blend of third person action and strategy, and not a turn-based strategy like the original. However, it isn’t totally betraying its forerunner and it offers a refreshing twist on the banal alien shooter.

The first thing I noticed was that this game asks you to use your brains. The Bureau asks you to behave like a third person gamer while adapting to a RTS world of skills, classes, and strategizing.

You get far more than the average alien shoot-em-up and developer 2K Marin has clearly put a lot of effort into making sure that the mechanics and storyline sit well above par.

The game is set in 1962 and kicks off with lots of lovely explosions and shouting and strange noises. Alien forms lurk and dribble in the corner of your gaming eye and the dialogue fills you with urgency and fear. You must save the world. You must do it now. No, you can’t pause and get another beer. Don’t be ridiculous…

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

You progress through the stages in a very linear fashion. Do not expect the vast open world vistas of Far Cry, but don’t think that there isn’t something to appreciate in this linear simplicity.

Here you are given control over squaddies, people that you collect as you progress. You can enter into strategy mode to plan their deployment, how they will interact with the enemy and what weapons they will use to do so. I have had my men sneak up on turrets, scream their way into a messy gunfight, and hold a position until I’ve saved the day.

At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about this constant slip from the roar of action to painstaking strategizing and planning. If you aren’t interested in strategy windows and deployments you can opt for keyboard shortcuts that have your squaddies haring into battle and out again ad nauseam, but something of the joy is lost in this translation.

It may be initially frustrating, but as you become more au fait the mechanics, the game is transformed into a beguiling creature that has you challenging yourself as you progress. Each time you push to see if you can do it better, kill more efficiently and make better use of the squaddie skill and class sets.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

The blend of RPG with third person may not be unique but it is neatly done. On top of stackable actions and skill trees and the thrill of styling up your own squaddies, you can also upgrade Agent Carter (that’s you) and play around with some nifty weapons that are both from the era and the aliens themselves. It’s a sweet juxtaposition of futuristic and historic.

The Bureau will likely draw the crowds from the first title even though the genre has undergone a radical shift. The focus on strategic gameplay will keep fans happy while the third person shooter and edgy design will grab gamers by the (cough) controls.

Mechanics are sweet and gameplay smooth, the score is rich and the storyline above average. This here is a game that is worth full price in-store and that is probably the best accolade a reviewer can give with today’s exchange rate.