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Strategy aficionados should keep their eyes open for this game as they will likely be quite pleased with UFO: Aftershock when they get their hands on it.

It is only a couple weeks till the release of Cenega's turn-based strategy title UFO: Aftershock. We have had a chance to spend some time with a pre-release build and are here to tell you, fair reader, what to expect.



UFO: Aftershock is the direct sequel to 2003's UFO: Aftermath, but its roots actually trace back to the popular X-COM series from the 1990's. The story takes place many years after one of the possible resolutions from UFO: Aftermath and gives the player the charge of reclaiming earth. It seems that since the previous game ended, a portion of the human race was stationed in small orbiting colonies waiting for the opportune moment to return to the surface. Now is that time.



With remnants of the Reticulan threat to eliminate, as well as the ubiquitous post-apocalypse mutants, the player is kept busy from the beginning. Much of the playtime will be spent in various surface locations eradicating the enemy, although there are important things to do elsewhere.

While back at the Laputa (the orbiting base of operations) a fair amount of tactical strategy is required to keep the reclamation running smoothly. There is a large amount of building construction, information and technology research, character progression, as well as the manufacturing of equipment to tend to. Also important are the diplomatic relationships with other factions. Shrewd diplomacy can bring the support of other factions in the form of materials and recruits whereas failure in this regard only makes things harder.



Anyone who's played one of the previous games in this series will know what to expect when it comes to gameplay. The wheel has not been reinvented here, but it has been refined a little since the previous game. The combat is the normal laid back pace expected from a turn-based strategy game. No surprises here. The character development is reasonably deep and allows for the specialization of any unit with any number of skill combinations. With four characters with a range of skills, the squad can be prepared for almost anything.



The preview build we played provided only limited display adjustments. Display resolution was stuck at 1024x768 and very little control over image quality was available. Gamers should not worry as this is not how the retail version will be, but it does limit our ability to judge the graphics provided. From what we could tell this title will feature fairly standard strategy game graphics, nothing to impress your friends with, but not awful either. They are not likely to sell this game based on its visuals.



The audio department is also par for the course: the sound is decent and so is the voice acting- although the variety of speech is limited and gets repetitive on the battlefield. Nothing outstanding, but it is functional.

Overall Cenega looks to be offering another solid strategy game. The gameplay will remain the largest attraction for interested gamers with this title - and rightfully so. Strategy aficionados should keep their eyes open for this game as they will likely be quite pleased with UFO: Aftershock when they get their hands on it.


Preview by Nigel Grammar.