A refreshing mix of old and new, oddly enough it's an enjoyable chapter of the XCOM franchise.
I was skeptical about the new breach mechanic, and halfway through I realized it was about avoiding the 200 turns wasted in moving and overwatch spam in order NOT TO BE ASSAULTED FROM NOWHERE. And it works, it's an interesting strategic move to arrange your squad in a certain way.
Pros:
Gameplay is to the core still the same, possibly a bit more "personal" since every unit is unique and NOT expendable.
The variety is mostly there, in essence it does feel like a good XCOM game, especially when you kit your units for the infiltration with some intel on what to expect on the mission.
Factions feel thematic and coherent, perhaps a bit too coherent, mechanic units are mostly unused in 2/3 of the campaign and the only hacker in the group is left with not much to do.
The combinations are quite fun to use, and they don't ALWAYS work the same way, forcing you to improvise the tiny bit to keep you on your toes. And still misclick. And waste a turn or two.
The game has a sassy snake girl called Torque. It's a big plus.
Cons:
It's... clunky in the new mix they tried to add with the contraband, requiring tons of intel in the early game that makes it unusable until mid game at least.
Kits feel clunky, but at least they offer a good variety, especially when you train your soldiers to unlock their full potential.
There's no elerium hyper soldier program to give them superpowers, a shame, or no spider suits and the like... I would have loved alternative breaching points thanks to those, but I can understand the limitations.
In a few moments there's an IMMENSE spike in difficulty, like in the mission in the subway against the holy shell or how the name was. It was the only time I had LOST any units beforehand and I was forced to use a robot. Too many enemies, too overcrowded, I had to stand my ground and restart the mission.
Robots suck, too much investment for too little reward.
Getting a trauma can cripple your squad, which is understandable, but if it happens on the wrong unit like Terminal you can kiss your heals goodbye.
Weird finale, ends on a cliffhanger for another sequel? In general it seems hastly wrapped up during the last few missions.
In general it's an excellent turn of events, unpolished in a few ways, but enjoyable.
I played on normal with no odd modifiers, I'm not that much of a masochist.
80/100
