A new Phoenix Point mod for the XCOM-style strategy game hopes to provide a full overhaul in the vein of XCOM: Long War that focuses on Lovecraft style horror themes. The Phoenix Point: Terror from the Void mod evokes the spirit of a 1995 standalone expansion to the classic game XCOM: UFO Defense called Terror from the Deep.
Terror from the Void features a story rework along with new characters, fresh dialogue choices, rewritten texts, and new rewards. Of course, you’ll be going up against plenty of new foes – from regular enemies to deadly bosses, along with a range of new tactical modifiers that can change encounters. To help you out is a complete overhaul to player classes, along with a full rebalance to weapons, items, and skills.
Of course, with Lovecraftian themes a stated inspiration, it’s no surprise that paranoia and madness are strong emphases in the Terror from the Void. The mod reintroduces Oneiric Delirium, a mechanic that was previously represented by an index functioning as the game’s ‘doomsday clock’ signalling the Pandorans’ win condition, which was removed from the base game in its 1.6 update.
Factions will react to your actions and can become concerned that you may not be here to defend them after all. Infected soldiers will begin to see monsters, and dead soldiers can return with horrific infection-driven transformations, meaning that you might even encounter your fallen comrades on the battlefield returned as Pandoran monstrosities.
You can choose how to approach the infection – do you want to employ bionic soldiers, who are immune to its effects, or do you want to embrace the potential of the alien forces and mutate your own soldiers to make them even stronger? Experimental mutagens can afflict your troops with unique conditions that may grant them new abilities but can impact their effectiveness in other areas.
Terror from the Void promises to be “highly configurable” with the developers stating that “if you don’t like something, you can turn it off.” However, they promise plenty of challenge for those who want it, claiming a “Legend difficulty worthy of its name” for the most experienced Phoenix Point veterans and those who truly wish to embrace the terror.
Phoenix Point: Terror from the Void entered open beta on October 7, with the team saying that players should “expect bugs and balance issues” in the initial release. You can download it on Steam, but do note that it requires all of the Phoenix Point DLC to play. You can check out the trailer below:
If you’re looking for more to play, why not check out our picks of the best tactical RPGs on PC, or perhaps the best turn-based strategy games? We’ve also got news on the Marvel’s Midnight Suns release date – developer Firaxis games promises that XCOM “absolutely” has a future, but explains that they couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to develop a game in the Marvel universe.