Paul Kilduff-Taylor, Co-founder of Mode 7, today released an insight into the Incursion system of the upcoming Frozen Synapse 2 via both the above trailer and a dev diary published [to medium.com]. During both he cites XCOM Apocalypse as an inspiration for this second outing, specifically the need to balance the issues of the cities internal conflicts with a greater encroaching danger.
Previous insights into the game through interviews and event coverage have shown off the procedural generation of each of the levels, and touched on the need to maintain a cash flow in order to keep your squads active and numerous – however I personally had not heard of a greater, escalating threat until this update.
As any XCOM players will know, the idea of a force increasingly becoming more dangerous and deadly regardless of player interference can serve as a very powerful narrative tool, and one that requires few structured missions to guide the way. That said, Paul spends a while talking about major incursions, “which are largely hand-crafted, with a specific enemy unit composition” which “will allow us to do some narrative stuff as well as some scripted enemy behaviours.”
Frozen Synapse 2 is currently in a late alpha state, with the developer indicating in s previous interview [with Game Reactor] that they are hoping to release a Beta within a few months with which they can further tailor the game based on player feedback.
For those interested in staying up to date with the game (and being drowned in memes) you can follow Mode 7’s twitter account @mode7games
