X-COM: Terror from the Deep
Underwater sequel to UFO: Enemy Unknown.
In 1995, MicroProse released X-COM: Terror from the Deep for PC, with a PlayStation version following in 1996. This strategy game is the sequel to UFO: Enemy Unknown and the second title in the X-COM series, relocating the fight against a fresh alien assault to the planet's oceans.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- MicroProse
- Designer
- Stephen Goss
- Producer
- Stuart Whyte
- Programmer
- Bill Barna
- Annette Bell
- Nick Thompson
- Artist
- Drew Northcott; Matthew Knott
- Writer
- Alkis Alkiviades
- Composer
- John Broomhall; Allister Brimble
- Series
- X-COM
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
X-COM: Terror from the Deep shifts the action underwater, where both base construction and combat happen beneath the waves. This setting also drives the plot: the saltwater environment renders all alien gear from the previous game useless, so players must capture and research fresh technology. Like its predecessor, the game splits into two modes. The GeoScape is a real-time global map for managing bases, hiring and firing staff, and buying or selling equipment and ammunition. The BattleScape handles turn-based, isometric squad fights between aliens and human soldiers. Underwater combat follows the same rules as land battles, though some weapons are restricted on surface missions. Certain missions now have multiple stages, such as attacks on alien shipping routes where the first stage fights on the upper decks and the second in the lower decks; soldiers lost in earlier stages do not return for later ones. Maps are more intricate, terror missions come in several varieties, and weapon magazines hold fewer rounds. Difficulty jumped sharply from UFO: Enemy Unknown, partly because players found the first game too easy—though MicroProse did not realize that a bug had locked it into Beginner mode. Melee weapons were added as a new feature, directly from player suggestions.
Plot
Terror from the Deep is set in 2040, four decades after the events of UFO: Enemy Unknown. After the destruction of the alien Brain on Cydonia, a transmitter remained active there, awakening a group of aliens under Earth's seas who had lain dormant for millions of years. These aliens terrorize seagoing vessels and port cities, kidnapping humans for genetic experiments. X-COM, disbanded after the first alien war, is revived to fight this new menace. The aquatic aliens, cousins of the Sectoids, came to Earth on a massive spacecraft called T'Leth that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico 65 million years ago, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. Destruction of T'Leth results in victory but also accidentally causes another worldwide environmental cataclysm, setting the stage for X-COM: Apocalypse.
Development and release
MicroProse wanted Mythos Games to make a sequel to UFO: Enemy Unknown in six months. Julian Gollop felt the only way to do so was to change the graphics and make minor gameplay changes. MicroProse licensed Mythos' code and their internal UK studio created Terror from the Deep within a year, while Mythos Games began developing Apocalypse. MicroProse artist Terry Greer recalled that a decision was made to use the original engine, reskin the graphics, and create a new story, keeping changes to a minimum to allow a sequel in a few months. Simultaneously with the console port, MicroProse UK began work on X-COM: Alliance. The game was originally released on 1 June 1995 for PC DOS, ported to the PlayStation in 1996, and a Windows 95 port was released in 1998 as part of the X-COM Collector's Edition. On 4 May 2007, it was distributed on Steam by 2K Games. The fan-created OpenXCom project added TFTD support, fixing bugs and programming oversights including better enemy AI.
Reception
Together with its predecessor, Terror from the Deep's sales had passed 1 million copies by March 1997. The game was received mostly very well by critics. PC Gamer UK called it not only a great sequel but a superb game in its own right. Computer Game Review awarded it a Platinum Triad score. However, GameSpot stated that apart from new art and a handful of new combat options, it was exactly the same game as UFO Defense, only much more difficult. Next Generation felt it was still a phenomenal game but seemed like a carbon copy. Julian Gollop criticized MicroProse for making the difficulty too tough and the levels too big, long, and tedious. According to Jake Solomon, lead designer of 2012's XCOM: Enemy Unknown, MicroProse did few new things except make it brutally harder and the cruise ships four times longer, yet the game was still awesome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed X-COM: Terror from the Deep?
X-COM: Terror from the Deep was designed by Stephen Goss.
Who composed the music for X-COM: Terror from the Deep?
The music for X-COM: Terror from the Deep was composed by John Broomhall and Allister Brimble.
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