UFO: Aftershock

Lore & Background

UFO: Aftershock is set in a post-apocalyptic 2050, after the events of UFO: Aftermath. The game assumes that the player took up the Reticulans' offer of resettling the most able of humanity in a space station, while allowing the rest to die, consumed by the Biomass that the Reticulans could not control. (In the first game the player could reject their offer and save Earth while defending against both the Reticulans and the Biomass.) Having lost contact with Earth, the player must find out what happened.

The combat section uses a real-time system with adjustable speed and a pause option, improved from the previous game with added features such as multilevel battlefields and accessible buildings, but lacking some previous features such as destructible terrain. The strategic section holds resource and squad management, research, development, some limited diplomacy, and planning of attacks. As a departure from both the X-COM series and the prequel, there is no air-to-air interception.

The game was released in Europe on 21 October 2005 and in North America on 23 November 2005. It is protected by the controversial StarForce copy protection software on all store-sold copies. It was re-released by GOG.com without any copy protection. An Xbox version was planned for Europe but cancelled. The publisher granted a license to the Czech company Redboss Games, which created a mobile version.

Reader's Guide

UFO: Aftershock received mixed critical reviews upon release and is notoriously buggy even after several released patches. Its significance lies in continuing the UFO series after UFO: Aftermath, while introducing multilevel battlefields and accessible buildings, though it removed destructible terrain and air-to-air interception. The game's use of StarForce copy protection was controversial, and its later DRM-free re-release on GOG.com marked a shift in distribution. A sequel, UFO: Afterlight, was released in 2007, executing the same concept on Mars. The game's legacy is tied to its role as a middle entry in the trilogy, bridging the events of Aftermath and Afterlight, and its attempt to blend real-time squad combat with strategic management in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting.

Did You Know?

• The game uses StarForce copy protection on store-sold copies, but was re-released without it on GOG.com.
• An Xbox version was planned for Europe but cancelled; a mobile version was created by Redboss Games.
• The game assumes the player accepted the Reticulans' offer in the previous game, though the player could have rejected it.