Fancy a Stalker_XCOM mashup that has you putting down the enemies of a tyrannical dictator_ Chains o

I have a kind of pavlovian response to the phrase 'Eastern European dystopia.' You could bark it at me in a crowded street and I'd be certain to whip my head round in complete, focused attention. So, you bet I sat bolt upright at the world premiere trailer from Chains of Freedom at The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, which promises "a thrilling turn-based tactics game set in a fictional, dystopian Eastern European state," plus "danger, deceit, and moral dilemmas." Those are all my keywords!

Chains of Freedom's trailer kicks off with the words "when the meteorite struck," and [[link]] then things just kind of get worse for its inhabitants from there. Not only did the meteorite take a big chunk out of planet Earth, it also carried a disease [[link]] with it that sent everything pear-shaped in the aftermath. We see roads crammed with burnt-out and abandoned cars, ruined infrastructure, and then the game drops the hammer: humanity's answer to this? Fascism.

It seems the human race—or at least the bit you're part of—has fallen under the sway of [[link]] a dictator in the 'really loves statues of himself' mould. It looks like you'll play a squad of his finest enforcers, decked head to toe in military gear in a turn-based campaign against "mutations, traitors, and infidels" that threaten your nation.

Does that sound like good guy stuff to you? It doesn't to me. Per the devs at Nordcurrent, the game's plot will see you "unravel a complex plot involving a rogue scientist, mind control serums, and a government teetering on the edge of collapse." Gotta wonder if maybe the rogue scientist has a point, or maybe he's the kind of evil that makes other evil look downright palatable.

Your tools to unravel the mad scientist's conspiracy are many, varied, and non-OSHA-compliant. "Outfit your squad with various weapons, ranging from meat hooks and axes to flamethrowers and mortars," says the blurb. Plus, you'll be able to do incredibly ethical upgrades to your troops through the use of "biocrystals" that lend them special abilities.

The whole Eastern European post-apocalypse vibe makes it look kind of like an XCOM/Stalker mashup, which are a couple more of my keywords, although the enemies look a bit more fantastical and crystal-studded than you might be accustomed to in either of those series. It looks like you'll be doing a lot of taking cover, planning ahead, and probably missing all your most important shots. And dying. The dying is important too.

Chains of Freedom doesn't yet have a set release date, but aims to be out in 2025. You should be able to see more of it on Steam shortly after the show.