Swedish developer The Bearded Ladies took us by surprise late last week with the reveal of a new game known as Corruption 2029. The upcoming title looks highly reminiscent of the company’s previous project, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. The Bearded Ladies seem to have been working on the game for some time as its release date is just around the corner.
In a day and age when games are repeatedly teased years before release, it’s somewhat refreshing to see a game launching out of the blue like this. What’s less refreshing, however, is the game itself. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Corruption 2029 looks like a reskin of Mutant: Year Zero. That can be either a good or a bad thing depending on how much you like the post-apocalyptic turn-based tactics game. That said, it probably won’t have nearly as much content.
This time around, the company is replacing anthropomorphic animals with super soldiers and a dystopian setting. Corruption 2029 takes place in near-future version of America where much of the population seems to be turning into zombie-like creatures. We don’t know why this is happening but we do know that you and your squad of futuristic soldiers are the only ones who can put a stop to it. Naturally.
Not Quite XCOM 3
At first glance, Corruption 2029 seems to draw quite a bit of inspiration from XCOM 2, especially in terms of aesthetics. However, the reveal trailer makes it clear that this is a more stealth-focused game in the vein of Mutant: Year Zero. Aside from its unique cast of characters, the emphasis on stealth was arguably the main selling of the company’s previous title. Corruption 2029 brings back the stealth mechanics but I don’t think that’s going to be enough this time.
Based on what we’ve seen in the trailer, this is a fairly generic tactics game with a run-of-the-mill setting. You’ve got mysterious soldiers with angular helmets, drones, flamethrowers, mindless zombies, and cheesy one-liners. The whole nine yards. Honestly, the only interesting thing about the trailer is the sick drum ‘n’ bass track playing in the background, which makes the combat look more action-packed than it really is. Playing the trailer without sound is an absolute snore-fest.
The other thing that stands out about the trailer is the dreaded logo found at the end – “Epic Games Store.” Yes indeed, yet another EGS exclusive. Coincidentally, Phoenix Point, another XCOM-like game, also released exclusively on the Epic Games Store a few months back and people weren’t too excited about that one either. Now, Phoenix Point was actually a pretty decent, albeit janky, turn-based tactics game so I won’t be too hard on it. Corruption 2029, on the other hand, looks like just another cash grab meant to bolster the lackluster selection of games found on Epic’s outdated marketplace.
Having said all that, Corruption 2029 does have one saving grace. The game will apparently only cost $20 or your regional equivalent. Corruption 2029 is set to launch on February 17th.
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