Wasteland 3 Preview

InXile Entertainment’s post-apocalyptic RPG Wasteland 3 is set to launch sometime next year. Those of you curious about the game’s prospects, should check out this Windows Central preview based on Wasteland 3’s alpha demo that comes to a conclusion that right now the game has every chance of becoming something “fans of classic CRPGs will adore.” The preview also features roughly 50 minutes of gameplay footage, so let’s start with that:

And then check out a text excerpt:

Speaking of bloody chunks, Wasteland 3 upgrades the combat flow over Wasteland 2 in a few ways, which may help it find new audiences without alienating those who want deep, tactical play.

In Wasteland 2, enemies would execute their turns one after the other, which could be particularly monotonous if you were fighting multiple mobs. Some of Wasteland 2’s enemies were just painfully slow by the nature of their typing. Giant maggots, for example, would very, very slowly slide their way over to you, before dishing out some (grotesque) attacks.

In Wasteland 3, the entire enemy team takes their turn together simultaneously, which puts command back into your hands far more rapidly than the previous game. It also makes everything feel more action-packed, without losing the tactical slant the genre is known and appreciated for.

The demo gives you a party of four preset characters to play around with. The precision targeting system returns from previous Wasteland games, although it has been given a makeover, resembling something close to Fallout’s V.A.T.S. system. A successful shot to the head or limbs can produce a range of tactically crucial debuffs, albeit in exchange for a higher chance of missing. If you’re able to execute an enemy this way, it can be particularly spectacular, too.