Combat refined
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.
Star quality
Another way Wasteland 3 excites is in its cinematic upgrades. The voice acting, in general, feels far better, which already features an array of suitably deranged heroes and villains and everything in between.
The demo mission has you attempting to rescue a ranger squad from a dangerous "Breather" drug cult, who have turned hallucinogens into a religious rite. The breathers are as violent as they are high and have been terrorizing the locals with some gruesome results.
The area this mission takes place in is large and sprawling, with multiple pathways that allow various character abilities to shine. One route takes you through a flame turret-laden death trap, while another lets you make use of your mechanist skills to bypass some enemies. Of course, you can always go in guns blazin' and wipe everyone out.
After defeating the boss group, you're introduced to Vic Buchanan, the son of the mysterious "Patriarch," who seems to be a ruler of some sort in this region. You were charged with bringing Vic to heel, and the game offers you multiple choices for dealing with him, based on your skills. If your first aid skill is high enough, you can appeal to health concerns and pacify him that way, opting either to kill, arrest, or even induct him into your party. The demo closes, noting that each choice has consequences that will impact the game and the way the characters and factions perceive you moving forward.
Wasteland 3 is looking excellent
Wasteland 3's pre-alpha demo has a few performance hiccups on PC, seeming to stutter while performing damage calculations and slipping in and out of combat. Still, there's plenty of time between now and the Spring 2020 launch window to fix up these concerns.
Wasteland 3 will hit Xbox One, PC, and PS4 when it arrives next year, complete with two-player co-op and a story that focuses on building a new foothold in the icy wastes of Colorado. You'll have to gear up your vehicles, micromanage and develop a new Ranger base, all while navigating the game's winding story and branching narrative. It'll also launch day one into Xbox Game Pass for both console and PC.
InXile has lofty goals for Wasteland 3, and if this early pre-Alpha demo is any indication, they could be on the path to totally nailing it.
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