The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

The Bureau is full of possibility, but it's far from memorable

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In "The Bureau: XCOM Declassified," play as Special Agent Carter and lead your squad to investigate a top-secret facility that has gone silent. Uncover the mystery behind the radio silence, eliminate threats, and bring the facility back online to turn the tides of the secret war. This tactical third-person shooter game requires strategic planning and quick decision-making.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,754 reviews

story597 positive mentions

stability60 negative mentions

Interesting 1960s setting with a unique atmosphere.
Engaging story with some unexpected twists.
Fun tactical combat system that combines real-time shooting with squad commands.

Poor AI for squadmates, requiring constant micromanagement.
Gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth.
Technical issues, including crashes and performance problems, detract from the experience.

story
2,274 mentions
26 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The story of "The Bureau: XCOM Declassified" is a mixed bag, with many players finding it engaging yet flawed. Set in a 1960s backdrop, it features a typical alien invasion narrative with some unexpected twists, but suffers from pacing issues and a lack of meaningful choices that impact the plot. While the atmosphere and character interactions are praised, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, leading to a disjointed experience that fails to fully capitalize on its intriguing premise.
- “The story is captivating and the detail the developers put into the missions as well as the aesthetics of every map, including the side missions, is very impressive.”
- “The story ended up being surprisingly decent; I wasn't expecting much, but it threw some neat twists into it.”
- “The setting was one selling point for me; over the course of the campaign, in both main and side missions, you go through various 1960s styled locations across the US, with classic diners, small towns, and many alien locations that look very striking in scale next to the small human settlements.”
- “Unfortunately, the story is just not engaging.”
- “The story is a bit hokey, but the narrative does what it can to also push the game play.”
- “The story is incoherent: the idea is that you will appropriate alien technology and use it against them sounds cool, but how can you and your squadmates already use unexplainable powers against them from the tutorial mission?”
gameplay
838 mentions
28 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Bureau: XCOM Declassified" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its similarity to third-person shooters like "Mass Effect" and "Gears of War." While some appreciate the tactical elements and squad mechanics, others criticize the clunky controls, poor AI, and repetitive gameplay that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a unique blend of action and strategy, but it struggles to meet the expectations set by traditional XCOM titles.
- “They've managed to seamlessly integrate classic XCOM gameplay into a real-time setting.”
- “The addition of alien tech and abilities adds another dimension to the gameplay, making battles feel exhilarating and unpredictable.”
- “The gameplay is a mixed bag, but it offers a fun and engaging experience, especially for fans of tactical shooters.”
- “However, gameplay is mostly set back by atrocious cover-fire controls, poor obstacle traversal, and unnecessary drawn-out dialogue.”
- “The gameplay is a weak mass effect ripoff, the story starts bland and devolves into absurdly ridiculous with the plot twist, but despite all that it was decent fun to play.”
- “The gameplay is frustrating at higher difficulty levels because of the inconsistent AI for the NPCs; sometimes when you order them to stay in cover, they just run out of cover and stand in the open.”
graphics
426 mentions
51 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The graphics of "The Bureau: XCOM Declassified" are generally well-received, showcasing a strong retro-futuristic aesthetic that captures the essence of the 1960s. While some players appreciate the art style and lighting effects, others note that the visuals can feel dated and are marred by occasional glitches and performance issues. Overall, the game is considered visually appealing for its time, though it may not meet the standards of more modern titles.
- “The graphics hold up well after 10 years.”
- “The overall aesthetic of the game is actually pretty cool; they nailed the 60s look so well that I wish the classic retro stuff got more screen time instead of the high tech.”
- “The graphics are very beautiful, reminiscent of the 60s and the cliche of the Cold War.”
- “The graphics are ugly, the characters are flat, and the gameplay isn't all that fun.”
- “The graphics haven't aged well, but that's not really a ding against it.”
- “The graphics are mediocre at best.”
atmosphere
130 mentions
70 % positive mentions
28 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and authentic 1960s setting, effectively capturing the era's aesthetic and mood, particularly in relation to Cold War paranoia and alien invasion themes. While the environments and sound design contribute positively to the overall experience, some reviews note that character models and gameplay mechanics may lack polish, detracting from the otherwise strong atmospheric elements. Overall, the game's atmosphere stands out as one of its most compelling features, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre despite some narrative and gameplay shortcomings.
- “The atmosphere is great: a 1960s setting mixing cold war paranoia and mysterious alien forces.”
- “From the convincing, immersive 1962 atmosphere to the gorgeously rendered and extremely detailed environments, it is immensely engaging and entertaining from start to finish.”
- “The atmosphere is perfect.”
- “The atmosphere is, in the early moments of the game, breathtaking.”
- “As for the atmosphere of the game, it doesn't really get anything quite right.”
- “Unfortunately that takes away from what is a very well crafted atmosphere leaving you playing a game that you neither relish nor hate.”
stability
63 mentions
5 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and performance issues such as frame rate drops and texture pop-ins. Many players experienced significant glitches that hindered gameplay, including freezing during critical moments and unresponsive controls. While some found enjoyment despite these technical problems, the overall consensus is that the game suffers from poor optimization and a lack of polish.
- “Crew mechanics function in real time with no glitches and offer very cool specialization.”
- “While this game is repetitive and not completely bug-free, I did have fun with it.”
- “The game was not bug-free, but when games have issues, it can serve as comic relief.”
- “Towards the beginning of the game while you fight off the initial invasion force, there's a part where the game for some inexplicable reason just freezes and crashes.”
- “The game suffers from occasional frame rate drops, texture pop-ins, and glitches that can hinder the overall experience.”
- “There are so many glitches that it makes the game unplayable.”
optimization
62 mentions
19 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
45 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including frequent stuttering, crashes, and low frame rates even on capable hardware. While some users managed to achieve decent performance by adjusting settings, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, particularly with certain graphical effects like PhysX, which exacerbate the problems. Despite its engaging storyline and atmosphere, the technical shortcomings severely detract from the experience.
- “Performance should be fine on most PCs newer than a decade. I played with a laptop, i5-11400H, 3050 RTX, 16GB RAM, Windows 11, max settings minus motion blur, AA, lens flares, and it was locked at a decent 60 FPS at 1080p.”
- “Overall, the game plays fine performance-wise.”
- “In the end, I found that running the game in DX9 mode without tessellation but with both advanced PhysX (cloth and effects) on and everything else on max yielded the best outcome in terms of performance and eye-candy balance.”
- “The game seems to have weird performance and stability issues, some of them have been well known for many years.”
- “It's horribly optimized and it seems some specific hardware configurations just have a lot of problems.”
- “The most negative aspect of the game is that it's poorly optimized and will give you huge FPS drops even on top-end systems.”
replayability
48 mentions
10 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is widely regarded as low, with many reviewers noting its short length and linear gameplay as significant drawbacks. While some players found limited reasons to replay due to achievements or different difficulty settings, the consensus is that the lack of dynamic content and meaningful choices diminishes the incentive for multiple playthroughs. Many recommend purchasing the game on sale rather than at full price, primarily due to its minimal replay value.
- “Replayable and very enjoyable.”
- “Since I own them all now, I feel satisfied that this game can stand with the rest as being fun, thrilling, and very replayable, and a huge addition to the XCOM family.”
- “This gives the game a surprising amount of replay value.”
- “Yeah sure, the setting is nice, but it's mostly the same fights, terrible team AI, a bad and forgettable story with a stupid ending and pretty much zero replay value.”
- “While the general concept of the game was good, the story and the replayability is seriously lacking.”
- “It's a single-player shooter campaign that is almost entirely linear and provides little or no replay value.”
music
46 mentions
39 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its fitting 1960s vibe and memorable tracks, while others find it generic and forgettable. Many players appreciate the nostalgic charm it brings to the setting, though some express disappointment in its lack of variety and impact during gameplay. Overall, while the soundtrack has its highlights, it often fails to leave a lasting impression on players.
- “Gameplay is fine, but the story, setting, and music are top notch.”
- “The music particularly can get burned into your head in a good way despite being very much on the loopy side.”
- “All of it is wrapped together with an equally amazing soundtrack that will keep you engaged from beginning to end.”
- “The soundtrack isn't memorable; characters are forgettable, and the story is not that well written or thought out.”
- “The 60's setting gives this game some form of charm and style, but the music doesn't embrace that and is very generic, excluding a few scarce scenarios.”
- “The music is half bad; some is just bland and fades into the background with no significance, while other parts are pretty good.”
grinding
35 mentions
3 % positive mentions
3 % neutral mentions
94 % negative mentions
Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and repetitive, with many expressing frustration over the lengthy combat sequences and the excessive back-and-forth movement required in base exploration. While some enjoy the tactical elements, the overall experience is marred by a lack of variety and engaging content, leading to a sense of monotony as the game progresses. Many reviewers suggest that the game could benefit from a more streamlined approach to missions and combat to alleviate the grind.
- “28.3 hours game beaten on veteran (not too tedious and sometimes a bit easy, sometimes a bit hard. If you intend to play veteran, it's a good start. If you go to the max level, it may get tedious. The battles are hard sometimes. Mostly, I found the game very easy, but I'm a strategy guy. Note: this is not an action game; tactical wins and losses determine the game. It's not about being a hero.)”
- “At the end on the enemy base, it all becomes just grinding - go to the next room, shoot some aliens, then the next room, and the next.”
- “I found myself simply grinding through each little combat set-piece in the hopes that I could reach a more rewarding part of the game, but eventually I just gave up -- my leisure hours are limited, and there are simply more entertaining ways to spend them.”
- “Easily a third, if not more, of the gameplay time is spent simply running from room to room in your base; tedious and dull.”
humor
18 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of intentional comedic elements and unintentional glitches, with players finding amusement in quirky NPC behaviors, funny easter eggs, and humorous mission choices. While some aspects, like generic character assignments and graphical anomalies, provide comic relief, the overall tone is reminiscent of classic sci-fi and noir films, contributing to a lighthearted experience despite some gameplay flaws. The combination of funny physics and absurd scenarios adds to the game's charm, making it an entertaining adventure.
- “In addition, this game is full of funny easter eggs; just look around to find them!”
- “Killing an alien every now and then results in some funny physics.”
- “The atmosphere is great, detailed enough, story based in the 60s is really funny, reminding me of old classic sci-fi/noir movies.”
character development
15 mentions
20 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized for being shallow and underdeveloped, with many players feeling a lack of emotional attachment to characters due to their brief appearances and limited backstories. While some aspects of character interactions and relationships are noted as decent, the overall consensus is that the game fails to provide meaningful depth or progression, leaving players disengaged from the narrative and characters. The reliance on gameplay mechanics over character development is a recurring theme, with many reviewers expressing disappointment in the lack of substantial character arcs or choices.
- “Most of the explanations make sense according to the logic of their world, and the character development is good enough to make me care somewhat about most of the important characters.”
- “Well thought out character development; the agent system was cool with many different ways to challenge the variety of enemies.”
- “That said, it is a good game in its own right and focuses much more heavily on the story and character development than its tactics counterpart.”
- “Character development and attachment is awful; Officer Da Silva is presented like your best friend, your confidant, but dies before one is halfway through the game. It seems as if there was no time or effort for the development of relationships, and maybe that's why there's absolutely no romance in the game, which feels too short for the concept to work out.”
- “The character development is pathetically thin; they don't really flesh out the agent's powers, and they don't give any of the fellow agents a real personality. It matters little if they die because you can just get a replacement, although you'll have to wait for them to level up.”
- “The general lack of character development was a drag.”
emotional
14 mentions
64 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
36 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with reviewers noting a boring story structure and unlikable, robotic characters that fail to create any meaningful connection. Players express feelings of disconnection and frustration due to poor AI and repetitive environments, which detract from immersion and emotional engagement. Overall, the game lacks the depth and emotional resonance that could have made it more compelling.
- “I don't feel ripped off, and am willing to put in the emotional effort to give this game an honest try.”
- “I will even confess that it made me feel as if the Half-Life world had been resurrected at one stage!”
- “To me, the third-person shooter made me feel like I was playing 'Red Dead Redemption' without the crazy fast lock-on mechanic.”
- “This game has an extremely boring story structure and some of the most unlikable, robotic characters in any game I've ever played.”
- “I was met with a boring story that felt cliched but not fun cliche. You're working with 1950-1960s; you can have so much fun with a story like this, but none is to be had.”
- “Apart from this, there is nothing else to look at here: bad AI for both opponents and teammates (especially the teammates, they need extensive babysitting which is not even fun), average level design, boring story.”
monetization
7 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for feeling like a cash grab, with DLC that seems unnecessary and should have been included in the base game. While the game is affordable, many reviewers feel it falls short of its potential, leading to disappointment despite some enjoyable gameplay elements. Overall, the game's marketing does not align with the perceived value and content delivered.
- “This, on the other hand, is the poster-child for 'cheap console port' and the very definition of a 'cash grab.'”
- “The DLC is an obvious cash grab, not something that adds to the game, but something that should have been included in the first place!”
- “If I had to sum it up in a single sentence, I would say this: 'so much potential with so little delivery.' The game's advertising campaign played it off as an ominous 60s' men in black (not the movies) style adventure, filled with espionage and intrigue.”