X-COM: Terror From the Deep

About

In "X-COM: Terror from the Deep," the alien invasion continues beneath the ocean's surface as dormant sea creatures awaken. As the leader of X-COM, you must utilize advanced undersea military technology and navigate multilevel tactical maps to defend Earth from this new aquatic threat. This sequel to "X-COM: UFO Defense" offers undersea geoscape mapping and rich graphics, immersing you in the battle for Earth's survival.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 550 reviews

graphics18 positive mentions

story15 negative mentions

Classic turn-based tactical gameplay that remains engaging and challenging even decades after its release.
Atmospheric setting with Lovecraftian themes, enhancing the overall experience and immersion.
High replayability due to the complex research tree and varied mission types, keeping players on their toes.

Steep learning curve with a lack of tutorials, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics.
Research bugs can lead to unwinnable situations if certain aliens are not captured or researched in the correct order.
Missions can be excessively long and tedious, especially when searching for the last hidden alien on large maps.

story
196 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
87%
8%
The story of "Terror from the Deep" builds upon the original X-COM narrative, placing players in the role of humanity's last defense against an underwater alien invasion. While the game introduces a variety of mission types and a rich lore, including Lovecraftian elements, many players find the lengthy and often tedious two-part missions detract from the overall experience. The atmosphere is praised for its creepiness, but the convoluted final mission and the game's increased difficulty can lead to frustration.
- “The story is fun as you learn about these new aqua-type aliens.”
- “The game does have a good amount of lore and story elements.”
- “The plot is that Earth is being invaded by aliens from the sea who aren't hesitant to kill anyone preventing them from their main goal: taking over the entire planet.”
- “The ending itself is a lot more confusing as well, where the first game left you with a more conclusive and well-explained story; this one is more focused on teasing the third one instead of giving a better-explained ending sequence.”
- “The terror missions are twice as long (as in, many of them are 2-part missions), which can make them feel tedious and drawn out.”
- “Despite all this, I would still give it a positive review if not for the final mission of the game, the assault on the main alien colony. Spoilers, but this mission is no less than three levels long, with each level worse than the previous one.”
graphics
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
65%
8%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as dated and low-resolution, often described as crude or basic by modern standards. However, many players appreciate the unique art style and atmospheric design, particularly for its underwater theme, which enhances the overall experience despite the graphical limitations. While some find the visuals a step back from the original, others argue that the engaging gameplay and nostalgic charm compensate for the lack of modern graphical fidelity.
- “The art direction and music are creepy and oppressive in all the right ways, particularly for night missions, and the graphics have a grim and realistic edge that was lacking from the bright and often cartoony graphics in XCOM 1.”
- “Graphics are sprite-based but they are well done and still hold up to this day; at worst, you'll get used to them.”
- “If you can get away from the sub-par graphics (super awesome for the time but bad by today's standards), it has a great story and super fun gameplay.”
- “The graphics have a crappy resolution.”
- “Graphics are crude by today's standards, and the aliens are not 'softer' to start with, but once you get your teeth into bigger, better weaponry and skills, you don't look back.”
- “It's hard to play nowadays with the dated graphics and controls...”
gameplay
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
63%
5%
The gameplay is largely a continuation of the original X-COM: UFO Defense, featuring familiar mechanics with some minor improvements and a higher difficulty level, particularly in terms of enemy AI and level complexity. While many players appreciate the nostalgic elements and challenging nature, others find the gameplay frustrating due to its clunky controls and lack of innovation. Overall, it offers a mix of rewarding and challenging experiences, appealing primarily to fans of the original game.
- “The game retains the core mechanics of its predecessor while introducing new challenges and enemies.”
- “The core gameplay loop, the gameplay systems, and the atmosphere always kept me coming back, even when I was really, really annoyed by it.”
- “It takes the gameplay of the original, but improves the AI, changes the gameplay just enough to keep things fresh, and builds on the original strengths.”
- “The levels being so complex is detrimental to the gameplay.”
- “It's a reskin with more glitches than the first game and more frustrating mechanics which culminate in a horrid endgame.”
- “Unfortunately, TFTD just brings everything to frustration, ruining the perfect balance and gameplay (which was already difficult to be honest) of its predecessor.”
music
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
71%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its atmospheric and suspenseful qualities that enhance the overall experience, particularly during tense moments. However, others criticize the limited number of tracks and repetitive nature, suggesting that it can become monotonous over time. Overall, while the soundtrack effectively contributes to the game's eerie ambiance, opinions vary on its execution and inspiration.
- “The most brilliant change between the games is the music, particularly in the ending movie.”
- “This updated soundtrack evokes a more menacing feeling, almost as if when defeated, the aliens could easily rise again (and this is alluded to in the ending movie).”
- “The soundtrack sets a dark and creeping contrast to the shining pixels.”
- “I don't care for the OST of this game, and mute it while playing other, more horror ambient music in the background.”
- “TFTD's music is nothing short of horrible.”
- “In this game, the music sounds like a 1950s low-budget horror film.”
atmosphere
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
41%
9%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its eerie and oppressive qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience with a strong sense of dread and nostalgia. Players appreciate the captivating soundtrack and the immersive settings, particularly during tense moments like terror missions. While some feel that certain sections lack the same atmospheric depth, the overall consensus is that the game successfully creates a unique and haunting ambiance that keeps players engaged.
- “Seriously, the atmosphere in this game is incredible and there's nothing quite like being two hours into a terror mission at 3:00 AM on a seemingly empty cargo ship to really freak you out.”
- “This game's atmosphere alone warrants a buy, but it also has the great gameplay elements from the first X-COM, along with bigger battle maps and a heaping helping of Lovecraft.”
- “The atmosphere is strong, creating a sense of dread, bordering on survival horror.”
- “Lingering in the deepest seas, the atmosphere is based on mystery and the uncomfortable feeling that something is with one's crew in these waters.”
- “The biggest difference, though, is the atmosphere.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of game-breaking glitches and bugs that significantly hinder gameplay, particularly in the endgame. While some players have managed to avoid major issues, many others experience frequent crashes, unresponsive controls, and problems with the research system. Overall, the game is described as frustratingly unstable, especially compared to its predecessors.
- “It's a reskin with more glitches than the first game and more frustrating mechanics which culminate in a horrid endgame.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is full of game-breaking glitches, or at least I've read a lot about them; luckily, I managed not to encounter any.”
- “This version is very buggy and you'll likely pull out your hair from the amount of times you've had a Windows notice pop up and been unable to get rid of it until you Ctrl+Alt+Delete, only for it to crash to desktop or inexplicably dust off from the mission automatically.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many missions feeling unnecessarily long and challenging. While some enjoy the progression and eventual payoff of mastering the game's mechanics, the overall sentiment leans towards frustration with the excessive grinding required to advance. Despite these criticisms, some players still return to the game, indicating a level of engagement that transcends the grind.
- “This gets very tedious very fast, since you'll play dozens of battles in the course of your game.”
- “The cruise missions and base missions are unnecessarily tedious and long, and the levels themselves are unnecessarily large.”
- “A tedious grind.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
Overall, the game boasts exceptional replayability, with players noting that each playthrough offers unique experiences despite familiar elements. The inclusion of features like the TFTD extender enhances gameplay, while the challenging AI keeps players engaged and returning for more. Additionally, the game's accessibility and save options contribute to its high casual replay value.
- “Replayability is through the roof.”
- “The cruelty of the AI (on all difficulties) makes this game addicting and with high replay value, just like Dark Souls.”
- “No two games are the same, just familiar situations and landmarks, so the replay value is very high in my opinion.”
- “None of them are vital to your research, and they add an additional sense of replayability.”
- “With little need for powerful hardware and a save feature available at any time, there's huge casual replay value.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its clever and whimsical narrative, such as the amusing backstory of aliens causing the extinction of dinosaurs. Players find the comedic elements to be both entertaining and engaging, with the quirky b-movie alien characters adding to the overall fun and challenging experience.
- “Just a funny little bit about the aliens - their spaceship crashed into the Earth and it killed off the dinosaurs, and that's why these aliens were dormant on Earth for so long.”
- “This is one of the great classics of the pre-Windows era and even today it is still a challenging, funny, and quite complex game to enjoy. Love it!”
- “Second of all, by God, this is hilariously fun.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional response to the game, indicating that it has left a lasting impact, to the point where some feel the need to take a break before revisiting it. This suggests that the game's themes or experiences may be intense or overwhelming.