To coincide with the company’s 10th anniversary, the publisher THQ Nordic has today announced six upcoming titles via a digital event. Perhaps the most surprising of them all was the announcement of Jagged Alliance 3, the first new numbered entry in the long-running Jagged Alliance franchise in almost two decades.
Much like the previous numbered entries, Jagged Alliance 3 will feature tactical turn-based gameplay set against the backdrop of a fictional politically volatile nation. This time, the action takes place in the lush jungle region of Grand Chein. With a focus on guerrilla combat, players will be placed in command of a small squad of mercenaries and tasked with liberating the country from the clutches of ‘The Legion', a mysterious paramilitary force that has recently ousted the country’s president and thus destabilized the region.
Outside combat encounters, players will also have the opportunity to dabble in some strategic elements like fighting to gain control of territories, customising their squads with special perks and tweaking their arsenal of weaponry. For returning fans, a number of familiar faces from previous games will be making appearances with the option to recruit your favorites into squads.
The title will launch with the option of co-op multiplayer play, allowing you to visit the world of Grand Chein with your buddies. It will be launching exclusively for PC via the Steam platform at an unspecified date in the future with development being handled by Haemimont Games. The studio is predominantly known for their work on the successful Tropico franchise, including the fan-favorite Tropico 3, and the popular sci-fi city builder Surviving Mars so it seems like the game is in safe hands.
Considering the poor reception of some of the previous non-numbered entries in the Jagged Alliance franchise, which many fans felt strayed too far from the franchise's origins, the choice to return to the mainline series with a new numbered entry will likely come as a relief to long-time fans. Judging from the brief gameplay segments we were shown at an earlier press event, it seems that Jagged Alliance 3 will attempt to bring back and refine some of the features that fans liked best from the first two entries: including a similar aiming system with lots of flexibility on how to use action points, humorous lines from a range of mercenaries, and a mix of strategy and tactics.
You can learn more about the game by watching the announcement trailer below or visiting the official website.
If you're not a fan of waiting around however, it's important to note that as part of THQ Nordic's 10th anniversary, the original Jagged Alliance 1: Gold Edition is available to claim on Steam completely for free for a limited time. The title was an X-COM: UFO Defence contemporary, our rewind review of which you can check out here, and is still fondly remembered by strategy game fans so is well worth a look!
What do you think of Jagged Alliance 3? Are you looking forward to the launch? Let us know in the comments!
