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App Army Assemble: Strike Team Hydra - XCOM and have a go if you think you're hard enough

I did a reference pun

App Army Assemble: Strike Team Hydra - XCOM and have a go if you think you're hard enough
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| Strike Team Hydra

Strike Team Hydra is a turn-based strategy game inspired by XCOM. You know the drill, order a squad of soldiers about in various tactical battles.

You can take cover, use suppressive fire, and murder a lot of people. It costs action points to do anything so you have to ensure you make the right decisions.

There's also an interesting morale system. Depending on how the battle goes, your team will react accordingly. If it's going well, they'll be up for the fight. If not, they may try to run.

We asked the App Army what they thought, and you can read their analysis below.

Mark Abukoff

I'm really liking Strike Team Hydra. The graphics are good, gameplay and camera movement simple. I like the special abilities and the fact that terrain is a factor, and the AI seems intelligent.

If I make a mistake in combat, it results in a pool of blood on the deck. I like smart shooters, and this seems to be one. I can see myself playing this a lot and looking forward to what they do with the game moving forward.

PvP missions? Co-op missions? The opportunity is there and I like the game. A lot.

Scott Fisher

I too am really enjoying Strike Team Hydra. It has a lot of elements from XCOM, the tactical combat is excellent, and you really have to think about each and every move you make as the AI is intelligent enough to punish your mistakes.

The graphics are pretty good - better than Templar Battleforce yet not as slick as XCOM. Anyone vaguely interested in strategy games needs to invest in this game as they will find hours of challenging gameplay.

Frazer Parkin

It's similar to XCOM - a challenging tactical shooter. Graphically it's really good. Solid gameplay with decent AI.

Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys a smart shooter.

Steve Clarke

I’ve spent around an hour with Strike Team Hydra now and while I can’t say I've instantly fallen in love with it I do believe I’ll keep playing and that it will continue to grow on me.

It’s certainly not a bad game. As a squad based tactical RPG it’s solid and playing it feels like a cross between Hunters 2 and XCOM - both excellent games.

The reasons I haven’t fallen in love with Hydra immediately are twofold. Firstly, on my iPhone Plus the screen feels a bit cramped and I found myself accidentally issuing a few move orders while looking around the map checking enemy positions.

Secondly the tutorial leaves a lot to be desired. I spent a fair portion of my first hour getting to grips with the cover system, shop, and even a few minutes working out how to start my first mission.

I hope reading this doesn’t leave you thinking my first impressions of Strike Team Hydra were negative, they’re not. It’s just a game that’s not quite intuitive enough to make it instantly accessible to everyone.

Ed Davis

Strike Team Hydra is a game for XCOM / strategy fanatics. It has a decent level of depth to and its intuitive, so it's easy to pick up and play.

The tutorial explains the game well and gives you a basic overview of the controls and what to do. The camera movement feels a bit sluggish though, so it takes a while to move round the map to view possible strike points for enemies.

Graphically, the game is excellent. A lot of care and attention has clearly gone into this game. I would recommend for anyone looking for a good strategy game.

Yulduz Mamatkulova

I love strategy games. I played a lot of them like XCOM and Civilization, but those are the only two I've stuck with.

After downloading this game I thought I would play for half an hour and delete it, but no, it didn't happen. I just fell in love with the game. There's a brutal counterpart of Shepard from Mass Effect, I can't take my eyes off him.

The developers have given us the opportunity to change the graphics settings, which I really like.

During the game, you can customise your soldiers. The missions are diverse and pretty hardcore. If you love XCOM, this game is worth buying. You will not regret it.

Kunal Booch

This is a game that you can't take your eyes off! It's super interesting and a lot of love and work has gone into its development.The graphics are amazing when set on the highest level.

I absolutely loved the controls as well. They're very well laid out. Overall, it's a good strategy game.

It's worth a shot so go ahead and buy it. It won't let you down.

Dyor Kuchkarov

I played a little bit, but wasn't a massive fan. XCOM is so much better. It just feels like it's copying off other games.

The special effects in the battles are superb and that's the only thing I liked really. I do think it will have its fans though.

Kainen Ryan

Strike Team Hydra is the sort of game I love. It looks and sounds good but the gameplay is the best part. It's really tactical and I love that.

So far this is turning out to be a solid game and well worth your time to download and play.

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Oybek Kuchkarov

The game started very nicely. The menu is beautiful and there's the opportunity to customise the graphics.

The camera is terrible though. Why did they make an icon on the screen, when it would be possible to change the angle of the camera with your fingers?!

The interface in general isn't very intuitive. I made a move, and then what do I do? The soldier stands, I press the enemy, and he does not shoot. It's not good when you can't immediately understand the controls.

The battles in the game are interesting, the enemies are diverse, and there's an RPG component. You can buy upgrades in the game store. I liked the customisation in the game.

For fans of the genre this game is good, but the camera is a bit of a pain.

What's the App Army? The App Army is Pocket Gamer's very own community of mobile game experts. Each week, we provide them with a bunch of free codes and early access to the hottest upcoming games so they can provide their thoughts in features like this. We also host regular community-driven events with them in mind like tournaments, giveaways, and multiplayer evenings. To join, simply follow this link to the page on Facebook and request access. We'll get you in right away!
Chris James
Chris James
A footy game fanatic and experienced editor of numerous computing and game titles, lively Chris is up for anything - including running Steel Media! (Madman!)