Get ready for total nuclear war. ICBM: Escalation, the successor to the hit real-time strategy game, has today been announced by publisher Slitherine and developer SoftWarWare. Set for a near-future release date on Steam, the second installment of the global nuclear warfare game will see a wide range of upgrades and new mechanics, including revamped graphics, a new focus on conventional warfare and ground combat, a vastly expanded research tree, alternative win conditions, a new player profile system, upgraded diplomacy and espionage, and more.
A new kind of warfare
ICBM: Escalation continues in the footsteps of the original ICBM, released on Steam in 2020. Taking charge of a continental faction, players would build up a nuclear stockpile, research technology, and command a combination of nuclear-capable submarines, planes, and ballistic missiles to strike at opponents’ key assets and cities. Different strategies could be employed, all to inflict maximum atomic destruction while keeping the player’s population out of harm’s way, or at least minimise the casualties…
The only way to win is to play
ICBM: Escalation introduces a host of updates and improvements compared to the original game. One of the more important aspects is that new, alternative win conditions let players seek different, less destructive ways to achieve victory. An increased focus on conventional warfare allows for the annexation of sectors, providing both points and additional strategic benefits, as well as a way to overrun and defeat enemy factions once and for all
A host of new game modes will launch with ICBM: Escalation. These include the standard ‘Standoff’ mode, which offers a balanced and well-paced escalation from small-scale conventional warfare all the way to global thermonuclear annihilation, ; the fast Blitz Mode, for players looking for an aggressive confrontation and a purely nuclear conflict; Conquest mode, which offers a drawn-out battle of discretion, brinkmanship and ever-increasing hostility, ; and Co-Op Versus, a new team-based mode where players will have to coordinate and work together as a single faction to survive and defeat their common enemies
Updated and expanded
Other new features to ship with ICBM: Escalation includes a vast range of technologies spanning multiple generations, with a revised progression system. A new player profile system, updated diplomacy with new research agreements, the ability to trade and negotiate captured territories, and the introduction of world-spanning diplomatic measures like weapon-banning at the Geneva Convention will also be featured. Not only that, but the spectre of nuclear armageddon itself is getting a makeover, with new explosion graphics and plenty of other tweaks to make the destruction more visceral and impactful than ever before.
ICBM: Escalation is currently set for a release on PC at an undisclosed date in the near future.
