Although only a few announcements have been made, February looks like it’s already shaping up to be a decent month for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, and the day-one console release of Besiege is sure to make strategy game fans happy. Releasing back in 2015 on PC during an extensive early access phase, the game finally released fully in 2020. On February 10, Besiege is heading to Xbox Game Pass to mark its debut on home consoles.
RELATED: The Best Games On Xbox Game Pass (January 2022)
Besiege’s Experimental Gameplay
The core gameplay loop of Besiege sees players sift through a toolbox of mechanical medieval parts to construct some form of siege weapon that will help the player achieve the specific objective of that mission. Objectives in Besiege range from “kill x number of soldiers” to “destroy this building,” each offering a unique challenge that the player needs to overcome using strategy.
The real fun of Besiege comes from its level of player freedom. Players are given a bunch of mechanical pieces, and are given free rein over how they approach the mission. Players can build a vast range of siege weapons, with only their own creativity being the limiting factor. Although the game has a distinct medieval setting, players eventually unlock an array of more modern parts and technology, eventually allowing the player to construct siege weapons that use computers, and even flight technology. Trebuchets, catapults, biplanes, and even helicopters can all be built in Besiege.
The extreme level of experimentation offered in Besiege makes it a very replayable game, as each mission can be tackled in a variety of different ways, with a staggering amount of player-choice. For players who adore games like Kerbal Space Program, where imagination and experimentation is key to success, then Besiege should definitely be on their radar come February 10.
What Besiege Console Is Missing From its PC Counterpart
As mentioned earlier, Besiege has been a PC-only game for the last seven years, with five years of early-access before it finally released in a full capacity. Because of this, the console version of the game does lack a few of the PC version’s newer features.
In December 2017, a level editor was added to Besiege, along with a multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode was a little barebones at first but has since received several game options, such as a mode in which players build siege weapons and go head-to-head, and a mode which sees players try to destroy each other’s castle as fast as possible. A subsequent update added the “Advanced Build Mode,” which allowed players to construct even more complicated siege weapons.
Unfortunately, the Besiege console version is missing the multiplayer mode and level editor present in its PC counterpart. This is a bit of a shame, but the console version of Besiege does feature a tweaked user interface, along with photo mode and a dedicated workshop which allows players to share their own user-created siege weapons.
Besiege on Xbox will, however, receive some of the PC game’s Advanced Building tools, so console players will be able to build a range of complicated and intricate vehicles. The console version of the game has a 54-level campaign, three sandbox levels, and a total of 68 blocks, devices, weapons, and mechanisms.
Besiege will arrive on Xbox Game Pass February 10.
MORE: The Best RPGs On Xbox Game Pass (January 2022)
