X-Piratez: The Long Walk Update Takes X-COM's Outlaw Adventure Even Further

If somebody told you that one of the strangest and most elaborate strategy games around was built on the foundations of the original X-COM, you might reasonably assume they were exaggerating. Then you take a look at X-Piratez, with its pirates, mutants, scavengers, bizarre factions, and an entire world that seems to have wandered a very long way from defending Earth against alien invaders.

Calling it a total conversion almost feels inadequate.

**The o2 Long Walk update** expands that already sprawling experience, adding more content to a game that's spent years growing into something entirely different from its origins. X-Piratez takes the familiar tactical battles and strategic management of classic X-COM and drops them into a strange, lawless setting where survival, exploration, and questionable decisions are all part of the experience.

What's impressive is how far the creators have pushed OpenXcom beyond its original purpose. A project designed to preserve and improve a classic strategy game has become the foundation for a completely different adventure, with its own factions, progression systems, and rather peculiar sense of humor.

This isn't necessarily the sort of thing we'd recommend to somebody looking for a quick introduction to X-COM. With so much going on, the update seems aimed squarely at people who enjoy getting lost in its complexity.

But if you've ever wondered just how far modders can stretch an old game beyond its original identity, X-Piratez is one hell of an example. At this point, the aliens from the original X-COM might have trouble recognizing what became of their own invasion.