Let's Play X-COM Enforcer Mission 19

I don't like this mission. It wants you to do relatively precise platforming in a game not particularly suited to that, and it ends up illustrating the weaknesses of the game therein. This provides the first death of the run, and it was because the speed booster led to me heading off at crazy velocities and falling to my death. I honestly hadn't even realized I'd picked up the speed booster, and it's supposed to be a powerup that's pure gain!

There's usually guard rails and that helps some, but Enforcer's physics allow you to do stuff like hit a slight slope or bump into an enemy while moving at speed and end up launching up, naturally at high enough speed to easily take you right over any such rails to your death. And of course there's the accidental dodge issue -it's a miracle that the second go didn't end up in another fall to my death. That time I forward-flip across a gap? That wasn't intentional.

Anyway, this mission also finally introduces Mutons carrying firearms. It's... not terribly obvious, but they're there. They're mostly notable for being unusually tough for a ranged attacker, being comparable in durability to the melee Mutons, where so far ranged enemies have mostly gone down virtually instantly to anything stronger than the basic attack.

More importantly, the Rocket Launcher gets shown off: in most respects I consider the Rocket Launcher the Grenade Launcher's superior cousin. They both launch explosives, they both have part of their upgrades be additional shots fired per click, but the Rocket Launcher has range and its projectiles travel much faster, so it's far more generally useful. The Grenade Launcher does more damage per second if you can get all the grenades right in something's face, but outside that? A strong argument can be made you should skip buying the Grenade Launcher and get the Rocket Launcher instead.

At least it's good in its own right, unlike the Flamethrower.

See you next mission.