New Hybrid Game Combines Strategy Elements from XCOM with Extraction Shooter Features from Hunt: Showdown

Ice Code Games has this kinda weird thing going on, y’know? They love mixing tactical combat with historical settings that have some supernatural twists. Like, if you’ve ever checked out Hard West 2 or last year’s Rogue Waters, you’ll know what I mean. Hard West’s got this 19th-century Wild West vibe but with creepy demon stuff, while Rogue Waters is like pirates with a side of sea monsters. Now they’re back at it with a new twisty-turny project. It’s like Hunt Showdown met XCOM 2 and decided to call it Nightmare Frontier. And I’m all for it.

Anyway, at first glance, Nightmare Frontier might seem like it’s borrowing a page from the Hard West playbook. But hold on—it’s not really the same jam. Yeah, there’s that American West backdrop with monstrous baddies out for blood, but it’s switching up the strategy with this risk-reward thing. You kinda play it cool, think about what you’re willing to gamble, and how long you’ll stick around before making a break for it.

So here’s the deal: you’re running a crew of scavengers, and their job’s to grab loot in a town that these gnarly creatures—Dreadweavers, because why not—keep attacking. It’s got a Hunt Showdown vibe where you gotta figure out when enough’s enough. Fight off these nightmares, grab as much loot as you dare, then hightail it outta there or lose it all. Oh, and when you’re not doing the fighting thing, you’re crafting and upgrading your gear with all the stuff you’ve managed to snag, getting ready for the next round. Crafty, right?

Oh, and I should mention, Nightmare Frontier is sneaking its way into Early Access on Steam this summer. So, if it piques your interest, slap it on your wishlist—or just poke around its Steam page and go down the rabbit hole there.

In the meantime, if you’re itching for more spooktacular game vibes, why not dive into some primo horror or action-adventure games already hanging out on PC? Keeps the adrenaline pumping until Nightmare Frontier lands.

Also, a quick plug—if you’re into daily PC gaming chit-chat, you can catch up with us on Google News. And yeah, we’ve got this buzzing Discord server where you can gab about this and swap stories with the crew and fellow game fiends. Fun times, right?