Laser Squad (1988)

Genres:Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical

Themes:Science fiction

Game modes:Single player, Multiplayer

Story:Laser Squad is a turn-based tactics war game where the player completes objectives such as rescue or retrieval operations, or simply eliminating all of the enemy by taking advantage of cover, squad level military tactics, and careful use of weaponry. The squad's team members are maneuvering around a map one at a time, taking actions such as move, turn, shoot, pick up and so on that use up the unit's action points. More heavily laden units may tire more easily, and may have to rest to avoid running out of action points more quickly in subsequent turns. Morale also plays a factor; a unit witnessing the deaths of his teammates can panic and run out of the player's control. Including the expansion pack, there are seven scenarios in total, each one with its own difficulty settings and squad allocation Laser Squad originally came with five mission scenarios, with an expansion pack released for the 8-bit versions, containing a further two scenarios. Reaction from gaming magazines was positive, gaining it high review rating and several accolades. The legacy of the game can be seen in other titles like the X-COM series, especially the acclaimed UFO: Enemy Unknown which was also created by Julian Gollop and was initially conceived as a sequel to Laser SquadShow more

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Stories about this game (3)

@MetasyntacticD

January 29, 2025

The missing link between X-Com and Warhammer 40K. Yes, you heard that right. Those two IPs share blood in the development sense. You see, back in the day, before X-Com, before Warhammer 40K, there was a tabletop skirmish game called Laserburn. Laserburn contained a lot of things you might recognise - beyond just the rules for futuristic combat, it also had an Imperium, power armour, bolters, lasguns, dreadnoughts, etc. Now, Laserburn directly contributed to two important things: Its creator went on to become one of the founders of Games Workshop, where its general concepts would be re-implemented into the game Rogue Trader. At around the same time, Laserburn was adapted into a video game: Laser Squad, by Julian Gollop. Laser Squad was a hit, and its gameplay and lore elements would go on to be refined and enhanced by Gollop and his team into its own effective sequel, UFO: Enemy Unknown, also known as X-Com: UFO Defense in North America, the first game in the much-loved X-Com (now XCOM) series. Rogue Trader, meanwhile, would be updated and re-released as a second edition, from that point on taking the title Warhammer 40,000, which would go on to have multiple updated versions and spin off many games in both the tabletop and video game domains. So now you know! With this all said, it's probably not surprising there's at least one big 40K mod for OpenXCom. (Final note: It's annoying that the display format for these stories removes all paragraphs. GOG, Pls fix)

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@antonios81

February 03, 2025

I had on my Atari Ste. Me and my cousin were playing this little gem fanatically. Only 6 missions but with plenty replay ability. While my Atari is still working, the disc is broken...

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@Robotas

February 06, 2025

I played the original in 1988 on ZX Spectrum and loved it. Then in 1992 I played the PC version and I was in heaven, full color, awesome music, and full detailed graphics. It keep me hooked until the UFO 👽 games and the X-Com games appeared.

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