Publisher Kalypso Media and developer bitComposer Games have narrowed the release window of Jagged Alliance: Back in Action to February 2012. Back in Action is a reboot of the classic Jagged Alliance 2, where players hire and organize a mercenary team, and deploy them in combat situations, while keeping an eye on morale.
Jagged Alliance 2 was popularized by its “plan & go” style of combat in which players assigned each merc actions depending on their action points and skillset, then played the results out in real-time strategy. This mechanic was adopted by some other strategy games, notably Combat Mission. The game also included tactical, diplomatic and economic tools to keep troops supplied and ready for the next flight, while keeping them loyal to the team.
Back in Action takes place in the fictitious country of Arulco, where a ruthless dictator has seized power and only a small group of rebels stand to resist him. Jagged Alliance has the player tasked with freeing the island from the dictator’s iron grip, but the island holds a deadly secret that even the hardest and most prepared merc team will find a challenge.