Phoenix Point is a turn-based strategy game from the mind behind the original X-Com games: Julian Gollop.
Phoenix Point garnered some controversy while still in development. It was announced for released in the fourth quarter of 2018 for Steam, GOG and Microsoft Store, but was then announced as an Epic Store exclusive which ruffled a lot of feathers. It was released to mixed or average reviews from critics stating “it felt very experimental” and “unrefined”, “unbalanced” and “onerous and dull”.
I'm reviewing the console Behemoth edition which includes all the DLC. In my first few hours with the game, I got a lot of X-Com: Enemy Unknown vibes. Playing Phoenix Point will come very easy to those who have played the X-Com revivals, all the same controls are here and rules but with some nuanced changes, very welcome changes.
For example, in Phoenix Point there will be no more misses on 95% hit accuracy like so many times in X-Com because in Phoenix Point there is no percentage to hit, there are instead 2 reticules, a small inner one and a larger outer one. 100% of your shots will land within the large reticule and 50% of your shots can be expected to land inside the inner. A more accurate weapon such as a sniper rifle will have smaller reticules than larger inaccurate weapons, therefore the trick is to make sure your target is wholly within these reticules.
I’ve been enjoying this Free Aim System quite a bit. It is very fun to target explosive barrels next to mutants and blow them all up or even shoot through a wall trying to hit a mutant on the other side of the wall that an ally has spotted and so far, I’ve not experience anything akin to missing a 95% chance to hit.
There is one gripe I have with this system is when you are a floor or more above your target and there is a rail in front of you, when you try to free aim the target then the trooper will often aim at the rail instead of leaning over it and aim at the mutant. A rather annoying oversight. Another difference is the inclusion of vehicles. In the introductory mission you have to get your troops to an APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier), which in itself is nothing new but when the next mission started, I had control of said APC which is new in games like this (at least to me). This APC was really powerful, I could load up my troops into it and drive them into hotspots, deploy them and hopefully take out some mutants, which I did try but got completely trounced by the mutants.
Phoenix Point is just like X-Com in that these games do not make things easy, you have to work for your victories and silly hare-brained schemes like that do rarely work. The APC also sports a missile turret that has extreme range and is great to rain some death and destruction on your enemies and not to make things too easy the APC only has limited ammo per mission and can only be replenished between missions.
The Geoscape is back in full swing, no more half assed Geoscape from X-Com Enemy Unknown but a fully fleshed out gameplay mechanic baked into the whole experience. At the beginning of the game, you start with one base, a handful of soldiers, one aircraft, and not many things to manufacture or research. From there you can decide to research different technologies which will open up the Geoscape more, for example you can research the mutants and their habitats to see where they can make colonies to use as bases to attack you from. Then there is the research that lets you see all the abandoned Phoenix Point bases which you can spend resources to remotely activate them. Each base has different stats or facilities that gives you different gameplay bonuses or effects. Giving you options on how to tackle the mutant threats. Unlike the Geoscape in X-Com Enemy Unknown which basically function as a glorified map to see where the next mission was, this Geoscape has many nuances to it and multiple bases which can be upgraded and have aircrafts with teams of their own.
In some missions you’ll actually be able to send more than 1 aircraft to fill the 8 troop limit for missions.
In conclusion if you like turn-based games like the original X-Com and the newer remakes of X-Com, and just need more turn-based tactical goodness then you’ll love Phoenix Point and maybe like me feel like it is a good evolution to the X-Com formula. Highly recommended.
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