Phoenix Point Critic Reviews

Phoenix Point may not meet the legacy of its celebrated forebear X-Com, but then few games ever will. Elegant, atmospheric, and energetic, Gollop’s latest remains remarkably hard to put down.

Die hard fans of XCOM will likely fall in love with Phoenix Point, a hard-as-nails challenge that offers procedurally-generated replayability and a suite of tactics to help you thrive on and off the battlefield.

Phoenix point is a little rough around the edges, but if you manage to look past its bugs you'll be treated to one of the most nuanced and entertaining turn-based strategy games to arrive in quite some time.

Phoenix Point is, without a doubt, one of the best strategy games to come out in the last few years.

If you are familiar with the genre, you know what to expect with Phoenix Point. Little flourishes, like letting you manually aim your shots, inject some new life into a fairly predictable genre. It is the plot and the aesthetic that make Phoenix Point truly shine though; the world is so strange and immersive that you will love playing the game over and over to learn everything you can — which is precisely how the game is meant to be played. Even though it doesn’t shine technically, Phoenix Point has it where it counts — in an engaging gameplay experience.

Almost identical to XCOM 2 in visuals and gameplay, although not as polished. Hit zones provide more tactical depth, though.

Phoenix Point is a game fans of the genre should not miss. Sure, it has some flaws, but it’s a very solid first entry for a new IP, and we hope it continues to grow –the foundation is so good it could easily be one of the best strategy franchises.

A very capable game that excels at the strategy layer, but the tactical sphere is a bit sterile and leaves you feeling cold.

Phoenix Point’s blend of combat, research management and global exploration is thoroughly compelling, even if the factions can be a little trying. Whether you’ve got fond memories of Julian Gollop’s original game or not, he and his team have taken old school strategy and dragged it kicking, screaming and gurgling into the modern day.

Even though it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, at the end of the day, strategy fans – and certainly XCOM fans – will enjoy the improvements that Phoenix Point makes, especially if this is just the beginning.

Phoenix Point is an entertaining experience for all of those who interested in the tactical-strategy genre. It mostly uses the same elements that we’d seen in the XCOM series, but thanks to several new features, the gameplay distinguishes itself from XCOM. However, you have to get along with some disappointing technical issues.

Phoenix Point stands out in the tactical-RPG genre, even from obvious comparisons to XCOM, because it so fearlessly explodes the management systems on the battlefield. Even among tactics fans, it's clear this isn't a game for everyone, but if you're looking for something to really sink your teeth into, Phoenix Point is it.

While Phoenix Point has flaws, technical hiccups, needs a bit of polish and some of its systems feel dated, there are some genuinely exciting mechanics and world-building to this experience. The monster evolution system isn’t as revolutionary as you might want/be expecting but it’s executed to a point where it does force you to change your playstyle and gives a nice sense of thematic presence. Overall, if you like Julian Gollop-designed experiences, experimental strategy games and gun-infused crabs, Phoenix Point is a must.

I don't see any real reason to recommend Phoenix Point more than the Firaxis games. But if you've spent hundreds of hours with XCOM and you've had enough of the series, you might notice the small differences to the competitor and thus be offered some variety.

Phoenix Point has plenty of bold new ideas for the XCOM genre, but not all of them have the same level of shine. It can feel a bit unwieldy at times, a bit less user-friendly than you'd hope. But it's a game that feels more concerned with experimentation than perfection, that's more interested in discovering new paths to take than walking one that's already well-trodden.

Phoenix Point expands upon the XCOM formula brilliantly, offering a fantastic campaign that leaves you twisting and turning. Despite a bit of a slog through the middle section of the game, there’s a lot to love here, and Snapshot Games has every right to be proud of the work that they’ve put in to bring this wonderful end-of-the-year delight to life.

Julian Gollop knows what he’s doing, and his experience lends tremendous breadth to this crowdfunded indie game. It keeps your mind busy as you try to achieve your goals in the most efficient way possible. I’ll go one step further: it’s what XCOM 2 should have been.

It's hardly the deepest strategy game around, but it effectively sets up the loop these games revel in, one thing feeding into another so you can never quite find the right moment to put it down

This is a true spiritual successor to X-Com games. The tense atmosphere and terribly lopsided fight to save humanity make this a wonderful strategic experience.

In some ways, the game may look simple, but the opposite is true. Thanks to the difficulty and intriguing environment you will spend dozens of hours playing the game.