Frozen Synapse

 PC
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Absolute Games
    Aug 14, 2011
    70
    Frozen Synapse is no rival to full-fledged tactical strategy games, but it's an ideal time-killer for a lunch break.
  2. Gamekult
    Jun 3, 2011
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 30, 2011
    50
    Hardcore, innovative and interesting strategy is spoiled by "old AutoCAD" visuals and overcomplicated controls. [July 2011]
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PC Game of 2011
79
#79 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 205 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 138 out of 205
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 205
  3. Negative: 29 out of 205
  1. Shinigurai
    Jul 4, 2011
    1
    An absolute failure right out of the gate. The flaws in this game were so many and so immediately apparent that after 20 minutes of "play" IAn absolute failure right out of the gate. The flaws in this game were so many and so immediately apparent that after 20 minutes of "play" I needed a break. For starters, the user can't customize the controls. This may not be a huge concession for most players, but in the year 2011 it astonishes me that developers still can't grasp the most basic of needs. It isn't hard to program customizable controls and almost every user will want to change at least one aspect of a control scheme. In a complicated strategy game the last thing a user should have to do is hunt for the proper key. Not to mention the fact that there is no reference for the control scheme, which brings me to my next point. The tutorial system is horrible. Not only does it baby the user with overly simplified instructions, it goes so far as to assume that the user is a moron and needs to be told that "doubling clicking" means "to click the mouse button twice in rapid succession." The worst part? You can't skip ANY parts of the tutorial. It isn't broken down by chapters or subjects and there is no way to skip forward or backward. You have to do everything step-by-step and if you want to review something you just did you have to start the entire tutorial over. This includes trying to figure out the how the computer interprets your commands. Trying to make the AI do one specific thing? Run through the entire tutorial and pay extremely close attention, because if you miss it you'll be doing it all over again. Finally, there's the AI. Absolutely horrible. No matter what you do your team will never spot the enemy first. In fact the enemy AI will often avoid your line of sight as if by some magical psychic power. Set up the perfect trap? The enemy will never go near that section of the map. What's worse, the game starts you out with short range guns. Good luck trying to get within the required twenty feet to actually shoot at an enemy. This game is frustration incarnate. I will admit that the premiss behind the game is fantastic. However the execution is so poor that the most fun you'll have with this game is uninstalling it while you scream at your monitor. Don't waste your time or your money.… Full Review »
  2. jayc82
    Jun 18, 2011
    6
    Overall this game idea is quite original, the style however seems quite Defcon-like to me. There are a few things that bug me about this game,Overall this game idea is quite original, the style however seems quite Defcon-like to me. There are a few things that bug me about this game, first is the music seems to be rather repetitive, the second is the fact in single player after you get past the newbie missions the AI seems to psychically know where your guys are. Psychic AI is a bad idea, it makes AI appear to be smarter than it is, I put 1 guy in the corner on his own and didn't move him for 10 turns, instantly after the other guys were eliminated, all the enemies flocked his position, he was completely out of sight in a corner with his back to them, they didn't vet out any of the other rooms that had not been occupied. I like to play strategy games but ones that are not reliant on an active user-base (I think of Defcon again because it's pretty much a dead community now), so a decent single-player is essential. I like reactive AI instead of AI that knows where all your units are and just employs strategy to fool you into thinking it doesn't. It needs to experiment with techniques during a game and learn from it's mistakes. Sure if you give away your position with gunfire or fast movement, you could expect an enemy to know where you are, but this is just ridiculous!
    6/10 for the psychic AI but 7/10 otherwise.    … Full Review »
  3. Dalis
    May 30, 2011
    10
    Yep.. Its great.. Buy it.. What more can i say? Oh well, the community is great and even when i'm losing, and it happens a lot, they encourageYep.. Its great.. Buy it.. What more can i say? Oh well, the community is great and even when i'm losing, and it happens a lot, they encourage you and give tips how to avoid similar situations. And the thrill of pressing that commit button and waiting to see if your tricky plan worked is intense. Had a really hard time sleeping last night because i was rethinking my strategy and plans.
    Buy it or just try it.. If you ever loved tactical games you will love this one    … Full Review »
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