Frozen Synapse

 PC
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

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  1. DarkCowboy
    Aug 2, 2012
    7
    I'm absolutely astonished by this game. Agreed, the graphics are not much to look at, but the gameplay more than makes up for it. This is tactical excellence to the fullest.
    Basicly, you take full control of a squad of infiltrators, and have to eliminate the opposing force. Micromanagement is a must if you want to succeed in this game, and this makes the planning sequence of the game    I'm absolutely astonished by this game. Agreed, the graphics are not much to look at, but the gameplay more than makes up for it. This is tactical excellence to the fullest.
    Basicly, you take full control of a squad of infiltrators, and have to eliminate the opposing force. Micromanagement is a must if you want to succeed in this game, and this makes the planning sequence of the game crucial to your success. Turns are in 5 second intervals that you have to plan out in advance, and not knowing what the enemy will do can have lethal consequences if you're sloppy in your planning.
    If you're impatient of nature, this is NOT a game for you, especially in multiplayer where waiting for the other player to finish the planning can be quite long.
    But if you like turn based strategy and tactics, the gameplay will keep you hooked for hours.    … Expand
  2. keefbaker
    Nov 13, 2013
    5
    I seem to be the one person this doesn't work for. I've loved squad based tactic games from Laser Squad on the Amiga through the XCOM series through Jagged Alliance and love turn based strategy and maybe... maybe that's the problem. Because this isn't turn based strategy it's paused realtime where you queu up moves and are unable to react to stimuli and personally that just doesn't seem asI seem to be the one person this doesn't work for. I've loved squad based tactic games from Laser Squad on the Amiga through the XCOM series through Jagged Alliance and love turn based strategy and maybe... maybe that's the problem. Because this isn't turn based strategy it's paused realtime where you queu up moves and are unable to react to stimuli and personally that just doesn't seem as fun to me. Plus you get trapped in the old school chasing round the map way too often.… Expand
  3. 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, 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 itOverall 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.    … Expand
  4. patrickrender
    Jun 17, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Frozen synapse has an awesome name by the way, but this game is starcraft 2, without aliens and put into a turn based game. This is RAW TACTICS, NO LUCK, RAW TACTICS. No idiots are aloud near this game. This game is for people who are smart, because this is a hard game to learn. But its good when you have learned the game. There is over 45 missions in the campaign and its got a half descent story line. But the main focus is the multiplayer. You are able to play loads of matches at once. Mabey over a thew minutes, or going over a thew days. You need to buy this game, its good, a great game!… Expand
  5. JonesR
    Mar 7, 2012
    7
    Think of Frozen Synapse like playing chess with military soldiers, but the board changes each time you play. I love to play chess so that is probably the reason I like this game. There's an intricate amount of detail underneath its simplicity. This is turn-based strategy done right.
  6. ForICan
    Apr 27, 2014
    7
    Pretty good strategy game, too bad the community is too small and lacks basic improvements. A recent update made it possible to enable timed turns, but the other person has to agree on it, what we wanted was to search for a game with a person that agrees with timed turns (i.e. 5 mins), not to find us a game and then ask the other person if they want timed turns...
    It's pretty good to play    Pretty good strategy game, too bad the community is too small and lacks basic improvements. A recent update made it possible to enable timed turns, but the other person has to agree on it, what we wanted was to search for a game with a person that agrees with timed turns (i.e. 5 mins), not to find us a game and then ask the other person if they want timed turns...
    It's pretty good to play with friends, if you're playing alone it gets boring rather quickly (you might squeeze 10-15 hours of gameplay).    … Expand
  7. blutank24
    Nov 18, 2019
    7
    The only strategy game of it's kind. A turn-based game that extends the limits of all other strategy games out there! Its simplistic look and clever design mixed with all the possibilities of intuition, scripting, and logic make it a one-of-a-kind success for any strategy game fan!

    That doesn't come without some flaws however. While original, that originality does wear by the time the    The only strategy game of it's kind. A turn-based game that extends the limits of all other strategy games out there! Its simplistic look and clever design mixed with all the possibilities of intuition, scripting, and logic make it a one-of-a-kind success for any strategy game fan!

    That doesn't come without some flaws however. While original, that originality does wear by the time the campaign is over. Personally if I didn't have friends to play with, the multiplayer would not have kept my interest. Some of the behind-the-scenes game logic seems to be a little inefficient as well, with long loading times and turn switches between you and the AI.    … Expand
  8. Wrathzo
    Mar 25, 2022
    6
    Frozen Synapse is a turn-based tactics video game developed by independent game developer Mode 7 Games, in which players plan their moves at their leisure and turns are resolved simultaneously. Players attempt to win by giving orders to a small squad of armed combatants, most commonly with the goal of eliminating all enemy units. It is set in a dystopian cyberpunk future, in which theFrozen Synapse is a turn-based tactics video game developed by independent game developer Mode 7 Games, in which players plan their moves at their leisure and turns are resolved simultaneously. Players attempt to win by giving orders to a small squad of armed combatants, most commonly with the goal of eliminating all enemy units. It is set in a dystopian cyberpunk future, in which the player assumes the role of a tactical commander assisting a resistance faction in a struggle against a corporate government regime which has used its power to manipulate the populace, or is pitted against other commanders (human or AI) in a skirmish or multiplayer setting.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 19, 2011
    90
    A fast-paced tactical game that is easy to approach but has depth in spades when you dig into it. The mix of randomness and determinism isn't quite optimal, but the end result is mostly excellent. Despite some lacklustre storytelling, even the single player side provides hours and hours of quality gaming. A cult classic. [Aug 2011]
  2. Gamer.nl
    Sep 9, 2011
    80
    Pure strategy, complex but solid controls and an irresistible multiplayer make Frozen Synapse a surprise hit. It's not a beautiful looking game, but ignore the basic presentation, because this is a game everyone should try at least once.
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  3. 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.
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