Phoenix Point

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 398 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 161 out of 398
  2. Mixed: 94 out of 398
  3. Negative: 143 out of 398

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  1. justlikeme
    Dec 3, 2019
    5
    Какой позор. Кто эти продажные журналисты-обзорщики, которые ставят такие положительные отзывы? Просто не пишите больше обзоров, не позорьтесь.
    Поиграл пока только обучение, но уже вижу насколько плоха игра. Лет 10 назад она была бы хороша, и выход XCOM Enemy Unknown было бы логическим развитием этого жанра. А вышло наоборот - деградация от лучшего в 2012 и 2016 годах к худшему в 2020.    Какой позор. Кто эти продажные журналисты-обзорщики, которые ставят такие положительные отзывы? Просто не пишите больше обзоров, не позорьтесь.
    Поиграл пока только обучение, но уже вижу насколько плоха игра. Лет 10 назад она была бы хороша, и выход XCOM Enemy Unknown было бы логическим развитием этого жанра. А вышло наоборот - деградация от лучшего в 2012 и 2016 годах к худшему в 2020.
    Во время прохождения обучения вспомнил невольно первую атмосферную обучающую миссию в Enemy Unknown, насколько она была атмосферной и технически отполированной. Игра погружала в себя с первых шагов. Здесь же никакого сочувствия этим кускам мяса в кривом интерфейсе нет, и обучающая миссия каждый ход заставляет меня отдать их на растерзание, как-будто хочет заставить меня считать их расходным материалом.
    Игру пройду (скорее всего), но не надейтесь на что-то качественное если думаете о покупке. И не сравнивайте её с XCOM, это лишь её дешевая реплика.    … Expand
  2. Ivanhoefb
    Dec 6, 2019
    5
    I’ve only played a few hours, but I enjoy the depth and variety of play. Like any complex game, it takes a bit to understand the systems, especially the range your weapons are effective and how to best level up your troops.
  3. wait4JA3
    Dec 9, 2019
    5
    what a dissapointment!
    big fan from the old xcom and the new from firefax is nice too.
    i was hoping for an old x-com with new engine :D or an firaxes xcom with more deepness that game is boring and it lacks at love u can not grow an experience general soldier who done many missions.they are max lvl (7) in very short time. can remember how much fun it was at the old x-com to    what a dissapointment!
    big fan from the old xcom and the new from firefax is nice too.

    i was hoping for an old x-com with new engine :D
    or an firaxes xcom with more deepness

    that game is boring and it lacks at love

    u can not grow an experience general soldier who done many missions.they are max lvl (7) in very short time.
    can remember how much fun it was at the old x-com to have those "special" soldiers.

    there is not rly any basemanagement.yes u can trade and sell stuff but it is useless.

    the maps are soo damn boring,firaxes did way better job.

    the geoscape is .. yes boring :D and confusing. i miss the ufos

    the soldiers management is a nightmare.

    for what i need another phoenixpoint base? why do i need a better aircraft?all useless.
    with weapons its almost the same.
    its just not fun if the research have new things for u.
    the feeling with that research result, where u get finally the plasma gun to kick the technically superior aliens in the ass are not exist.

    there are so many more things i could write but i spare u people more from my bad english

    lets hope for xenonauts2 than    … Expand
  4. Rkshz
    Dec 28, 2020
    5
    small maps
    no balance
    few content on game
    few types of enemies
    few types of weapons
    random useless skills second tier
    no tactical placement of units
  5. Prometheus1241
    Jan 1, 2022
    5
    Game requires a lot of work: firstly, it is fixing terrible balance. Secondly, soundtrack is quite poor, comparing to such strategies as, for example, XCOM or Divinity. Buges, lags, and other things that require fixing, Nevertheless, developers just keep adding new DLCs without fixing that problems. I understand that they need money, but it is simply terrifying to see this. Overall, gameGame requires a lot of work: firstly, it is fixing terrible balance. Secondly, soundtrack is quite poor, comparing to such strategies as, for example, XCOM or Divinity. Buges, lags, and other things that require fixing, Nevertheless, developers just keep adding new DLCs without fixing that problems. I understand that they need money, but it is simply terrifying to see this. Overall, game has really great ideas, but execution is simply bruh. I hope developers will find the way to fix it all and give the game what it deserves.… Expand
  6. geesloper
    Mar 13, 2020
    5
    [Edit 14-Mar-20 - I'm going to bump this up to a 5/10, because the March patches have done a lot to address the issues. That said, I still had to cheat the final level (and it was horrible even with cheats), so I'm still not persuaded it deserves more than 5/10]

    I am so bitterly disappointed in this game. First and foremost, it is *stupidly* difficult and unforgiving. There's nothing    [Edit 14-Mar-20 - I'm going to bump this up to a 5/10, because the March patches have done a lot to address the issues. That said, I still had to cheat the final level (and it was horrible even with cheats), so I'm still not persuaded it deserves more than 5/10]

    I am so bitterly disappointed in this game. First and foremost, it is *stupidly* difficult and unforgiving. There's nothing innovative about the monsters, they just hit really hard, and can take repeated sniper rifle shots to the face without dying. I should note that I've played similar games without issues, *and* I had Phoenix Point on the easiest setting. Worse, it's often not apparent that you've made a critical error until literally twenty hours of gameplay later, by which stage it's much too late to actually do anything about it.

    Secondly, the devs repeatedly pushed the release date out, ostensibly to make sure that it was polished and bug free. I also waited a month after it came out to avoid the worst of the (inevitable) bugs. Despite this, it was buggy as all hell, and even the hotfixes just seemed to solve one set of problems while creating another.

    Finally, it is very poorly optimised. My PC is relatively high-end, but it runs like a pig, and frequently hangs on enemy turns (which, as it happens, cannot be halted or interrupted so you can reload).    … Expand
  7. jarjanes
    Feb 26, 2020
    5
    I could write for hours about this game but for God’s sake I’d just point out the main issues that pushed me to give the score of 5.
    Fist of all, the game is boooooooring. The missions are always the same. There are 7 types of enemy. They said that Pandora could mutate; the true is that the kind of enemy, mutated or not, is always the same (crabman is always a crabman, with shield or    I could write for hours about this game but for God’s sake I’d just point out the main issues that pushed me to give the score of 5.
    Fist of all, the game is boooooooring. The missions are always the same. There are 7 types of enemy. They said that Pandora could mutate; the true is that the kind of enemy, mutated or not, is always the same (crabman is always a crabman, with shield or machine gun). So the missions are always the same.
    Second: the game play is not balanced. Some classes are a waste of time, other are overpowered. The skills are always the same with very little options. So every assault or priest or heavy soldier, at the end, is always the same.
    Third: base attack is awful, terrible, boring. At the end of the game you would defend your base a lot of times (10, 15, 20 times) with attacks every 30-40 minutes of gameplay and the mission are always the same and the same and the same. The only things that change is the starting position of the soldier. So booring (did I say it?). And by the way: what is the sense of having the pandoran attack preannounced 16 hours before if you can’t choose the starting position of your man? So you find all your soldier scattered in the base and you lose 3-4 turns just to regroup. It’s not realism is wasting my time!
    Fourth: what is the sense of making me recharge every magazine of very weapon of the squad?? Can’t it be automatic? Again we’re to talking about hardcore game, etc… but about boredom.
    Fifth: research? What? After 5-6 hours of gameplay you’ll have all the weapons researched. No improvement, no surprise. So in the end: same enemies for the same soldiers with the same weapons, armors, gears, from the start to the end.
    The true good ideas are: the aim system (XCOM should take note), the movement system (versatile) and the lovercraftian background.
    We are far far far away from fireaxis (maybe just because XCOM are fun…).
    Try it if you have times (a lot) to waste.    … Expand
  8. Leeroyfan101
    Apr 14, 2020
    5
    Overall, I like the game and see it has potential. Sadly, its wasted potential. Notice I said I like the game, not that I enjoy the game. The game itself has a fantastic framework and some intuitive ideas. But sadly it's patched together in a way to frustrate the player, rather than challenge the player. I would say most of the issues stem from odd balance decisions exacerbated by in-gameOverall, I like the game and see it has potential. Sadly, its wasted potential. Notice I said I like the game, not that I enjoy the game. The game itself has a fantastic framework and some intuitive ideas. But sadly it's patched together in a way to frustrate the player, rather than challenge the player. I would say most of the issues stem from odd balance decisions exacerbated by in-game bugs.
    The Overwatch mechanic, for instance, is almost pointless to use. Not only do you have to risk the fact that your soldier might naturally miss. But also have to roll the die on if the ability will activate at the correct time. There have been so many instances where the enemy would run through the engagement zone I set without triggering the ability. Then when they cross an object that is obstructing the line of sight of my soldier is when my soldier would decide to start shooting.
    On a similar note, your troops shooting at their cover is also an issue. It's just a glaring and obvious bug that you think would be the first thing the developers would fix. When you see it happen, you're dumbfounded. It's the sort of thing you would see from an Early Access game, not the final product.
    Other issues are that your grenades sometimes do no damage for no reason, troops missing shots on Pandorans when the area of fire within the body of the Pandoran.
    For the balance side:
    Sirens mind control - this has been the bane of my existence, mainly because of how one-sided this mechanic is. First of all, it requires no line of sight from the enemy doing it. If you're within range, you get mind-controlled. Your "Will" stat contrary to what you might assume, doesn't actually help. This ability also comes at the cost of the victim. Even if you manage to kill the Siren, it uses up the turn of the victim. What makes this worse is past the early game, there is usually more than one of them. In similar tittles, units that could mind control are balanced by being physically weak. Not the Siren, she has high armor, as well as blades for arms that also make her deadly in close combat.
    Chiron's ICBM's - It's an organic lifeform the size of a tank and armored like one too. That, for some reason, behaves like it has some sort of laser-guided missile system. It can accurately shoot you from across the map without even seeing you. Is this fair? No. Is it fun to deal with? No.
    The Spawn System - Enemies can attack the same turn they spawn in. I don't even know how to describe how unfair this is. There is no amount of skill in the world that can help you against an enemy that essentially cheats. You are at the mercy of the game and simply have to hope luck is on your side.    … Expand
  9. napomocht
    Sep 28, 2020
    5
    Au bout d'un moment on s'ennuie a mourir. Ça devient répétitif les missions ne sont pas variées , l'histoire n'avance pas, il y a trop d'armes différentes pour que ce soit stimulant d'en choisir une plutôt qu'une autre et de spécialiser les équipes d'intervention en fonction de la mission. Les attaques de bases se succèdent sur un modèle toujours absolument identique.. C’est rasoir..
  10. Hreha
    Nov 17, 2022
    5
    there are some technical flaws and bugs but overall it has managed to be an enjoyable game
  11. HidaN20
    Dec 8, 2019
    4
    Наиграл уже больше 15 часов. И если честно, продолжать играть не тянет. В игре много проблем. Если вам нужна атмосфера, то играйте в XCOM: Enemy Unkown. Тут её нет. Вы просто летаете на самолёте по точкам, разведуете карту. Иногда сражаетесь с монстрами. Причем миссии скучные просто пипец. "Защитите ресуры" и "вы попали в засаду". За 15 часов было 3 нормальных миссии: атака на улей,Наиграл уже больше 15 часов. И если честно, продолжать играть не тянет. В игре много проблем. Если вам нужна атмосфера, то играйте в XCOM: Enemy Unkown. Тут её нет. Вы просто летаете на самолёте по точкам, разведуете карту. Иногда сражаетесь с монстрами. Причем миссии скучные просто пипец. "Защитите ресуры" и "вы попали в засаду". За 15 часов было 3 нормальных миссии: атака на улей, момент когда на мою базу напали, и когда я впервые встретил монстра артиллерию. Всё. 15 часов. Тупой скукаты и летания между точками на карте. Сюжет движется ооочень медленно. Причем больше всего меня раздражает, что когда появляется новый монстр, никакого внимание, как в том же XCOM: EU ему не уделяется. Вы просто его убиваете и все. Дальше максимум прочитаете чуток текста про него в лаборатории. Всё. Никакого удивления, никакого внимания на монстра, ни какой близкой камеры, чтобы его полностью посмотреть нет. В том же ХСОМ: EU при первой встречи с новым противником, доктор Вален что-то рассказывала о нём, как и при вскрытии, как и при допросе. Было не только интересно узнавать нлошников, но и пытаться их поймать. Тут же вы всё делаете с покер фейсом. Причем храмает и сама механика. Противник "оглушен" ок да. Ты подходишь и пытаешься его парализовать, а он в ответ по тебе стреляет в притык. НО ВЕДЬ ОН ЖЕ ОГЛУШЕН!!!! Бред. Плюс эти всякие маленькие иконки в инвинтаре, когда ты снаряжение вешаешь на своего бойца. Они все почти одинаковые, как патроны, так и оружие. Отличаются только цветом. Характеристики оружия читать не удобно, что-то сравнивать тоже. Про фракции в игре я вообще молчу, ибо они клешированы (копия фракций из Fallout 4), и тебе просто становится на них плевать. Я игру то пройду, но через силу. В общем в игре много проблем во всём. Пока играть не рекомендую, максимум попробовать в неё сыграть, когда выйдут все длц.… Expand
  12. BlackSwan2
    Dec 6, 2019
    4
    Well, nice try, but this game is inferior in comparison to XCOM2 in every aspect. Poor level design, unimaginative character development options, horrible menu icons and fonts, story narrative is almost absent. Other people complain about bugs and crashes, however I did not encounter any major bugs.
    I uninstalled the game after 1,5 hours. Pity.
  13. inverguy
    Dec 30, 2019
    4
    I have played the first xcom game and since then absolutely loved the franchise. Needless to say, enjoyed some titles and dropped some very quickly. This is conditional love. Some time back I watched the phoenix point trailer and completely forgot about the game. Few months later... or years and I can see this gem in the xbox beta pc store. I thought about it for like 0.1 second andI have played the first xcom game and since then absolutely loved the franchise. Needless to say, enjoyed some titles and dropped some very quickly. This is conditional love. Some time back I watched the phoenix point trailer and completely forgot about the game. Few months later... or years and I can see this gem in the xbox beta pc store. I thought about it for like 0.1 second and installed it. Some annoying things from the XCOM series were removed. It was always funny to have rifle in the face of the enemy (standing next to him) and having 85% chance of hitting him. This time they fixed it with double aiming reticle. There is 100% chance that it will hit the circle and 50% to hit the inner circle. Well... this is the beginning of the issue. Not sure what has happened but my guys kept missing that 100%. It wasn't often that this happened, but 100% is broken. There were no obstacles on the way so I guess the hit zones are somewhat broken here and there. Then there was the biggest deal breaker for me. The difficulty. I enjoy the learning curve on bits of the game but at some point most of the enemies got an upgrade in armor. The most powerful weapons were not so powerful anymore. One of the enemies had to be shot by my guys x6 4 turns in a row. Problem is there were other guys coming in. Also the enemy was spawning more enemies. So pretty quickly, from challenging the game turned into ridiculous. I heard that they AI adjusts the game so it matches your play style, but it is my play style that I enjoy in the game. Most powerful sniper rifle with armour piercing felt more like a pistol. At this point I thought that maybe I'll get a better armor like in the xcom series. That would be a redeeming feature. ...well turns that that 'super' armor was already reverse-engineered by my scientists at the beginning of the game, and it didn't feel like an upgrade. It added 3x the armor but removed the aiming, perception and movement bonuses to what I already had. This meant that all my snipers needed to be dropped for new heavy troops. There is more explanation that is needed but cutting to the chase I googled all weapons and armors and turns out, there is nothing more. I immediately stopped playing this, as it felt more like a punishment for surviving so many days.

    CONS: game sucks, still filled with bugs

    PROS: got it via xbox pass so it was for free... a free disappointment.    … Expand
  14. kursku
    Mar 7, 2020
    4
    Are you an X-Com aficionado? Have you amassed massive hours into the genre? If you did, then avoid this game—buggy, boring, unbalanced, and unplayable.
  15. Borreh1973
    Oct 22, 2022
    4
    I tried to like this game. I really tried. I bought a lot earlier, a long time ago. I started and tried to get this to work before they hit DLC, hoping it would get better, but it got worse and worse.
    "Festering Skyes" was the death of it for me, with a shovel of lime thrown over a stinking corpse.
    DLC FS is an idiocy that sadly resembles a very bad old Atari game using a recent GPU. In    I tried to like this game. I really tried. I bought a lot earlier, a long time ago. I started and tried to get this to work before they hit DLC, hoping it would get better, but it got worse and worse.
    "Festering Skyes" was the death of it for me, with a shovel of lime thrown over a stinking corpse.
    DLC FS is an idiocy that sadly resembles a very bad old Atari game using a recent GPU. In fact, those were better because they were what they could be. This one, october/2022, lacks control and speed, each upgrade has to be tested and it's expensive, very expensive, everything is very expensive.
    There is no balance of costs and earnings on missions.
    Attending the factions of idiots who are trying to kill themselves while the world is under terror is the biggest of the stupidities that leads to think better monsters win because these humans really deserve to die, unwilling to help one or another faction.
    It's the end of this game for me.    … Expand
  16. Wolfoso
    Dec 4, 2019
    4
    Slow animations (the jetpack is painful to watch and drags on the combat), serviceable but little more.

    The monster design is cool, but the choice of interface and art direction of the rest of the game makes me wonder where did the Fig and Epic game went: why is an indie studio like Goldhawk Interactive able or willing to put more effort in the base for Xenonauts 2 than the creator of    Slow animations (the jetpack is painful to watch and drags on the combat), serviceable but little more.

    The monster design is cool, but the choice of interface and art direction of the rest of the game makes me wonder where did the Fig and Epic game went: why is an indie studio like Goldhawk Interactive able or willing to put more effort in the base for Xenonauts 2 than the creator of the "XCOM genre" with way more funding?

    Why is everything so lacking in "oomph" using jetpacks in a newer tactics game than using a grappling hook or just door-kicking a door or jumping through a window in a game from 2012? It's neither as elaborate or complex as Xenonauts, nor action-intensive or eye catching as XCOM, and the lack of actual story telling I personally missed: I spent the time I was playing it wondering why I wasn't trying Mutant: Year Zero, replaying XCOM: War of the Chosen, or looking over Xenonauts 2 instead.

    Since I couldn't give myself a satisfying answer to neither question, I reinstalled XCOM 2, and I'd recommend you to make the same. It's just a better game.    … Expand
  17. neutral22
    Dec 4, 2019
    4
    The fact that Snapshot games kept referring to Firaxis' last two Xcom games ended up hurting it.
    Truth is I was bored ten minutes in, 3 hours later? It hadn't changed.
    You start out with two soldiers, rescue a third one (not as much as a hello), afterwards you're told to do some repairs. Then suddenly you have 3 more soldiers the next mission (no introductions, you didn't recruit them,    The fact that Snapshot games kept referring to Firaxis' last two Xcom games ended up hurting it.
    Truth is I was bored ten minutes in, 3 hours later? It hadn't changed.
    You start out with two soldiers, rescue a third one (not as much as a hello), afterwards you're told to do some repairs. Then suddenly you have 3 more soldiers the next mission (no introductions, you didn't recruit them, you're just left with a "Huh... where did these guys come from?"

    Story/narrative feels completely absent (save the cutscenes giving you a vague introduction).
    As it's quite impossible to not compare it to Firaxis' games? I've got to say... I -miss- Bradford, Chen, Vahlen, Lily (Xc2). Having characters (that aren't faceless/without personality) did wonders for that game. Truth is? In Phoenix Point I don't feel I -care- for the soldiers under my command, nor any other people you come across.

    Phoenix Point to me, is just a bunch of numbers, menus and stats. I'm a backer (who -really-really-really- hoped the game would be up to expectations. At the very least not be disappointing.
    As reviews are always linked to what you feel about a game (are you having fun or not), I'm having trouble recommending it.

    As for me, personally? I'm not enjoying it (6 hours in). I -do- hope, and I really mean that, that Phoenix Point will keep evolving, and perhaps over time it'll win me over    … Expand
  18. Grimmblut
    Dec 20, 2019
    4
    Buggy on release, although that may be fixed over the time. What can't be fixed so easily are the repetetive and boring missions. Go there, kill that, finished. Over and over again. Tech tree is virtually non-existant. You are forced to ally with at least one of three equally appaling factions to get some useful tech and gear. The map design of combat missions is lacking, to say the least,Buggy on release, although that may be fixed over the time. What can't be fixed so easily are the repetetive and boring missions. Go there, kill that, finished. Over and over again. Tech tree is virtually non-existant. You are forced to ally with at least one of three equally appaling factions to get some useful tech and gear. The map design of combat missions is lacking, to say the least, as are the construction options when building your bases. Everything that added salt&pepper to the classic xcom not to say the 2012 re-release has been dumbed down in Phoenix Point.… Expand
  19. spiteandmalice
    May 10, 2020
    4
    Released in a buggy and unbalanced state; after two patches some bugs have been fixed, but balance issues remain.

    Initial missions start off quite well, but before too long both your own soldiers and the enemies that you'll face become terribly overpowered - This leads to a situation where the game ends up being more about trying to alpha strike the enemy with your superhuman squad    Released in a buggy and unbalanced state; after two patches some bugs have been fixed, but balance issues remain.

    Initial missions start off quite well, but before too long both your own soldiers and the enemies that you'll face become terribly overpowered - This leads to a situation where the game ends up being more about trying to alpha strike the enemy with your superhuman squad before they can do the same to you. Top tier soldiers, moving at top speed, are able to reach any point on the map in a single turn and whilst doing so still have the possibility to shoot multiple enemies and regain actions along the way, thus making the whole 'turn based' aspect of turn based strategy redundant. None of this is helped by the fact that the maps themselves are tiny, meaning that you and your opponent will nearly always be right on top of each other from the start of every mission and rarely experience any change of pace.

    Basic features such as change of stance and different firing modes for weapons aren’t present, instead the game relies on its USP of a free-aiming system - This was an interesting idea in theory, but I found that trying to estimate what area of a targeting reticule was filled became stale fast and would have preferred at least the option to be able to switch to seeing the percentage chance to hit whatever I was aiming at instead. The free aim system also creates problems of its own when combined with an automatic cover system - head shots for example aren't fatal (as they would be too easy to make), but you will be able to experience death by being shot in the toe.

    If you liked the modern Firaxis XCom games then you might enjoy this, but if you were a fan of the original XComs/UFO titles then don’t expect Phoenix Point to be in the same vein.    … Expand
  20. Man-Rata
    Jun 19, 2021
    4
    There is a lot of hate for the story, etc., but the main reason this game isn't worth it is the speed of the combat.

    They've decided to make combat physics based, which sounds good, but once you're a little into the game, enemy turns quickly takes between 5-10 min., and it cannot be sped up in any way. It makes the game mind-numbingly dull. Also the levels are often too small, making    There is a lot of hate for the story, etc., but the main reason this game isn't worth it is the speed of the combat.

    They've decided to make combat physics based, which sounds good, but once you're a little into the game, enemy turns quickly takes between 5-10 min., and it cannot be sped up in any way. It makes the game mind-numbingly dull.

    Also the levels are often too small, making it so enemies can see you from your entry point, making stealth nearly pointless. AI is dumb as hell, and instead of improving it, they just pour in more enemies, and make them VERY tough. Combine that with the slow turns, it just becomes dull.

    If they could fix this somehow, this could be a descent game, though the story is really non-existant.    … Expand
  21. Kekandrule
    Dec 5, 2019
    4
    В игре разочаровался есть интересные механики но графическая составляющай очень слабая, ИИ врагов тупой, неудобный инетерфейс, слабый лвл дизайн в целом игра выглядит как ранний доступ а не финальный релиз.
  22. realfire23
    Dec 3, 2019
    4
    so much good ideas... so much they **** it up.

    QA / release is really... WTF ? So many bugs... So many ! 1. Game freezes constantly 2. You cant see damage done by aliens when zoomed 3. zooming and focus is just bugged Here you see the difference between AAA Studio vs start up ... Oh **** I really wanted to love the game. But I can not start over every mission over and over    so much good ideas... so much they **** it up.

    QA / release is really... WTF ?

    So many bugs... So many !

    1. Game freezes constantly
    2. You cant see damage done by aliens when zoomed
    3. zooming and focus is just bugged

    Here you see the difference between AAA Studio vs start up ... Oh **** I really wanted to love the game. But I can not start over every mission over and over again because of the constant freezes

    be careful with nvidia 1080 / 1080ti these seem to have problems

    Hope they will fix the game. It has so much potential    … Expand
  23. NorseGod
    Dec 5, 2019
    4
    Phoenix Point is a grand strategy and tactics game that is really innovative for 2007. Or it would be, if it weren't released 12 years too late to be relevant, and seems not to have learned much from titles released in the last decade. It's main gimmick is a "free fire" mechanism that isn't functionally different from the hitbox doll from titles like Battletech, except for being a lotPhoenix Point is a grand strategy and tactics game that is really innovative for 2007. Or it would be, if it weren't released 12 years too late to be relevant, and seems not to have learned much from titles released in the last decade. It's main gimmick is a "free fire" mechanism that isn't functionally different from the hitbox doll from titles like Battletech, except for being a lot clunkier to work. And given you're expected to use it for every shot, that extra time really drags the game down. So many systems are in the game, not because they make the experience more interesting and fun, but because the designer said "I don't care, I want it in there!" Remembering to constantly refill your characters ammo, or ensuring you've gotten them food, is tedious realism that detracts from enjoyment. Which is funny, because if you stripped away these time sinks the game runs all too quickly given its price tag.

    Character specilization is present, but again feels a decade old. Choosing new character skills is a chore, given the lack of interesting options. Again, it feels like skills were decided upon based on if they were reasonable, rather than being fun, interesting, and balanced. Vehicles in the game aren't very useful, nor worth the cost, robbing the game of another mechanism.

    Overall, I expected to be hooked to this games mechanics but honestly, I find I can't keep myself from putting this game down. It's supposed to be "come on, let me play one more turn" and not "ugh, let's just be done with this mission."

    I think I'll start up a new Long War 2 campaign instead.    … Expand
  24. Revengance
    Dec 6, 2019
    4
    I have been waiting for this game for a LONG time. Too bad i didn't buy it before it migrated to epic games as if i had i would get the rest of the game for free. Now i have to spend another 30$ to get the expansions which i am sure will help this game out.

    I agree with other reviews in that, for now, Install x-com 2 and have a much better time. Perhaps the game will improve. Or    I have been waiting for this game for a LONG time. Too bad i didn't buy it before it migrated to epic games as if i had i would get the rest of the game for free. Now i have to spend another 30$ to get the expansions which i am sure will help this game out.

    I agree with other reviews in that, for now, Install x-com 2 and have a much better time. Perhaps the game will improve. Or not, and releasing it right before Christmas was a cash grab. I think this hurt them in the long run....... Long War????    … Expand
  25. kennel_
    Dec 8, 2019
    4
    This is still a prototype: no balance, no final UI (what i see is can not be considered as final at all), no UX.
    A very big disappointment instead of a game.
  26. Tontim
    Dec 8, 2019
    4
    This game has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, potential is the thing it already had when the crowfunding was occurring. Now that it's released, I can't help but see it as a disappointment.
    Sure, it has a lot of interesting mechanics (stealth is rather well implemented even if the information feedback is lacking), some weapons, like the viral guns and the spider drone are are fun to use,    This game has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, potential is the thing it already had when the crowfunding was occurring. Now that it's released, I can't help but see it as a disappointment.
    Sure, it has a lot of interesting mechanics (stealth is rather well implemented even if the information feedback is lacking), some weapons, like the viral guns and the spider drone are are fun to use, the dual classes are a fun thing,... but it has a lot of glaring issues too.
    For one, balancing... The game has none. The special actions are based on a will point system, but this system has a weird value for what counts as an action... Enemies can mind control you for a handful of points, and repeat it on every turn, on different soldiers. Some can snipe you from the other side of the map with crippling explosives as long as one of their allies has a line of sight, and all for one measly will point. They can have heavy armor and run across half the map, while you can't do **** if you have heavy armor. The enemies are all equipped with some sort of shredding weapon while you are not,... And the list continues. I'd say, buy it if you are ready to play only this game for 100 hours, with a stale gameplay compared to other similar titles, and only a handful of strategies worth using (which is ironic considering the "variety" mutations and weapon diversity was supposed to bring to the table)

    Tldr : wait for patches, steam release and (eventual) mods    … Expand
  27. mohamediat
    Dec 23, 2019
    4
    This game is an improvement (idea wise only) from XCOM 1 , it has nothing on XCOM 2, I was stupid enough to pay for the full game with the pass to get everything and it is really bad. I played 27 hours and It is a waste of money.
    I like the vehicles and the aircrafts, I like the faction warring, but the game is not new player friendly, the characters are very unremarkable, the classes are    This game is an improvement (idea wise only) from XCOM 1 , it has nothing on XCOM 2, I was stupid enough to pay for the full game with the pass to get everything and it is really bad. I played 27 hours and It is a waste of money.
    I like the vehicles and the aircrafts, I like the faction warring, but the game is not new player friendly, the characters are very unremarkable, the classes are bad, the graphics are bad and the maps are very limited.
    I regret paying for that game. If you want to try it still don't pay the full price for it, wait till it drops below 20 $.    … Expand
  28. whamtheman
    Jan 26, 2020
    4
    The game has the makings of a great X-COM reboot, harkening back to the good old days, but it stumbles in several key areas and lacks some key features. It is also incredibly alarming to see some of the core X-COM features from the old games, such as interception, stripped away and sold off as DLC.
    The game, while potentially great fun and challenge, is unfinished, unpolished, technically    The game has the makings of a great X-COM reboot, harkening back to the good old days, but it stumbles in several key areas and lacks some key features. It is also incredibly alarming to see some of the core X-COM features from the old games, such as interception, stripped away and sold off as DLC.
    The game, while potentially great fun and challenge, is unfinished, unpolished, technically clunky. It feels like a beta rather than a full release. As I write this in January 2020, I'd advise people to hold off for another 6-12 months and seeing if the game has been finished to a complete state by then.    … Expand
  29. JachAnen
    Jan 29, 2020
    4
    Has real potential, but it is clearly unfinished, even text is missing, it says so.

    It's unbalanced, the game is an uphill struggle and it never gets better and I ended up cheating just to finish it, even with that I found myself depending on them way too much, not because I had them available, it seemed necessary to have them on. Mind you, I have completed several of these turn based    Has real potential, but it is clearly unfinished, even text is missing, it says so.

    It's unbalanced, the game is an uphill struggle and it never gets better and I ended up cheating just to finish it, even with that I found myself depending on them way too much, not because I had them available, it seemed necessary to have them on. Mind you, I have completed several of these turn based tactics games and never turned to cheating in them, as they progressed naturally; Enemies gets harder, but you get so much better, not just by your own experience, but because you have better equipment and stronger people. That's not how it works here, you get stronger, but the enemy gets much sronger and starts attacking factions and your bases frequently, because you need to buy people from the other factions, you'll never have the manpower to protect yourself and help those factions fend off attacks, even defending yourself will be too big of a task, as you might have enough people, but you won't be able to afford the equipment to give them a fighting chance or vice versa.

    Ressources needs to be found, stolen or traded for. You can only produce food, so you can use that for trade, but you can only find or raid tech ressource, which is needed for everything of worth. This breaks the economy system as you have way too much to do, with defending, raiding/finding, attacking and following the quests.

    It seems like they tried hard to make XCOM with a few twists, but they never really bothered trying out how those twists or adding all they needed from XCOM. They could have added stuff to take the pressure off from the frequent tasks, like protecting your bases, where they could have made made the ships fast enough to get there in time when they're close, added defenses, maybe guards that stays put, added ressource production for the other 2 ressources, they could just produce very little with the possibilty of upgrades, so you don't need to raid or search for it all the time.    … Expand
  30. maximtemplar
    Nov 19, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have been playing these types of games, on board and on computer for over thirty years. Never has a game wasted so much of my time. On the plus side, the general setup is good, even if it is just Xcom with tweaks. The backstory is good. Animation is average for these days. Loading times, for these days, are abysmal, especially on the console version. On the minus side, there are many problems which can be solved by patching, some already have been. The console version has been rushed out and crashes regularly ruining hours of gameplay. So much so I have given up on it until its updated. Latest nonsense on PC was fighting a large creature on a long and difficult game. Only to find its corpse was blocking my troops from leaving the map. Poor playtesting there, troops can climb over things you know, they even sit on tanks. Overwatch continually fails to activate, and sometimes when it does the shot is taken when the target is behind cover. There are all sorts of advanced laser and gauss weaponry available to the troops, but no smoke grenades. Grenades can only be thrown overarm. Why? Don't know. For a game that boasts real ballistics it has some very stupid drawbacks. Great idea, but very, very disappointing. I shall be dropping it for a few months, I've had enough of its non thought out nonsense. Stuff your DLC, try getting the basic game right.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
97
#97 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 48
  3. Negative: 0 out of 48
  1. GameCritics
    May 7, 2020
    80
    Even with all its technical flaws and strategic hiccups, Phoenix Point manages to pull together some of the best aspects of classic and contemporary turn-based tactical design and, in doing so, it somehow leaves me wanting more. It’s not a recommendation that comes without caveats thanks to the bugs and hiccups, but the struggle is worth it.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 28, 2020
    80
    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. [Issue#301]
  3. Games.cz
    Feb 28, 2020
    80
    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.
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