Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition

It definitely has its issues but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition. From its clever battle mechanics to its depiction of a world at the brink of utter annihilation; it's one immersive and exceptionally rewarding SRPG.

An SRPG big hitter just got bigger, but did it get better? If you are up to the challenge, this is the best the genre has to offer on PS4.

Phoenix Point manages to blend the very numbers-based approach of classic X-Com with some of modern XCOM’s streamlining. The result is a colossal, cavernous tactical strategy game that struggles to hold its shape at times. Its wealth of information and systems requires patience, but if you can persevere, it’s very much worth the time.

Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition is a solid turn-based strategy game, which in this version can count on the addition of four DLCs that further increase the contents and therefore the duration of the experience. However, controls can be very tricky and cumbersome on console, while loading times are pretty long.

Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition is a strategic RPG with uninspired artificial intelligence, technical problems and with some drops in framerate on PlayStation 4. Despite an engaging story, it is a porting that doesn't bring big news.

Phoenix Point is a game I desperately wanted to love. It has exceptionally complex and deep mechanics, solid turn-based combat systems and fun global strategy gameplay, coupled with a decent story and some decent new additions to provide it its own identity. It is also, however, riddled with technical problems, inconsistent mechanics and frustrating difficulty spikes. Like a true phoenix, it can rise with glory when it wants to, I only wish it didn’t thud back down to ashes so frequently.

On paper it does everything XCOM does and more, but poor balancing and overcomplicated rules means it’s just not as much fun.

Two years later, the same assessment can be made for Phoenix Point, even if it is an interesting tactical game with potential, it is still not finished. Some of the bugs have been fixed, and the content has been greatly enriched by the DLC included in this edition, but shortcuts have been taken, which spoiled their potential, and no effort has been made to really integrate them into the whole. Balancing is still an issue, and progression can become frustrating if you increase the difficulty. As for the console port, it's satisfactory in terms of controller controls, but you'll need to have a lot of patience to tolerate the excessively long load times.

Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition offers the same wealth of content available on the PC, and the controller support is good enough for those willing to overlook some fiddly inventory and menu management. However, the technical performance is far beneath what it should be, so your best bet is to wait for the promised patches to arrive, or simply enjoy a smoother ride on PC if you can.