Phantom Doctrine Reviews
Check out Phantom Doctrine Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 20 reviews on CriticDB, Phantom Doctrine has a score of:
Phantom Doctrine is an enjoyable turn-based spy thriller game based in the 1980s Cold War. For fans of Xcom 2's more covert stuff, Phantom Doctrine will scratch that itch while sharing the lengthy game time and brutal difficulty.
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Phantom Doctrine certainly shares plenty of DNA with the much-adored XCOM series, but it lacks the polish that’s made the likes of XCOM 2 such an enduring example of how to do tactics right. When Phantom Doctrine really doubles down on the minutiae of its spycraft – including the solving conspiracies and the stealth-focused nature of its missions – its own personality shines through. It’s certainly scrappy here and there – especially when it comes to managing the meta of its spy network – but push past these imperfections and you’ll have plenty of licence for kills (and the occasional...
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The Cold War was a fascinating time in our world's history yet there aren't many games focused on this era of espionage and intrigue. Phantom Doctrine is a brand new tactical turn-based stealth RPG so let's send our spies into action.
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Despite the inherent focus on exotic locales, high-stakes plot twists, and stealth-driven action, spy video games are mysteriously few and far between. Phantom Doctrine tackles the underappreciated genre from a cerebral perspective, distilling its core concepts through the XCOM filter of turn-based tactical encounters and menu-driven base management. The abundance of systems takes a lot of time and experimenting to unpack, but if you’ve got the patience, the investment pays off.
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It’s 1983, and you’re CIA…or KGB, depending on what kind of person you are. You look out into the world and you see dark forces threatening to turn the tide of evil. Only you have the espionage and tools to stop it. That’s right, you’re playing Phantom Doctrine, a spy tactics game that’s as frustrating to play as it is attractive to look at it.
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With some incredibly vague story and punishing gameplay, I can only recommend it to hardcore turn-based strategy fans.
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Phantom Doctrine is a turn-based spy thriller set in an advanced-tech version of 1983 – a fun mix of wacky James Bond adventure and dry John le Carre mystery. It comes to us from CreativeForge Games, the developer of the 2015 strategy Hard West. They’ve left the wild west behind to put their turn-based tactics and asset management mechanics in a new setting: the Cold War.
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An inspired XCOM clone, whose spy movie atmosphere inspires an emphasis on stealth rather than action – which is a good job given the somewhat flawed combat.
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You might well find the evocative, smoke-damaged backdrop of ‘80s espionage fresh enough to carry you through a satisfying playthrough. But even with the plates changed and the serial number filed off, there’s no mistaking XCOM 2.
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The Cold War is a perfect setting for video games, thanks to the intrigue brought by the underground conflict between intelligence agencies, proxy wars and so on. While most video games released so far focused mostly on the open war scenarios of the era, few have allowed players to take part in the conflict between intelligence agencies. If you ever dreamed of being a CIA or KGB operative during those turbulent times, you definitely need to take a look at Phantom Doctrine: very few games have managed to get as close as possible to being a spy simulator.
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We honestly feel patches are going to make Phantom Doctrine a lot more playable, but as it stands right now the combat is downright broken. Whereas XCOM’s combat could be frustrating but was generally entertaining, Phantom Doctrine is always frustrating and never fun, and it quickly sucked any love we had for the game away. Infiltration is a lot more fun but woefully underdeveloped, and CreativeForge obviously forgot about their game having multiple storeys when inputting it - going up stai...
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Phantom Doctrine is a superb slice of Cold War espionage storytelling tied to a serviceable turn-based strategy. A harsh difficulty curve awaits, but there's reward to be found.
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For a game about spies, Phantom Doctrine is atrocious at providing you with information. It doesn’t set up its pieces in an interesting way, it just pretends to - and while it has some neat ideas I haven't gone into detail on, that's because I so rarely needed to engage with them.
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Whether you’re reading classified documents, wracking your brain over whether or not pursue a lead that could lead to an ambush, or plotting every step a spy takes on their way to assassinating their target, every move you make in Phantom Doctrine carries an urgent tension. That’s a hallmark of every great spy novel, movie and TV show you’ve ever seen. The campaign itself can feel drawn out at times thanks to a less-than-stellar story and some obviously recycled content, but there’s a real thrill in executing covert missions and putting all the pieces together like a master spy.
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If you’re someone who lives a life of danger, if everyone you meet is a stranger or perhaps you find that with every move you make another chance you take, then Phantom Doctrine is ideal for you. For everyone else, this is a deep and compelling tactical strategy game that provides innovation in a stagnant genre. I’ll be playing it long after I’ve finished reviewing it, and I can think of no higher praise than that.
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Phantom Doctrine is a life-consuming espionage simulator that offers a deeply complex cluster of systems to explore. Its turn-based tactics gameplay is a feat of engineering that will offer players many hours of combat thrills and stealth schemes.
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From the original Microprose release to Firaxis’ glossy modern re-imaginings, and all the titles inspired by one, both or any of the sequels, there’s a rich library of brilliantly involving, deviously challenging games that combine turn-based tactical combat with a real-time strategic overview. Some gamers find this sub-genre so rewarding that they barely touch anything else – and for these people, Phantom Doctrine has appeared like a lush oasis rising out of a shimmering, arid desert.
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