Phoenix Point....

Phoenix Point had my interest since I first saw it. It was delayed for further development, no harm in that. Not that I was tempted to be a backer either; But it's move to the Epic store soured a lot of those backers and potential fans in general.

I'd still kept the game on my wishlist to remind me of it, so at some point I'd see it on sale on Steam(probably with all the DLC) and snap it up in a year or so. All that despite having read reviews that say it was in need of more work. I never thought I'd get a chance to play it before hand never mind last weekend. I saw it as part of the games available with Xbox ultimate game pass for PC. I was surprised it was there given it's Epic exclusivity! But why argue that, it's available, it's free.

So an install, tutorial and a few missions later my overall initial reaction to the game is 'meh'. Reviews have been right.

In mission gameplay is better than XCOM 2's tactics and in some ways it looks more like the 2012/13's XCOM. While I'd choose the first over the second, both XCOM games have personality. Phoenix Point feels a lot more cold. There's very little characterisation. There's story, action and an overall campaign knitting it together, but there's no real motivation. I don't care about my own faction let alone the others or why should I stop them. A good story draws you in with characters and their plight and struggles. There's nothing like that, to capture me, not that I can see. So I've no real need to go back to the game. It plays like XCOM but I already own both. If I'd shelled out for this game and the season pass I'd be €70 poorer and disappointed.

Microsoft Store

That said, again, it's a lot like XCOM. I like XCOM so I like what Point is doing and trying to do. Yet the maps feel empty. There may be destructible buildings, trees, but everything is motionless, it feels fake. If XCOM is a Warhammer match between two players, Point is a game of chess against a computer arm. Both tactical but one is more fun to do than the other.

Load times are looooooooooooong.... 30+ seconds.

It's not all bad, there's a lot that does work. The tactical phases are good, as I said a cross in feel between both XCOM games but superior to XCOM 2(imho). Aiming at specific points of targets is a great feature, well done here. Seeing the results of your hits on a target are 'cool'. Shots count and hits matter. Nothing better than hitting a fast moving target in the leg and then see it limp next turn, giving you time to finish the job.

The enemies are great, varied and need to be handled tactically to eliminate. Like XCOM there are human and non human enemies. I keep calling the enemy 'creatures' aliens but they're human mutations and other 'things' from the sea. I'm sure that the story is probably alien related..... Or a microbe from an asteroid started the mutations etc.... But the story really isn't there to make you want to do missions to find out. Not for me at least.

The game is supposed to be set in 2022 but the world looks more 2122, there are so many futuristic elements to everything. I only know the year from looking the game up on Wikipedia. The game itself does very little to help your suspension of disbelief. In fact reading more as I write this the wiki states "extraterrestrial virus in permafrost" so my previous microbe from space was kind of right.

The immersion of the story is that you know noting(Jon Snow) of the virus or what your own faction really is; And need to find out 'things'. But the game makes me feel like I don't want to know. The more I look up online the more I see the game is not telling me and should have. That's frustrating.

Story aside I like that it seems you can have multiple bases, like XCOM HQ times 8. But your on a deadline like in XCOM 2. In Point you can do missions to drive back the enemies but I'd say it would take a lot of time and effort to get your faction fully upgraded/fitted/equipped/built etc.etc.etc. I can't fault the game for it's in game systems. There is a lot of detail there, it doesn't feel overly complex or bogged down in micromanagement.

The game may have had an official launch last December but it still feels like a work in progress. I've only scratched the surface of what is there. There's still free content, patches and DLC to come for the next year; Maybe by the end of that time it will be worth getting. I have it for 'free' and I've no motivation to play it.....