

You’re taking control of the Phoenix Project, a clandestine military force that was founded after the Second World War to protect humanity. Click the new game button and you’ll see a cutscene that’s pretty much scene-for-scene identical to the openings of past XCOM games, and for good reason. Powering up the game, everything will feel immediately familiar to XCOM fans. Phoenix Point is distinctly XCOM to start Make no mistake, if you like XCOM then you’re going to love Phoenix Point, even though its current state is buggier than an ant hill. Having finally gotten my hands on the game, and played/failed my way through three story campaign attempts, I can safely say that this is a modest description of the game.

While there are still some bugs to iron out, and the UI can be confusing at times, there’s a lot to enjoy in Phoenix Point: Year One Edition.If you’re a fan of the iconic XCOM franchise, Phoenix Point has likely been top of your games or Christmas wish list for quite some time.ĭeveloped by a team at Snapshot Studios with Julian Gollop – the father of the original XCOM games – as lead designer, Phoenix Point has been described and marketed as the “spiritual successor” to XCOM and generated quite a lot of hype over the last year. The AI is sharper, the animations are better, the fight feels more fair, and the game takes risks that make it feel fresh.

