Review for Phantom Doctrine. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 14/08/2018
It was June, we were in Los Angeles for E3 2018 and it was pretty hot when we tried Phantom Doctrine, a game that from the first glance inevitably ends up being classified as "XCOM but in a spy story". And for the first dozen hours of play the comparison is all too true: you shoot a lot and spy little, the difference only seems to be in the graphic aspect. After the trauma, however, the scenario changes: you begin to understand the mechanics, you unlock new things, you begin to understand the possibilities, you finally grasp the potential and the beauty of the game. An imperfect pearl that takes some time to appreciate, but which ultimately took us in almost 70 hours of infiltrations, kidnappings, subterfuges, experiments, torture and executions.
Let's pretend that most of the Cold War conspiracy theories are true, and that the tensions between the US and the USSR are nothing more than a facade for much larger occult powers: these are the alternative 80s in which Phantom Doctrine is set, a game that makes mystery its workhorse. At the beginning of the game you have the option to choose whether to impersonate a KGB or CIA agent (to add a Mossad agent, a faction that can only be unlocked after finishing the game), a choice that will change the first missions of the game but the totality of history, which beyond a certain point converges in any case in a common branch. Phantom Doctrine obviously has many similarities with XCOM: there is a turn-based combat system with a limited number of movements and actions for each character, there is a base to manage and expand, there are agents to recruit and grow there. is a world map for carrying out missions, with the story going on by completing certain operations and researches.
The beginning of the game is far from captivating: the first tutorial mission explains the basics necessary to understand how the turns and the combat system work in broad terms, without going into detail about the many statistics involved and leaving the player rather oblivious less basic things, especially outside of missions. For those who have not read any preview of the game, moreover, it is impossible to imagine the amount of strategic possibilities offered in the long run: you can see some options not unlocked in the various menus, but they are in minimal quantity compared to those that actually appear, prompting the less patient to get bored quickly for the simple fear of the repetition of the game. The first missions, in fact, push the players to send agents in dangerous situations without basic equipment (such as silencers for weapons) and unable to obtain valuable information (such as the position of the cameras): being a spy game, the missions they provide for a first infiltration phase in which agents can move freely outside the forbidden areas and out of sight of enemy agents.
The second phase is combat, but it is generally discouraged: opening fire without silencers, being discovered in forbidden areas or making suspicious moves are part of the actions that will cause the alarm to go off, blowing off cover and sparking everyone's reaction. the enemies present, which will be supported by endless waves of reinforcements (ie additional agents and even aerial bombardments). As you can easily guess, the clash is as much discouraged as you are inexperienced in the game, but at the same time the game itself makes it almost impossible to avoid it in the early stages, making the difficulty curve very steep. Missions also do not help immersion in the title: except for those relating to story progress, most routine (randomly generated) missions repeat the same set of maps and objectives - eliminating an enemy agent or rescuing an informant - sometimes interspersed with assaults on opposing bases, even these however potentially too complex for novice players.
Out of the battles, the title develops with mechanisms known to the genre but with a reading key appropriate to the setting. The advancement of the game is primarily through the collection and analysis of information, carried out by rescuing informers, capturing enemy agents, stealing documents and drawing conclusions through a blackboard where to connect them together. The economy is based on the buying and selling of items and the creation of counterfeit money, which can be spent on training agents, hiring new ones, buying weapons and equipment, building new facilities or improving existing ones. As you discover new skills, objects and structures, the tactical possibilities offered expand exponentially: you begin to find silencers and to be able to use disguises for your agents, making infiltration feasible; new ways are discovered to solve occasional missions without necessarily having to intervene personally; it turns out that we can kidnap enemy agents and carry out various treatments on them to make them useful to our cause; all the procedures already known are improved by increasing income, decreasing the danger, and so on.
It is by unlocking new options that the game begins to be fun. Capturing opposing agents, for example, is one of the most intriguing parts of the experience: you can capture one after you stun it during a mission, take it to your base, interrogate it for information, plant a transmitter and release it to discover an enemy base. or brainwash him and convert him to your cause, and more. But beware: this can happen to you too. One of the most interesting aspects of Phantom Doctrine, in fact, is the incredible flexibility of the agents, and the adventure must be tackled strictly by accepting the consequences of each action and without abusing the rescue system. Unlike XCOM, losing a mission (or one or more agents) does not compromise the campaign: as long as they have not been killed, the agents missing on a mission (because they passed out or because they were left behind when fleeing) could be able to save themselves and return at the base independently, or they can be captured giving you the opportunity to go and rescue them (provided you find out where they are locked up). Even if these are lost forever, however, recruitable agents are often better than those previously found, allowing you to not have to emotionally attach yourself to older agents. Furthermore, you never know that in reality they are not unconscious traitors who will turn their backs on you as soon as the enemy meets them ...
Phantom Doctrine is a game that must be appreciated in the long run: if you know how to look beyond the initial difficulties and endure a bit of repetition, you will find yourself facing a much more balanced game than XCOM that offers great satisfaction to those who are willing to accept the consequences of each of his actions. Absolutely to try if you are a lover of spy stories and / or strategists, without forgetting that the title is constantly updated and will soon include an editor.
► Phantom Doctrine is a turn-based-RPG-Strategy-Tactical game published by Good Shepherd Entertainment for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 14/08/2018
