Phantom Doctrine Reviews
Although the first look of Phantom Doctrine reminded me XCOM, I still think it has some different advantages. At least, if you are a fan of spy movies, I am sure you will enjoy this game. Right now it has many flaws indeed, but developers are listening to community's opinions, and working hard to repair.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Phantom Doctrine offers a fascinating tale of secrets and subterfuge, though you'll need to be willing to butt heads with punishing difficult to enjoy it all the way through. Veterans of turn-based tacticals who are looking for a new challenge would do well to check this one out.
I enjoyed the idling moments between missions when I felt like the director of a secret team of spies almost as much as I enjoyed directing the spies on the ground, and the overall experience is one I'd recommend to any fan of turn-based tactics or cold war skullduggery.
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.
Clearly, fans of the genre, especially those that prefer to play on console as opposed to PC, should give PD a serious look. If you're on the fence about diving into the genre, and your committed, this is also a great way to jump in, just expect some frustrations along the way.available
Phantom Doctrine's biggest issue is that it compares unfavorably to X-COM. That doesn't make it a bad game, but it emphasizes X-COM's tight design. With Phantom Doctrine, you end up feeling like everything's a touch too unfocused. The metagame is interesting but messy. The combat is filled with interesting ideas but weaker execution. A lot of this may sound really negative, but I had fun with Phantom Doctrine. Fans of X-COM-style games will absolutely find it to be worth playing; it just has so much potential that it's easy to zero in on the little things that it does wrong. Hopefully, for a sequel, the developer can polish up the flaws to create a true competitor to Firaxis's sci-fi adventure.
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.
Even with its multiple problems, I can't deny that Phantom Doctrine presents a unique and enjoyable take on turn-based SRPGs.
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.
A Cold War XCOM clone with enemy spies instead of aliens, Phantom Doctrine is a largely enjoyable strategy title. The awareness system means you have more control over the flow of combat, and the setting is well presented, rife with atmosphere and charm. However, the punishing difficulty and steep learning curve do take the edge off things every now and then.
All in all, Phantom Doctrine is good tactical action game with a great spy culture motif. It's perfect for people who like their spy stories grounded in reality, but also appreciate the subtle approach to world dominating super criminals introduced by modern Bond films like Spectre. CreativeForge succeeds at taking lessons from its previous game, Hard West, and updating the formula. Even if that formula is ultimately a less elegant, less original version of the most popular game in the genre.
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.
You should play the Phantom Doctrine. Even if you are not a devoted fan of the genre. The pre-release version of game had a lot of bugs, but some have already been fixed. The climate of Cold War and spy cinema is a big advantage.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Phantom Doctrine will pull you in so hard you won't even notice when the night has gone by. It provides lots of fun thanks to some cool ideas and good implementation, but at the same time, it can also be very frustrating. If not for the cheating AI, we would have been taking about a truly wonderful game.
Review in Polish | Read full review
It could be great XCOM style turn-based strategy from Cold War era. Management of operations is great, but combat with absurd ballistics is disappointment.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
It's nice to see a studio try to tackle genres with hugely successful games such as XCOM while doing their own thing. I don't think CreativeForge have made a good effort with Phantom Doctrine , but they do fall short from being able to make a run at taking the crown from the big boys. I'm sure the study will take what they've learned from this project and improve on things for either a sequel or a new take on the genre.
So in the end would I recommend Phantom Doctrine to fans of tactical or strategy games? Absolutely.
Despite the few bugs here and there, Phantom Doctrine represents an ingenious use of the XCOM formula in an enticing setting with a plot that’s as deep as you want it to be. With an excellent soundtrack, an intentionally drab yet appealing art style and a charismatic charm to it, it’s certainly a better-than-average turn based game. If you’re a fan of XCOM and are up for the hefty challenge this game presents, even on its easiest settings, this game will appeal to you. If your patience runs short and you want your fun to be more immediate, leave this game skulking in the shadows.
In conclusion though, if you are in the market for a super detailed, super hard strategy game, look no further. With a gripping cold war storyline up there with classic spy novels, Phantom Doctrine is a worthy game