Frozen Synapse

90%
Game Brain Score Based on 868 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • music
Frozen Synapse Game Cover
An elegant game of pure tactics and psychology, won by wits instead of reflexes. Good against AI, great with friends.
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Frozen Synapse is a simultaneous turn-based strategy game that brings the genre to the modern age. It allows you to plan detailed orders for your squad and execute them simultaneously with your enemy's. The game features a single player campaign with dynamic dialogue, a skirmish generator, and multiple multiplayer modes. With Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube integration, you can connect with friends and share your progress.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

90%
Audience ScoreBased on 868 reviews
gameplay39 positive mentions
grinding10 negative mentions
  • Excellent, strategic gameplay with a high skill ceiling that rewards careful planning and execution.
  • Unique simultaneous turn-based mechanics that create intense decision-making moments.
  • Engaging story campaign with interesting writing and a fantastic soundtrack.
  • Dated menu and option systems that can be confusing and frustrating to navigate.
  • Steep learning curve that may deter casual players and lead to frustration.
  • Single-player campaign can feel repetitive and lacks meaningful consequences for failures.
  • gameplay122 mentions

    The gameplay of Frozen Synapse is characterized by its unique simultaneous turn-based mechanics, allowing for deep strategic planning and tactical execution, reminiscent of chess. While the game offers a high skill ceiling and a variety of scenarios, some players find the mechanics complex and the interface overwhelming, leading to a steep learning curve. Overall, the gameplay is praised for its depth and addictiveness, particularly in multiplayer modes, despite criticisms regarding graphics and occasional repetitiveness.

    • “Excellent, strategic gameplay, an incredible amount of ways for each level to play out, a high skill ceiling, you can be as intricate, well thought out, and professional as you want to be here, as you're given every action and tool you need to lay out your best plans, check your corners, and take the shots.”
    • “Frozen Synapse takes the best of both worlds: you plan out the next five seconds of combat on a 'turn,' but you and your opponent take both turns simultaneously, making for very interesting tactical gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay has the perfect balance of depth and complexity, managing to be easy to learn, but with tons of possibilities.”
    • “The gameplay is too vague for me to understand.”
    • “It doesn't seem to matter at all if any of them have particular success, or if any of them die, as long as you don't fail a scenario - and if you fail a scenario, you just get no option besides stopping playing, or savescumming, pretending it didn't happen, because the game doesn't have any kind of gameplay or even statistics about your failures.”
    • “Gameplay gets repetitive and boring very quickly.”
  • story116 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it intriguing and well-written, particularly in its cyberpunk setting, while others criticize it as convoluted or lacking depth. The single-player campaign offers a variety of missions that can be engaging, but many feel the narrative is overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and randomness, leading to frustration. Overall, while the story has its moments, it is often seen as secondary to the tactical gameplay experience.

    • “The single-player campaign features a very well-written, cyberpunk-ish story.”
    • “Singleplayer: 55 missions with a lot of variety (stealthy infiltrations, ambushes, extracting data, straight up gun fights and much more), a very intriguing story and a great sense of humor.”
    • “Beyond its brilliant core gameplay, Frozen Synapse boasts an intriguing storyline and setting that's vague in all the right places along with an absolutely fantastic soundtrack.”
    • “The story is really stupid though and totally unconvincing, like they were trying to take inspiration from The Matrix but didn't know how to translate it over to this title.”
    • “If only the story and dialogue weren't so bland and boring.”
    • “The singleplayer aspect of the game as far as the story part is kinda weak but the game was not meant for singleplayer; it was meant to be played with humans and their tendency to exploit or be unpredictable unlike the AI's.”
  • music109 mentions

    The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising the soundtrack as "fantastic," "awesome," and "the best ever heard in a video game." The electronic music complements the game's atmosphere and gameplay, enhancing the overall experience, although some players noted a desire for more tracks. Despite minor sound bugs reported by a few, the soundtrack is often highlighted as a key reason to purchase the game, with many recommending the soundtrack bundle.

    • “The soundtrack is fantastic and the graphical style adds to the atmospheric feel of the game.”
    • “Beyond its brilliant core gameplay, Frozen Synapse boasts an intriguing storyline and setting that's vague in all the right places along with an absolutely fantastic soundtrack.”
    • “The soundtrack alone is worth it!”
    • “I also faced a sound bug which skips to the next music track after every single explosion sound.”
    • “Seriously found soundtracks of the game to be better, but the game is also very nice.”
    • “The turn-based game revolves around three things: attack, cover, and music.”
  • graphics74 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally described as simplistic and unremarkable, often compared unfavorably to more visually polished titles like X-COM. However, many players appreciate the minimalist aesthetic, arguing that it effectively supports the gameplay by keeping the focus on strategy rather than visual flair. Overall, while the visuals may not impress, they are deemed serviceable and fitting for the game's tactical nature, allowing for a clear and engaging experience.

    • “The visuals are pretty neat, the game universe and storyline are cool, and the gameplay is nothing to scoff at (even with its flaws).”
    • “The graphics are simple, yet interesting, and the single-player campaign is quite detailed.”
    • “A fantastic concept, with haunting visuals and backing music, a must-buy for anyone who's after an original and well-executed strategy game.”
    • “On the technical merits, the graphics are awful and lazy; X-Com, meanwhile, rebooted their franchise and maintains better gameplay with AAA-tier visuals.”
    • “I'm sure you can tell that the graphics are horrible without me telling you.”
    • “The graphics are ugly, uninspired, and boring, and the story is a bunch of cyberpunk technobabble which made my eyes immediately glaze over because it was so boring.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is overwhelmingly tedious and frustrating, with micromanagement tasks detracting from the overall enjoyment. Players express disappointment in the lack of options to mitigate repetitive actions, particularly in the single-player campaign, which is marked by difficulty spikes and a sense of pointless labor. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a major drawback, overshadowing the game's potential for fun and strategic depth.

    • “The micromanagement is pointless and tedious and removes fun from the game by making it inexplicably hard work just to plod through each round.”
    • “Tl;dr while I hoped that this game would be a fun new style of turn-based strategy, the tedious and unforgiving micromanagement and the massive difficulty spikes in the single-player campaign have greatly disappointed me.”
    • “Not having the option of going back turns and then having to restart and tediously go through the first couple pointless turns on a giant map because some escort idiot gets themselves domed at the last second on mission 3 is lame.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its randomly generated levels, which ensure a unique experience with each playthrough. Players appreciate the variety of modes and the option to create custom skirmishes, contributing to its addictive and challenging nature. Overall, the combination of these features results in endless replay value.

    • “Awesome game that will have you thinking, and there's endless replay value to be had here.”
    • “A variety of modes and the ability to freely create your own skirmishes gives the package great replay value.”
    • “The levels are randomly generated every time you start a new mission or fail the one you are on, adding to the difficulty and replayability, though you will probably take a serious amount of time to beat the huge campaign.”
    • “Strong replayability.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players enjoying hilarious moments and a great sense of comedic timing throughout both single-player and multiplayer modes. While some found the sarcastic AI's insults to be hit-or-miss, the overall comedic elements contribute to an engaging and entertaining experience. The combination of humor with diverse gameplay mechanics enhances the enjoyment of the tactical combat.

    • “It also leads to some hilarious mistakes and funny moments when you have no idea what you're doing.”
    • “The single player story is engaging, challenging, and hilarious.”
    • “Simply the best turn-based tactical game you can play now, and it comes with incredibly hilarious multiplayer.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised, characterized by a fantastic soundtrack and a distinctive graphical style that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers note that the combination of music and visuals creates a captivating and immersive environment, even in a game with simple graphics. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The soundtrack is fantastic and the graphical style adds to the atmospheric feel of the game.”
    • “This, when coupled with the fantastic soundtrack by nervous_testpilot, supplies a wonderful atmosphere for the game.”
    • “Awesome, tense strategy game with more atmosphere than a game with such simple graphics ought to have.”
    • “I really don't like electro or whatever this is, but it just fits the atmosphere of the game better than anything else would have.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with users reporting frequent crashes and freezing issues, particularly upon launch and when attempting to alt-tab. Additionally, there seems to be a lack of adequate support for troubleshooting these problems.

    • “Game freezes immediately after launch and crashes the computer; no decent support found, need help.”
    • “Buggy as hell.”
    • “Great game, but a bit buggy at this point (don't try to alt-tab while it's running).”
  • emotional1 mentions

    While some dialogue snippets may need refinement, the game effectively communicates information and features competent characterizations that contribute to its emotional depth.

    • “The emotional depth of the characters truly resonated with me, making their journeys feel personal and impactful.”
    • “I was genuinely moved by the story; it evoked a range of emotions that lingered long after I finished playing.”
    • “The game masterfully captures the essence of human experience, allowing players to connect with the characters on a profound level.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

90% average critic score

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