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Frozen Synapse Prime

Frozen Synapse Prime marries classic turn-based action with thoughtful design like turn previews and asynchronous multiplayer. Graphics can be bland, and design frustrations wear at the experience, but it's a satisfying strategy romp made better with friends.
Frozen Synapse Prime Game Cover
60%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
optimization, grinding
58% User Score Based on 196 reviews
Critic Score 70%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Playstation 3PCTabletAndroidPhoneiPadMobile PlatformiPhoneWindowsPlayStationPlaystation Vita
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Frozen Synapse Prime Game Cover

About

Frozen Synapse Prime is a single player and multiplayer tactical shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Double Eleven and was released on September 24, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

Frozen Synapse Prime is a reimagined turn-based strategy game where you lead a rebel faction to overthrow a controlling corporation. Command futuristic soldiers across destructible, customizable battlefields in single and multiplayer modes. The campaign features 40+ challenging missions set in a dystopian future, while multiplayer options include asynchronous and synchronous play, player matchmaking, and customizable matches.

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Frozen Synapse Prime screenshot
Frozen Synapse Prime screenshot
Frozen Synapse Prime screenshot
Frozen Synapse Prime screenshot
Frozen Synapse Prime screenshot
Frozen Synapse Prime screenshot
Frozen Synapse Prime screenshot
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58%
Audience ScoreBased on 196 reviews
graphics21 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • The core gameplay remains engaging, allowing for strategic planning and execution that feels rewarding.
  • The new graphics and visual flair enhance the experience, making units and environments feel more tangible.
  • The game introduces new mechanics like the kill cam and improved command options, adding depth to the tactical gameplay.
  • The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to navigate commands and actions effectively.
  • Multiplayer suffers from a thin player base, making it hard to find matches and diminishing the competitive aspect.
  • The campaign's writing is forgettable and detracts from the overall tactical experience, failing to engage players.
  • graphics
    73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the updated visuals and new art style, while others feel that the changes detract from the original's charm and clarity. Many noted that the new graphics, while polished, can sometimes hinder gameplay due to issues with visibility and control. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the graphics are an improvement in terms of detail, they may not suit everyone's preferences, particularly those who favored the minimalist aesthetic of the original.

    • “The graphics are awesome, the GUI looks really cool with its frozen-blue look, and moving your troops is really easy to understand and simple.”
    • “The visuals in this game are absolutely amazing and the music is great.”
    • “I love the graphics; they are so much better than the original.”
    • “This is a remake of Frozen Synapse where the developers changed their schizophrenic minds and decided minimalist graphics weren't good enough after all, so they added low poly/simple/low res textures to the top-down map and a few low poly toons for the different red/blue soldiers.”
    • “The aesthetics are decent - the character models and amount of detail in the levels are average; however, the assets (character models, level design) are extremely repetitive and can get stale quickly.”
    • “While the new graphics are pretty, they do much to cloud the precision of the original game.”
  • gameplay
    55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its strategic depth and addictive mechanics, while others criticize the user interface, controls, and overall fluidity. Many players note that it retains the core elements of the original game, Frozen Synapse, but with minor tweaks and a less engaging campaign. Overall, the gameplay is seen as solid but hampered by technical issues and a lack of significant innovation.

    • “Its a solid game with good mechanics and a challenging campaign.”
    • “Very addictive gameplay which rewards you for careful planning.”
    • “The gameplay is like chess meets worms (with players taking their turns at the same time and seeing the results of their actions afterwards) and is pretty great as you try to predict your opponents' moves and get in their head.”
    • “Game looks bad, the UI is horrible and the gameplay isn't fluid.”
    • “On top of that, the graphics are worse, the gameplay is worse, the UI is bad, and the controls are terrible and not at all intuitive.”
    • “Shittier UI, clunky controls, very minor gameplay tweaks that do not merit the price tag.”
  • story
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in Frozen Synapse Prime is generally viewed as a weak aspect of the game, with many players finding it forgettable, confusing, and poorly integrated into the gameplay. While it attempts to present a dystopian narrative about a rebel organization, the execution is often criticized for lacking coherence and depth, making it feel like an afterthought rather than a compelling backdrop for the tactical gameplay. Overall, the fragmented storytelling and lack of engaging context detract from the overall experience, leaving players feeling disconnected from the campaign.

    • “Has an interesting storyline and the soundtrack is nice.”
    • “The story is good, but nothing special - you act as a member of a rebel organization trying to break the hierarchy of power and oppression in a futuristic world.”
    • “There is a pretty lengthy campaign with a story that has rather confused me more than anything else so far, but I guess if I read every single text I probably would understand more of it, since the game gives a lot of background information about its world.”
    • “The campaign tries to flesh things out with a dystopian storyline, but the writing is forgettable and mostly gets in the way of the tactics.”
    • “Part of it comes down to the story, which is an incomprehensible mess of pronouns without proper context and backstory.”
    • “The story's kind of lame, and the interface through which it gets presented is fragmented and doesn't really engage me as a reader.”
  • music
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its nostalgic quality and how it complements the game's visuals and atmosphere. While some note that the soundtrack is largely the same as the original, it still evokes strong feelings and enhances the gaming experience, though a few players opted to mute it in favor of their own music. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, adding a moody and immersive layer to the gameplay.

    • “I absolutely love the soundtrack.”
    • “It's moody and accompanies you perfectly along with the orders you give, and it would make for some killer background music to a podcast (if you could use it legally for that!).”
    • “Let me tell you, the soundtrack in this game... is something special.... something special indeed.”
    • “The soundtrack is the same as before, so don't get the OST DLC; you're going to be disappointed.”
    • “The music and SFX are alright as well, except for the incredibly loud 'system primed' which you'll hear about 5000 times throughout the game.”
    • “The story, missions, music, gameplay - it's mostly the same game.”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received positive feedback, particularly regarding faster outcome calculations and improved grenade physics. However, some users noted that performance may vary based on the device, with a recommendation for better optimization on PC to take advantage of larger screens and additional features like V-Sync.

    • “If this runs better on your phone/tablet than it did on mine, then I highly recommend it.”
    • “If you bring tablet games to a PC, where the screens are usually larger and you have a couple more functions (vsync, etc.), then you should make sure that it's optimized accordingly.”
    • “I had performance issues with the previous Frozen Synapse on my phone (not surprising considering how cheap that tablet was), but if this runs better on your phone/tablet than it did on mine, then I highly recommend it there.”
    • “After 4.5 hours of playing, there are two things that I really like in this remake: optimized outcome calculation (much faster) and grenade's bouncing physics.”
    • “Not that there's anything wrong with tablet games, but if you bring them to a PC, where the screens are usually larger and you have a couple more functions (vsync, etc.), then you should make sure that it's optimized accordingly.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of Frozen Synapse to be a mix of tediousness and frustration due to its lack of depth and complexity. However, the satisfaction of executing a well-planned strategy effectively can make the effort feel rewarding.

    • “Frozen Synapse isn't deep and complex; it is meticulously tedious and at times infuriatingly unintuitive.”
    • “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
    • “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay engaged, turning what could be exciting gameplay into a monotonous task.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including random freezes that prevent players from alt-tabbing to close the application. Many users express frustration over these glitches, suggesting that the game's current state makes it unworthy of purchase.

    • “Randomly freezes up and doesn't allow you to alt-tab out to close it.”
    • “There is no reason to buy this reskin with glitches added.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players highlight the game's high difficulty level and exceptional replayability, often rating it a perfect 10 in this aspect. This suggests that the game offers enough variety and challenge to encourage multiple playthroughs.

    • “The game itself has great difficulty and replayability.”
    • “Replayability: 10”
  • atmosphere
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in the game is praised for its cool and engaging setting, reminiscent of its predecessor, Frozen Synapse. However, some players find the current iteration less enjoyable, indicating a divide in reception regarding the overall ambiance.

    • “The atmosphere and setting in this game are really cool; I quite enjoyed the previous Frozen Synapse, but this one is simply not bearable for me.”
    • “The atmosphere and setting in this (and the previous Frozen Synapse) is really cool; I quite enjoyed the previous FS, but this is simply not bearable for me.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers express frustration with the monetization strategy, suggesting that the game's focus on advertising detracts from essential features like autosaving, which they feel should be a standard inclusion.

  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users express a strong desire to recommend the game for its emotional impact, but ultimately feel unable to do so, suggesting that while the game may evoke feelings, it may fall short in other critical areas.

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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5h Median play time
29h Average play time
4-78h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Frozen Synapse Prime is a tactical shooter game with science fiction theme.

Frozen Synapse Prime is available on PC, Phone, iPad, iPhone and others.

On average players spend around 29 hours playing Frozen Synapse Prime.

Frozen Synapse Prime was released on September 24, 2014.

Frozen Synapse Prime was developed by Double Eleven.

Frozen Synapse Prime has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its optimization.

Frozen Synapse Prime is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Frozen Synapse, Breach & Clear: Deadline Rebirth, Breach & Clear, Arma Tactics, Iron Harvest and others.