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.

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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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

55%

Audience ScoreBased on 62 reviews

graphics10 positive mentions

The game features improved graphics and a new kill cam, enhancing the visual experience and adding excitement to gameplay.
The tactical gameplay remains engaging, with new command options that allow for more strategic planning and execution.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and have made efforts to address issues through patches.

The controls and UI are clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to execute commands and navigate the game effectively.
The multiplayer functionality is severely lacking, with a low player base making it hard to find matches.
Many players feel that the game does not offer enough new content compared to the original, making it feel more like a reskin than a true sequel.

graphics
34 mentions
29 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the updated visuals and smoother gameplay, while others feel the new art style is less mature and can detract from gameplay clarity. Some users noted that the graphics are a significant improvement over the original, but they also criticized the user interface for being cluttered and less intuitive. Overall, while the graphics are generally seen as a positive change, they come with some trade-offs in terms of clarity and control.
- “Very nice and clean graphics, smooth gameplay and not a single issue.”
- “Love the new graphics, especially the kill cam.”
- “I love the graphics, they are so much better than the original.”
- “New art style is a bit juvenile, older art more mature.”
- “While the new graphics are pretty, they do much to cloud the precision of the original game.”
- “New graphics, replay system - but somehow far less charming and far more constrictive than the first through an attempt to be intuitive/minimalist.”
story
16 mentions
19 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it confusing and lacking proper context, often describing it as an "incomprehensible mess." While some appreciate the length of the campaign and the background information provided, others feel that the narrative fails to engage, making the gameplay feel more like a board game than a cohesive experience. Overall, the story appears to be a weak point, overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and mission satisfaction.
- “While I don't need an epic backstory penned by a best-selling novelist to enjoy games, I need some reason to play the campaign or it just feels like a board game.”
- “The story seems a bit more to the point too, I think.”
- “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.”
- “At least one pivotal mission is missing from the campaign.”
- “Part of it comes down to the story, which is an incomprehensible mess of pronouns without proper context and backstory.”
- “The story is so bad.”
gameplay
16 mentions
31 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its smoothness and stunning multiplayer experience, while others criticize the lack of significant innovations and clunky controls. Many players noted that it feels like a rehash of the previous game, with only minor tweaks and a gamepad-oriented interface, leading to frustration for those accustomed to different control schemes. Overall, while the core mechanics remain solid, the updates are seen as insufficient to justify the price.
- “The gameplay (particularly in multiplayer) is simply stunning.”
- “Very nice and clean graphics, smooth gameplay and not a single issue.”
- “The gameplay itself is pretty cool.”
- “I'll never understand why they didn't map the camera to WASD or some other solution, but either way the gameplay turned out to be far more frustrating as a result.”
- “I am a little disappointed in actual gameplay additions.”
- “Shittier UI, clunky controls, very minor gameplay tweaks that do not merit the price tag.”
music
10 mentions
30 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its moody and immersive quality, effectively enhancing the gameplay experience. While some players find it exceptional and plan to purchase the soundtrack, others feel it fits well within the game's futuristic style but may not be as outstanding as others suggest. Overall, the soundtrack retains the charm of the original while incorporating new elements, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “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!).”
- “The music is great, the multiplayer is tense and it's one of the best tactical games to come out in forever.”
- “The story, missions, music, gameplay - it's mostly the same game.”
- “The port has some issues but I still love the combined soundtracks, the new graphics and the kill cams.”
- “That being said, this game does have some nice touches: it has all the charm of the original game, and plays a bit more realistically (you can't just have units spasm between looking in multiple directions) and the music is mostly the same, with a few new additions.”
optimization
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received positive feedback, particularly for the faster outcome calculation and improved grenade physics. However, players expect better adaptation to PC capabilities, such as larger screens and additional functions like VSync, to enhance the overall experience.
- “After 4.5 hours of playing, there are two things that I really like in this remake: optimized outcome calculation (much faster) and grenade 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 (like vsync), then you should make sure that it's optimized accordingly.”