Phoenix Point

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,484 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Phoenix Point Game Cover
An SRPG big hitter just got bigger, but did it get better? If you are up to the challenge, this is the best the genre has to offer on PS4.
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In Phoenix Point, lead the Phoenix Project to reconquer a post-apocalyptic Earth overrun by mutating aliens. Manage resources, research new technologies, and build your bases to dominate the battlefield. Shape your strategy through diplomacy or combat with various human factions, all vying for survival and power in a ruined world.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Game Pass
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,484 reviews
story202 positive mentions
grinding149 negative mentions
  • Innovative aiming system allows for targeting specific body parts, enhancing tactical gameplay.
  • Engaging story with multiple factions and evolving enemies adds depth and replayability.
  • Challenging gameplay that requires strategic planning and resource management.
  • Game suffers from balance issues, with enemies quickly outpacing player capabilities.
  • Tedious inventory management and UI can detract from the overall experience.
  • Repetitive missions and lack of significant progression can lead to player fatigue.
  • story1,312 mentions

    The story of "Phoenix Point" is generally viewed as a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its unique premise involving a virus and the struggle for humanity's survival, while others find it convoluted and lacking depth compared to the narrative richness of the "XCOM" series. Many reviews highlight the repetitive nature of missions, which can detract from the overall engagement with the story, as players often feel they are grinding through similar objectives without significant narrative payoff. Additionally, the game's pacing and mission design can lead to frustration, particularly in the late game, where difficulty spikes and resource management issues overshadow the story's potential.

    • “The depth of Phoenix Point lies not only in its gripping storyline but also in its rich gameplay mechanics.”
    • “Amazing game, amazing progress, amazing story... much better than the new XCOM series.”
    • “The story is engaging, the threat is interesting, and the Lovecraftian elements are great.”
    • “The story is needlessly complex and, to me, uninteresting.”
    • “The story is mediocre.”
    • “The plot is a big weak point of the game with the factions contributing little to anything.”
  • gameplay720 mentions

    The gameplay of *Phoenix Point* has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its innovative mechanics such as the free aim system and the ability to target specific body parts, which add depth to tactical combat. However, criticisms focus on the game's inconsistency, tedious resource management, and unbalanced mechanics that can lead to frustrating experiences. While some players find the gameplay engaging and challenging, others feel it lacks the polish and excitement of its predecessor, *XCOM*, often resulting in repetitive missions and a steep learning curve.

    • “The free aim mechanic is unique and adds to the gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is solid as well.”
    • “With its challenging gameplay, variety of enemies and weapons, and impactful decision-making, it offers a rewarding experience for fans of the genre.”
    • “The gameplay is just boring.”
    • “Overall the game is just a mess where you can't really plan any tactics because mechanics are too broken/inconsistent.”
    • “Normal gameplay is frustrating and what could have been a good game for some concepts and story becomes infuriating because of the mechanics.”
  • graphics165 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the art direction and overall visual quality, while others criticize it for being outdated and poorly optimized. Many users note that the graphics do not match the standards set by contemporary titles like XCOM 2, with issues such as simplistic models, cluttered UI, and graphical glitches detracting from the experience. Overall, while some find the visuals appealing and immersive, others feel they fall short, lacking the polish and dynamism expected from a modern strategy game.

    • “The graphics are excellent and battle variances is always different.”
    • “The graphics portray the world and the horrors of the pandorans very well, however I personally wasn't a fan of the art style of the soldier types and factions; they seemed kind of generic.”
    • “The graphics are very good, and the character development allows a wider range of squad makeup.”
    • “The cut scenes are just a slideshow with no animations, the game doesn't look like it was made recently (graphics meh), the base management looks like a mobile game and is literally a 1-1 rip off of the management from XCOM but way worse.”
    • “This would have benefited from removing at least one faction, choosing a stylistic and easy to recognize art style, as the colors of all the map objects just bleed together. The models themselves are simplistic, which is good, but the painted textures are too busy with too many details, making everything a muddy mess that makes finding your soldiers and aliens like a Where's Waldo book.”
    • “The graphics are mostly ugly compared to other games in the Unity engine. The color palette of the maps is hideous, with a mix of browns, grays, and murky greens starkly contrasted to the vibrant colors of XCOM 2. Basically, every map in Phoenix Point looks like the ruined, lost infected city maps in War of the Chosen, and the character customization is a joke compared to XCOM 2.”
  • grinding150 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being tedious and unfulfilling, with many players expressing frustration over repetitive missions, excessive resource management, and a lack of meaningful rewards. While some players appreciate the depth and complexity of the systems, the overwhelming consensus is that the game becomes a slog in the mid to late stages, detracting from the overall enjoyment and engagement. Ultimately, the grind is seen as a significant drawback that overshadows the game's potential.

    • “This game has so many systems and layers interlinked with each other, and almost all of them feel balanced with the right relation between risk and reward. They feel like they have a purpose, they do not feel the same, and they are mostly not tedious. There is also a right balance of systems you are forced to participate in and optional systems that you can opt in and out of with the corresponding advantages and disadvantages.”
    • “After 20 hours - all the bugs, the horrible geoscape UI, and tedious combat missions with nonsensical tactical design and the grind, omg, the grind - I just gave up.”
    • “The archaeology missions are just tedious, that pisses through ammo and risks your best units for small rewards.”
    • “The mid and late game becomes very tedious and more of a chore than a game.”
  • stability84 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some users noted improvements over time, many still encountered game-breaking issues, such as freezing during missions and visual glitches, leading to frustration and immersion-breaking moments. Overall, the game is perceived as lacking polish and stability, making it a challenging experience for players.

    • “Runs great on macOS Monterey.”
    • “In the only difficulty I've played (Veteran - Normal), it felt pretty good and not buggy at all.”
    • “Never get an early access game; a game needs to be properly finished and bug-free in order to enjoy it.”
    • “The game is a buggy slog... it has potential to be good, but it's not very well polished, and just too long.”
    • “Getting crashes, freezes, and so on to the point where I have to force restart, log off, and so on.”
    • “Bugs, freezes, and crashes are everywhere: enemies will constantly loop animations for some reason, death animations don't play sometimes, and an enemy's model will just be stuck after death.”
  • music80 mentions

    The music in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players describing it as basic, uninspiring, and lacking in variety. Critics note that the soundtrack fails to enhance the atmosphere or engage players during gameplay, often leading them to mute it entirely in favor of other soundtracks. While some appreciate the ambient elements, the overall consensus is that the music does not contribute positively to the gaming experience.

    • “An eerie, tense soundtrack plays on both the geoscape and in the tactical battle portions.”
    • “While in XCOM, the music was so dope it kept me hyped during encounters/missions.”
    • “The music is dark and occasionally suspenseful enough to draw you into that zone of concern and excitement.”
    • “The soundtrack is basic, which doesn't help to set the mood, making the gameplay feel very inorganic.”
    • “There is barely any music, with extremely slow ambient sounds dropped here and there; 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' has a better tempo than all the music in the game.”
    • “I never fully appreciated how much the music can help the mood and experience of the game until I found it so utterly lacking in this game.”
  • replayability48 mentions

    Overall, the game offers a solid level of replayability, primarily due to its customization options, randomized elements, and multiple factions that encourage different strategies and play styles. While some players feel it doesn't quite match the replayability of the XCOM series, many appreciate the variety of paths to victory and the potential for diverse gameplay experiences. Frequent updates and mod support further enhance its replay value, making it an engaging choice for fans of the genre.

    • “Fantastic game, great replayability.”
    • “The different factions and technologies give Phoenix Point a very good replayability for both tactics and strategies.”
    • “Balancing is an issue but if you want a genuine challenge on any difficulty this is a great game and I feel like there are loads of different ways to play and tactics to play making this extremely replayable.”
    • “However, I would say the game does lack somewhat in replayability, especially with the lack of available maps.”
    • “But it just doesn't quite have the replayability of the XCOM series.”
    • “The combination of current state + DLCs + console direction + no real workshop/mod/community unfortunately indicates the game will continue on a linear path towards simple and quite guided playthroughs, whereas I'd champion variety and replayability.”
  • atmosphere41 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its dark, immersive vibe and strong art style, which evokes a Lovecraftian feel. However, criticisms arise regarding the lackluster music and sound design, which detracts from the overall experience, leading to a sense of repetitiveness and diminished engagement. While some find the atmosphere compelling and atmospheric events enriching, others feel it lacks depth and polish compared to similar titles like XCOM.

    • “The art style and atmosphere is amazing.”
    • “But the end result is a wonderfully pervasive atmosphere of Lovecraft-inspired near-future sci-fi.”
    • “Excellent, atmospheric and involving game.”
    • “Music should give the atmosphere to the game; this game had none.”
    • “The music is lackluster wannabe EDM techno-esque nonsense that doesn't fit the atmosphere, mood, or setting.”
    • “And how utterly half-assed the atmosphere and believability of the maps and missions feel.”
  • optimization32 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant performance issues, particularly on older hardware and macOS systems, leading to stuttering and glitches. While some users report good performance on newer graphics cards and improvements since release, others highlight persistent bugs and poor menu performance. Overall, the game appears to be better optimized for high-end systems, but many players still experience frustrating technical problems that detract from the gameplay experience.

    • “The optimization for newer graphics cards is fantastic.”
    • “Technical performance is vastly improved from release.”
    • “A lot of options and good performance.”
    • “The worst thing though that just outright pissed me off was the constant stuttering of time.”
    • “It's building on XCOM 2 mechanics, but runs with poor performance.”
    • “As I went through my first campaign, I encountered more and more bugs along with gradually degrading performance, culminating in progress being reverted after every mission and eventually the game being hard locked on the world map with no ability to interact.”
  • humor25 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of unintentional comedic moments stemming from gameplay mechanics, such as soldiers' inaccuracies and animation bugs, which can break immersion but also provide laughs. Players find humor in the absurdity of certain situations, like misclicks leading to disastrous outcomes, and the over-the-top nature of enemies and political themes. Overall, while the game has its frustrations, many reviewers appreciate the comedic elements that arise from its chaotic gameplay and design flaws.

    • “I slipped up, misclicked and chucked a grenade in a room missing the window, and dropping right in front of half my team... was tragic yet humorous.”
    • “I guess if you start role playing as a kind of clandestine terrorist group exploiting an alien invasion for profit then it becomes kind of funny.”
    • “The pandorans, the alien threat you fight, start off hilariously weak.”
  • emotional7 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with players noting a lack of meaningful connections to characters and a thin overarching narrative that fails to engage. While some find humor in the absurdity of gameplay moments, the overall experience is described as tedious and punishing, making it difficult to form emotional attachments to soldiers or bases. The limited NPCs and insufficient dramatic hooks further detract from the potential for emotional investment.

    • “Apart from the fact that I managed to get Tyrone to run 2 kilometers and bash in 16 separate skulls in the first round of combat simply by giving him a bat and some emotional support, pretty balanced and fun.”
    • “It's tedious, and I know it says expect to lose people, but it's brutal, and unless you want to spam save every turn, you can forget having any emotional attachment to anyone.”
    • “There are few NPCs to provide emotional content and a very thin overarching story that doesn't have enough dramatic hooks to keep you invested in a story.”
  • character development6 mentions

    Character development in the game is seen as lacking depth and cohesion, with a need for better integration between gameplay mechanics and narrative. However, some players appreciate the system's functionality, noting that training enhances skills and allows for diverse squad compositions, making character development feel necessary and manageable. Overall, while there are positive aspects, significant improvements are still needed.

    • “Their choices on character development and global management options made it feel actually necessary, desirable, and not unmanageable to have multiple functional tactical teams.”
    • “The graphics are very good, and the character development allows a wider range of squad makeup.”
    • “Character development could use some work.”
    • “Until a developer figures out that chess tactical gameplay and strategy gameplay has to matter in character development and story where they must unify with one another.”
    • “Training adds points to a pool that allows activation of a skill as well as character development.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization strategy of Phoenix Point has been criticized for being exploitative, with unnecessary DLC and an overpriced marketplace that detracts from the gameplay experience. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the game's data collection practices, which involve sharing user information with third-party marketing companies for targeted advertising.

    • “Phoenix Point, the poster child of the Epic Game Store cash grab.”
    • “The DLC adds features that weren't really needed. Air combat is so simplistic as to be insulting, and the marketplace is so expensive as to be useless.”
    • “It also states that they will be giving your information to third-party marketing businesses to target ads to you based on your browser data that they will be mining.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

Buy Phoenix Point

Play time

43hMedian play time
133hAverage play time
12-130hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 41 analyzed playthroughs

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