Phantom Doctrine

Phantom Doctrine
Developer(s)	CreativeForge Games
Publisher(s)	Good Shepherd Entertainment
Composer(s)	Marcin Przybyłowicz Jan Sanejko
Engine	Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)	Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release	Windows, PlayStation 4 August 14, 2018 Xbox One August 24, 2018 Nintendo Switch June 6, 2019
Genre(s)	Strategy
Mode(s)	Single and multiplayer

Phantom Doctrine is a strategic turn-based espionage thriller game developed by Polish studio CreativeForge Games and published by Good Shepherd Entertainment in 2018. The game tries to capture the subtle intrigue of classic spy films, while thrusting the player into a mysterious world of covert operations, counterintelligence, conspiracy and paranoia.^[1]

Plot[]

Set in 1983 Phantom Doctrine takes place in an alternative Cold War where brainwashing is a real danger and a global conspiracy controls the world. The player takes on the role of a former CIA, KGB or Mossad agent.^[2] While leading a secret organization known only as The Cabal, the player is drawn into a global conspiracy. By carrying out secret missions, investigating classified files, and interrogating enemy agents, a sinister plot is uncovered that will eventually lead into a counter-conspiracy to stop the group known as Beholder Initiative.^[1][3]

Gameplay[]

The game is divided between global strategy management elements utilizing the base and world map screens, intel investigation, and tactical missions. There is also Extended Playthrough mode (unlockable after beating the game) where the player will learn more about what happened behind the scenes.^[3]

Hideout[]

Here the player manages resources, can build new or upgrade existing facilities, hire new agents or assign hired agents to perform different tasks. Agents can craft various items, forge money, train new proficiencies, heal in the infirmary, or analyze obtained intel.^[4]

Danger level is the indicator of how close the Beholder Initiative is to finding the location of the player's hideout, which will eventually end in an enemy raid unless the location is changed. Danger cannot be decreased, only controlled. Various activities can increase its level like abandoning agents in missions, allowing enemy agents to complete their activity, or recruiting double agents.^[3]

MK Ultra is one of the most notable unlockable facilities. It provides players with direct control over captured enemy agents by granting them a choice to perform different tasks such as brainwashing, interrogation, etc. Although the game, before this facility is built, provides immediate and cost-free interrogation of captured agents, the MK Ultra option is more rewardable but also cost and time-dependent.

Espionage Network[]

This is the hub showing the world map. Here the player can send agents to scout suspicious activities, seek enemy agents or carry out missions. It also provides direct control of in-game time progression.

Investigation Board[]

Here cases, locations, and individuals can be researched to reveal new missions, resources, and technologies. Utilizing a classic pinboard and string approach, players scour the documents for matching codewords while connecting the dots on the corkboard.

Missions[]

Handled turn-based, missions have two modes: infiltration and combat mode.^[1]

Infiltration mode allows the player to sneak into a location, stealthily complete an objective, and extract whilst undetected. Since most missions start in this mode, it also gives the player a chance to search and explore the map, learn enemy patterns and routines, locate enemy agents, and make strategic planning.

Combat mode is usually triggered by the player, since most missions start as infiltration. Various things like unsuppressed fire, dead bodies found by civilians or enemies, etc. will trigger the alarm thus activating the combat mode. At this point, reinforcements start arriving, player agents catch heat, and the enemy openly engages combat.

Combat[]

Phantom Doctrine takes a new approach on turn-based tactics by almost complete removing die rolls for its combat solutions. Every character has awareness, a mechanic that represents the character's stoicism during a firefight. This resource is both used to perform special abilities and to dodge incoming attacks, and it regenerates every turn by a certain amount.^[5]

When attacked, a target undergoes an awareness check that can result in a dodge, that will neglect incoming damage, or a graze, that will mitigate incoming damage (additional factors, such as armor, can mitigate the damage further). Upon this, a certain amount of awareness is spent.

Characters[]

All agents have four stats (circulatory, sensory, respiratory, motoric) that will determine their hit points, awareness, action points, etc. They also have perks, some of them may be hidden until certain missions and challenges are accomplished, and backgrounds that determine their starting weapon proficiencies and abilities. As agents gain experience they level up, thus gaining new perks that the player can choose freely from a given choice of four. Through training, they gain proficiency in various weapons which will increase their weapon efficiency and allow them to install weapon mods.

Player agents may also accrue heat if their evacuation is compromised, through combat, or if they're seen on Infiltration missions. Heat decreases over time unless it reaches its max, at which point their ID is exposed meaning they will need to forge a new one. Agents with maxed heat will take longer to travel across the world map, and may be ambushed when idle outside the hideout.^[3]

Length of game-play[]

A single-player campaign takes about 40 hours to complete.^[6]

Replayability[]

Through randomly generated characters, algorithmically populated and adapted maps, and randomized intelligence snippets a unique experience is granted with every playthrough.^[1] Also, possibility of playing a CIA, KGB, or Mossad agent promises making three playthroughs different.^[6]

Reception[]

Mike Epstein from IGN enjoyed feeling "like a genuine spymaster". He considered "weighing the risks and rewards" of the player's actions exciting, however he finds investigating intelligence provided by informants "somewhat less exciting". He both appreciates information-gathering in the game and finds it the game's weakest component. He believes good preparation for the mission gives satisfaction. The IGN reviewer agrees that the game creates "a paranoid, desperate experience which feels pitch-perfect for a spy game."^[13]

GameSpot reviewer also praises the feeling of paranoia in the game: "Tension and suspicion are ingrained throughout Phantom Doctrine to great effect. Its isometric turn-based combat system is rewardingly complex, steeped with the feeling of paranoia, where every variable decision and tactic needs to be carefully considered".^[6]

The Guardian gave the game two out of five stars, criticizing the game for not teaching the player fundamental aspects of how to play.^[4] Jeff Marchiafava from Game Informer agrees that the game is not explained well, however he writes: "the puzzle pieces slowly fell into place the longer I played". He enjoys the missions, but writes that they get repetitive, as safe strategy is also tedious. He also enjoyed managing base and agents, but complained the agents lack personality.^[11]

Evan Lahti of PC Gamer agrees that the agents lack identity ("all pick from the same perks and weapon training and can carry any weapon"). He praises the plot, which mixes a fictional conspiracy with Cold War, and thinks that if the events were more frequent or had more permanent effect the agents might "have felt like genuine characters with histories, not collections of stats behind a portrait". He sums up: "It sucks that so many of Phantom Doctrine's good ideas are underdeveloped." and scores the game 62 out of 100.^[15]

Jeremy Peel of PCGamesN writes that the developer "has absolutely nailed the atmosphere of Cold War genre fiction".^[16] In contrary to the PC Gamer's reviewer, according to whom a certain combination of agents' perks allows to go around unnoticed and feels like having a cheat code,^[15] Jeremy Peel is glad the missions can be finished without raising alarms.^[16] Also, while the PCGamer's reviewer praises the mini-game with analysing documents and calls it "strangely captivating",^[15] the PCGamesN reviewer feels it is unchallenging and is a missed opportunity for storytelling.^[16] In the end Jeremy Peel of PCGamesN gives the score of 7.^[16]

Push Square reviewer feels the mechanism of investigations in the game "really adds to the atmosphere of Cold War conspiracy" and seems to like the macro-management in the game, calls it "the real meat of the campaign". However he feels that during missions the stealth approach "is painfully slow", while the combat "can sometimes feel cheap and frustrating". In the end he scores the game 7 out of 10.^[17]

Joel A. DeWitte of NintendoWorldReport likes lack of dice rolls, while noting that it may disturb the players who "prefer the additional chance". However he does not like loading times (on Switch), noting that they "can mess with gameplay flow".^[14]

GameStar's reviewer likes graphics: things like flair of a secret agent, weather and light effects as well as hand-drawn cut-scenes, however he notes that the graphics do not change much, even though the agents travel all over the world. As far as the atmosphere is concerned he praises "well-spoken radio-messages", but calls the narrative "too confused" and "not exciting enough", however he appreciates that the agents in the game have their own life.

The reviewer appreciates complexity of expanding the player's organisation's base. However, he writes about deciphering evidence in the game: "This mini-game is really fun at first, but becomes increasingly annoying after a few hours."

As far as the missions are concerned, the GameStar's reviewer finds them lacking variety, but appreciates the player can "solve almost every mission in different ways". However the reviewer has a number of complains: the player's enemy knows what the civilians can see, enemy reinforcements appear endlessly, it happens that they appear next to the player's agents in the getaway car, the weapons' range is not shown. Also, sneaking is too hard at the beginning of the game, and later it's too easy. However, the reviewer notes the developers are working on improvements.^[12]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website