Starting out as either a CIA wet work specialist or a KGB spy hunter, players learn that something doesn't add up. While the Cold War is definitely real, their superiors aren't telling the whole story. Getting closer to the truth has a price, and soon their protagonist ends up running a rogue intelligence operation, outlawed by their own nation and naturally hunted by the other side. The real enemy: a sinister conspiracy with a global reach and no scruples about fanning the flames of the international conflict for its purposes.
Phantom Doctrine's tactical missions play out in a familiar turn-based, grid-based format, albeit with interesting twists: from replacing RNG chance to hit with an additional resource called Awareness, to evade incoming attacks and activate combat abilities. If shooting it out is not your preference, Phantom Doctrine fully supports stealth gameplay: from lockpicks and suppressed weapons, to hand to hand takedowns, you can be the unseen menace.
The strategic part of the game is just as impressive, letting you recruit, manage and train a team of uniquely skilled operatives. You'll dispatch them on missions to all corners of the world, sabotage the enemy's actions and maintain your hideout, a temporary base which must be kept hidden or risk a hostile raid.
It wouldn't be proper Cold War without spy gadgets, weapons from the era and shady espionage techniques, complete with an MKUltra facility, where agents can be interrogated, brainwashed, flipped against their employers or even fitted with a tracking device to lead us to their base. The twist is that the enemy can do the same thing to your team!
With a positive rating on Steam and a good selection of excellent press reviews, Phantom Doctrine is a fresh take on a beloved genre and setting.
IGN gave Phantom Doctrine a 7.4 out 10 and said: “Whether you’re reading classified documents, wracking your brain over whether or not pursue a lead that could lead to an ambush, or plotting every step a spy takes on their way to assassinating their target, every move you make in Phantom Doctrine carries an urgent tension. That’s a hallmark of every great spy novel, movie and TV show you’ve ever seen. “
Gamespot gave the game an 8 out of 10 and said: “There is a lot to admire, with a single-player campaign taking about 40 hours to complete, full of varied and interesting mainline missions and procedurally-generated side content.”
Strategy Gamer gave the game a 5 out of 5 and said: “To say this is essential strategy gaming is an understatement.”
Phantom Doctrine is available now on Steam and GoG.