The most obvious from the start is a proper tutorial, with narration and unique characters, that eases you into the gameplay and concepts much more gently. The artificial intelligence has also definitely seen improvement, in the fact that enemies are capable of doing more than just run straight at you or sit in one spot shooting, but it’s still common to see them wandering about in the open with no apparent plan.įor now, the biggest addition to the Behemoth Edition is that it includes four major DLC expansions, which add various new features and extras. The graphics in general are also impressive, but while there’s more variety in map types than there used to be, you do still begin to recognise the different templates that underlie the procedurally generated designs. The joypad controls are very good and while they use the basic set-up pioneered by the XCOM reboots, the more complex interface for Phoenix Point, most notably inventories, has been adapted very well. The way the alien mist and other horrors eat away at each soldier’s will points, which measure their sanity and resolve, is also interesting, making stress and madness almost as tangible a threat as snarling tentacle monsters. There are some areas where Phoenix Point is unequivocally better than XCOM 2, such as the more expansive destruction effects and a small range of vehicles equipped with heavy ordnance. Although that is tempered by the fact that the factions are all run by idiots, and you usually resent having to help any of them.

There’s also a more complex diplomatic element, that’s reminiscent of the way factions are handled in expansion pack War Of The Chosen, but Phoenix Point’s storytelling in general is more involved than anything in an existing XCOM game, with branching plot points and multiple endings. The backstory is different, in that you’re facing a Lovecraftian menace brought upon by a thawing permafrost, but the semi-apocalyptic world that you’re tasked with saving works similarly to XCOM 2 in terms of humanity being on the back foot and a constantly ticking time bomb – in this case a transmogrifying mist.

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