I got a chance to play some Phoenix Point at EGX Rezzed, as well as chat with creator Julian Gollop. Take a look at my impressions and interview below. We also recently spoke to Julian about the creation of the original X-COM, which you can find here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGTb_IMQCQo
It’s XCOM. It’s extremely XCOM. In fact, it’s so much like the iconic alien-slaying series that I had to remind myself it was anything else. Not that that’s a bad thing, of course. That’s absolutely the intention of Phoenix Point and lead developer Julian Gollop—the original creator of the turn-based UFO-destroying franchise who’s now looking to put a new spin on the concept—is very open about that fact.
If you aren’t familiar, Phoenix Point is the X-COM spiritual successor that was crowdfunded via Fig back in 2017. With legendary turn-based strategy developer Julian Gollop spearheading the project, it’s sure to be of interest to fans of the genre. It blends ideas from XCOM and Fallout, with the familiar and exciting turn-based combat of the former and the horrific mutants, VATS-like targeting system, and limb crippling mechanic of the former. It boasts much more depth than Firaxis’ rebooted take on XCOM, with a robust action-point system, an inventory system, and a variety of deployable turrets, shields, and more.
The brief demo I got my hands on wasn’t nearly enough to get a full grasp on all of Phoenix Point’s ideas. I got a glimpse at some of the classes available in the game, including a jetpack-wearing shotgun dude, a nimble sniper, and an engineer-type character who can deploy turrets and shields. Speaking with Julian about the game (see below), it sounds like there’s much more to see. The Geoscape view of the Earth makes a return, as well as towering, tank-like bosses and the ability to make enemies panic. It looks to be shaping into a really promising game!
What do you think? Are you excited for Phoenix Point? Will you be checking it out when it launches later this year? Let us know in the comments!
Dan is a lover of games, music, and movies from the UK. He can usually be found buried in RPGs, shooters, roguelikes, and sometimes World of Warcraft, but… More about Dan
