Rebuild a broken world in Phoenix Point, a bold new sci-fi strategy game from the creator of the original X-COM.
When the game starts in 2047, most of humanity has been killed, abducted, or transformed into alien monstrosities,” says lead designer Julian Gollop, who is perhaps best known for creating the original X-COM series. “But there are a few isolated groups that have managed to survive.”
“The Phoenix Project organization you’re the leader of is very diminished,” he says. “You’re being attacked on all sides by various different powers. But out of the ashes of the devastation of the virus, which comes to be known as the Pandora virus, there comes a number of charismatic leaders who claim their factions will be able to rebuild the world and make it better.”
Julian Gollop has been making strategy games for decades, from Laser Squad and Rebelstar Raiders in the ’80s, to the legendary X-COM series in the ’90s. That’s the old X-COM, with a dash after the X, rather than Firaxis’ recent (and equally superb) reboot, XCOM. But Phoenix Point seems to be bigger, grander, and more ambitious than anything he’s done before, and I ask what inspired him to start the project.
“I wanted to pursue what I call my vision of a grand strategy game, which involves tactical turn-based battles as well as a wider strategic conflict,” he says. “I love this multilevel, multiscale aspect to strategy games, which is heavily influenced by some of the board games I used to play when I was much younger. Before computer games existed, in fact.
“I also wanted to revisit some of the ideas I was developing in the original X-COM series. For example, in X-COM: Apocalypse there was this idea of a living city with multiple factions that you had individual relationships with. This was something I wanted to explore a lot more.”
DEAD RISING
This story is from the February 2019 edition of PC Gamer.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2019 edition of PC Gamer.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
VIVE LA RESISTANCE!
Be the deadly dagger in Nazi-occupied France in CLASSIFIED: FRANCE '44
CUTTER STAID
OUTCAST A NEW BEGINNING rekindles the original game's epic scope
OLD WORLD BLUES
The beautiful HORIZON: FORBIDDEN WEST COMPLETE EDITION struggles to move on
OFF PUTTING
Lee Carvallo's PUTTING CHALLENGE 2: another great Simpsons fan game
ALMA MATER
Horror is a family affair in FEAR
ELDEN RING REBORN
A Scholar of the First Sin-style total conversion mod for Elden Ring.
EIYUDEN CHRONICLE: HUNDRED HEROES
Spiritual successor to Suikoden promises an grand adventure
JEDI REMASTER
DARK FORCES REMASTER is the classic Star Wars FPS upgrade you've been looking for
PAWN COCKTAIL
DRAGON'S DOGMA 2 is an exceptional and sometimes infuriating RPG
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE
Few online RPGs have transformed as much in the past decade as The Elder Scrolls Online. First debuting in April of 2014 as a confused, awkward thing, loved by few. Today, it proudly stands alongside its singleplayer peers. Here's how TESO escaped Oblivion's grasp and reconnected with Elder Scrolls fans.