Frozen Synapse (PC / Mac)
Ah, gifting; the generous act of bestowing a present upon a friend, and, or, loved one. And when said-present is joyfully - perhaps even tearfully - received, well, there’s not much that can warm the cockles of your heart in quite the same way. So if you enjoy your tactical, turn-based games, and have a spare friend stashed away who shares your sentiments, get ’em out, dust ’em off and put your gift-rags on, because you, old chum, are going cockle-warming.
Developed by indie team Mode 7 Games, Frozen Synapse is a 3D top-down, turn-based, tactical shooter, available through their website, and Steam. You control a squad of digital soldiers, facing off against an opposing team in a randomly generated virtual environment, comprised of walls, buildings, and other areas of cover. Weapons in the game include: sniper rifle - good for long range, but has the slowest spin-up time; machine gun, which is great for medium range attack; shotgun - only useful at close range, but has the quickest spin-up time, when pitted against machine gun and sniper rifle. There are also rocket launchers, which can only hit walls and cause splash damage. Finally, there are grenades, which can be bounced off walls, or thrown from behind cover, and are the most difficult weapon to get to grips with.
Frozen Synapse has 3 main game modes: an immersive cyberpunk single player campaign, spanning 55 scenarios, comprised of straightforward enemy elimination, VIP protection, and attacking and defending; an exciting multiplayer mode, where it’s entirely possible to play multiple games at the same time, even through email!; a skirmish mode, which allows you to set up custom games against the computer AI.
Each turn phase in Frozen Synapse lasts for 5 seconds, and allows you to test strategies beforehand by issuing commands to the members of your squad, as well as hypothetically planning/guessing the actions of your opponents. Commands can range from simple movements, to intricately detailed chains of events, which can involve, for example: holding a ducked position; waiting 2 seconds; standing up; setting to ignore the enemy; moving to a waypoint; setting to engage enemy; setting a direction of fire, and so on. During this time, while you’re testing situations, your opponent is doing the same for their squad.
Pressing the Play button will simulate the outcome of all of the planning you have made over the course of 5 seconds. If something doesn’t quite go to plan, no problem; you can go back, fine-tune, and test again until things go better. If you feel so inclined, you can even throw out your original plan entirely, and test a completely different one. Plus, you can do this as many times as you like, without the threat of a lingering time constraint. This means that winning does not hinge on who operates faster, but rather, who has the better plan.
When you finally believe you’ve come up with a strategy that will yield the best results, you can commit to your plan by clicking the Prime button. Once your opponent hits their Prime button, both of your plans are executed simultaneously, no do-overs - you can’t take it back. After the action has unfolded, for better or worse, the game moves on to the next turn phase, where you can continue with your original plan, or alternatively adjust your plans to adapt to the new situation put before you.
Frozen Synapse is a revelation that once again proves the adage;
you don’t need fancy graphics to make a damn fine game
And it’s this exciting, new spin on the familiar turn-based strategy that has captured the hearts of players worldwide, and has rightfully earned the game high scores across the board. Although not the most visually impressive game out there, Frozen Synapse is a revelation that once again proves the adage; you don’t need fancy graphics to make a damn fine game. If you’re a fan of this genre, you must play this game right now. If you have a friend who’s a fan of this genre, they must play this game right now… and this works out well, because Mode 7 have adopted a ’Buy 1 Get 1 Free'policy with Frozen Synapse. What better way to get a friend interested in this awesome game by giving them a copy? I gave my free copy to a friend over at www.net-root.com, who told his friend about it, who, in turn, bought a copy for himself and his flatmate, and so on. It’s an interesting business model for Mode 7, which will hopefully pay off in the long run, and maybe set a trend for other developers to follow.
So check out Frozen Synapse today, and feel the warm, fuzzy feelings of bringing joy to a friend by giving them your free copy. Then feel the warm, fuzzy feelings of giving them a good kicking online. Trust me, they’ll thank you in the long run.
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