The interface takes a lot longer to describe than to understand when you see it in motion.

'It's a particularly good system for mech fights, as it really give the sense of huge war machines slamming chunks of each other.' okay, I'm just namedropping now, they're nothing like this really. If you've played Dominions or Solium Infernum. If you've played Combat Mission or any of Mode 7's Frozen games you already know a more complex version of the concept. Each 'turn' is like a spin of the stopwatch, as it's everyone's turn all at once, but you get time between them to plan and change orders around. That's a fine game to build on (Frynapse 2 was the other game this article was almost about), but again, Phantom Brigade distinguishes itself a bit. It might be better than losing a mech, and if you disarm them, enemy pilots often take the hint and eject.Īll this is aided by the turn system, which compares best to Frozen Synapse. It is viable to wipe them out if needed, or split the difference and slide a shotgunner down its right flank to take that deadly arm off, at the cost of probably not recovering the gun. But instead of sniping body parts, that's best achieved here by attacks from behind. You'll want to literally do that if possible too, since PH sensibly builds its economy on disabling or depiloting, not destroying rivals. When the mobile base is done trundling to where you clicked, you'll likely be attacking a patrol or camp, tasked with standing next to some supplies for a bit, or - more likely - pushing all the enemies over. It's the combat that really marks it out, though. Phantom Brigade thus skirts neatly between 'enough like', and 'different enough' on the strategic level, being somewhat streamlined while introducing its own nuances. This meant more rockets more often, and a remodel of my harassing riflebot into a harassing riflebot with jet-powered dodges, a sword, and big boy arms. I built a chunky mech with a massive rocket launcher that would overheat after one shot, Astrid-style, before conceding that I should probably replace its armour-heavy limbs with more slender ones that rated higher for heat dissipation.

You also don't need to count heatsinks or make 'ammo:docking fees' calculations. It doesn't have the granularity of Battletech or even Mechwarrior 5 (both based on the same tabletop system, obv), but there are enough parts to differentiate mechs even early on, and swapping parts changes their appearance for a nice tiebreaker option. Buildings collapse nicely too, especially when bombarded. Terrain and buildings block shots based on line of sight, not abstraction of cover/half cover. Weapons are held, which I personally un-prefer to the built-in option, but it does justify being able to replace parts as you like instead of waiting for a refit on the map. Rather than standard models differentiated by what equipment you shove in, each mech is comprised of discrete arms, legs and torsoes, which you stick together in Monseigneur Potato Head fashion according to your needs or whims. The plot is your basic 'nasty men are oppressing everyone, get 'em!' guerrilla campaign, so cash is irrelevant but you'll want to gather supplies for repairs and periodically knocking up new frames and basic gear in your workshop. The influences are clear, and that's okay! Like Battletech, you lead a clomp of four mechs into a non-linear, freeform campaign, gunning down hostile mechs and tanks and pulling pieces off the wrecks in the hope of bolting them onto your own gunsuits. It seems they have a knack for rejigging familiar ideas exactly enough to keep them interesting without losing sight of their influences, because Phantom Brigade is also on track to be very solid. Thank goodness, then, for Phantom Brigade.ĭevelopers Brace Yourself Games are already regarded for 2015's Crypt Of The Necrodancer, and their upcoming Industries Of Titan pleased Steve Hogarty muchly last year. But so few games do it that I haven't found the champion I need.

I want to cheer them on, to bewail the lack of games that dive into that rift between turn based and real time tactics and scheming. It's a bit of a thin premise for a whole article though, right?Īnd then there's simultaneous turns. It's not huge, and I don't see them absorbing everything like survival games or bloody roguelikes, but they're definitely picking up. I've noticed mech games, for example, are having a bit of a moment these last few years. Sometimes you want to write about two things, but don't quite have enough for either. This is The Rally Point, a regular column where the inimitable Sin Vega delves deep into strategy gaming.

Phantom brigade.