This is a game about choreography, and watching the results of your decisions play out on screen is a nerve-wracking experience, like watching your children perform in a brutal, acrobatic ballet where there are no safety nets.Īlmost all of that is carried forward from the original Frozen Synapse, and it’s just as strong here, bolstered by a handful of explosive new weapon options like landmines and flamethrowers, which are useful in skilled hands for setting traps and discouraging enemies from attacking from certain angles.
I’ve been thrilled every time I’ve watched Darrell sidestep around a doorway and launch a round’s worth of buckshot into a raider who has walked directly into my trap. Meanwhile, the soundtrack perfectly matches the cyberpunk theme. It’s all extremely cool to watch thanks to the minimalist fireworks of bullets flying between them, explosions from rockets, grenades, and mines, and the small splatter of blood when a hit is scored and a soldier goes down. When you finally do, the turn unfolds in an intense, five-second burst of violence between little green and red men. There’s no ticking clock while you’re plotting each round, so you can endlessly tweak your plans before committing.
You can even plot out simulated moves for enemy soldiers to see how your plan holds up against possible counters, and that can lead down a rabbit hole of nuanced mind games as you try to outthink and fake out your opponent. “Once you’ve plotted their courses, you can script out hyper-specific instructions like kneeling behind cover to buy them time in a shootout, pausing for a few tenths of a second to make sure an enemy isn’t trying to flank you before you move, or ignoring targets in order to make a mad dash across an open space.