It’s been a little over two weeks since Phoenix Point’s release, leaving plenty of time to see how the game ticks. With all of that time under players’ belts, the only reasonable next question is how it plays in comparison to the other popular alien title in the strategy genre, XCOM 2.
Was the first time the charm for Julian Gollop’s strategy design? Or does Phoenix Point perfect chess-like alien warfare?
Find out below, as we ask which game is the better alien strategy game: XCOM 2 or Phoenix Point?
Story
When it boils down to it, both XCOM and Phoenix Point have pretty generic story concepts. In each, a paranormal threat has taken over the earth, and it is up to an elite group of scientists, engineers, and soldiers to gather resources and fight against them.
For the XCOM series, the stories usually revolve around an alien invasion or dealing with the aftermath of one.
XCOM 2 is no different, as players once again take the role of the commander of the secret military organization, XCOM. The game takes place 20 years after the events of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, exploring a scenario in which humanity lost.
The choice to continue the previous story results in some familiarity for sure, but it doesn’t really carry too many interesting story threads over for it to matter or be an effective storytelling device.
The continued conflict with the ADVENT is an entertaining concept though, detailing what it would be like if aliens had created a puppet organization in order to make humans easier to trick and conquer.
While almost identical in premise, Phoenix Point’s story is definitely different from XCOM 2’s in a lot of ways.
For one, the threat is far more pandemic than that of the aliens in XCOM 2. Instead of a direct invasion from space, Phoenix Point looks at a global warming-type event, as an extraterrestrial virus is found in the permafrost.
Known as the Pandoravirus, this disease spreads via a mist, turning people into Lovecraftian monsters with terrifying abilities.
The surviving humans band together, forming eccentric factions, each with their own different ideologies. Aligning with or angering these factions, and the dialogues that come as a result, create some outlandish and varied interactions that one can only experience amidst an event that could end the world.
When comparing the two stories, Phoenix Point wins out thanks to its Lovecraft-inspired setting and characters, as well as the fun that comes from working with the factions.
If XCOM 2 had done a little more to tie in the narrative threads from its predecessor, maybe it would have won this round instead.
Winner: Phoenix Point
Gameplay
There is no denying that Julian Gollop’s signature style of strategy – both in and out of combat – is an amazing template for the genre.
Phoenix Point follows that template to the letter when it comes to most of the set up of the game. The overall design of the menus, base structure, resource building, and even the tactical elements are identical to the XCOM series.
Where the gameplay differs is its ability to have enemies adapt as things go on in the campaign. For example, if you keep using a specific type of playstyle for each interaction with an enemy, they evolve over time, making that strategy almost pointless by the end.
The option to also segment which body parts to shoot, giving out appropriate status affect depending on what you pick, also adds a lot of depth and strategy to the conflicts.
In XCOM 2, combat somehow managed to improve the already perfect technique created in the last installment. The brand new hit-and-run combat is the best the series has ever provided, making the action feel far more exhilarating, despite the fact that it is still turn-based.
Aside from this, gameplay still features the same quality as previous games in the series, with base building, resource management, and other variables providing just as much thought and preparation as the in-game combat.
This is a hard one to compare, but there is still a pretty clear winner.
Even though Phoenix Point features plenty of innovative gameplay elements, it still has a long way to go as a series to match the flow of combat that XCOM 2 boasts. As such, XCOM 2 wins this round.
Winner: XCOM 2
Replayability
Like chess, strategy games are always a haven for gamers that love to milk a lot of hours out of each game. For both these titles, there are way too many different scenarios that can occur in one playthrough that you’ll never see in another.
For Phoenix Point, a lot of the distinct scenarios you’ll find yourself in will revolve around the factions you choose to help and hurt.
Depending on your decisions, dialogue and some gameplay – like raiding vs. trading – will change drastically, especially if you piss off those crazy zealots, Disciples of Anu.
While you will find a lot of reused assets and structures, there is also plenty of variation when it comes to missions in Phoenix Point as well. This is thanks in part to the aforementioned evolving enemies, which make just about every battle unique and difficult.
The only thing that Phoenix Point really fails to do though is provide much of a difference with its difficulties, as Normal isn’t groundbreakingly different in comparison to Legend. That is where XCOM 2 shines.
In XCOM 2, the difficulty settings difference create a whole new game. Deciding to choose a higher difficulty results in less aim assist and more armor, meaning that planning scenarios are more important than even when going into battle.
Even if you do decide to play on lower levels, there is still hundreds of hours of missions to complete across multiple playthroughs.
It is because of that difficulty difference that XCOM 2 squeaks out a victory in this category since it can please both casual and hardcore fans alike.
Winner: XCOM 2
Conclusion
As you can see, both XCOM 2 and Phoenix Point both carry unique qualities that make each of them worthy of any strategy fan’s money. There can only be one winner, though.
In terms of latten potential, if Snapshot Games and Julian Gollop keep at it with the series, I believe they will eventually rival or even surpass XCOM – especially if they continue to expand the Lovecraftian story.
At the moment though, XCOM 2 possesses much better gameplay and replayability features, making it the winner in this battle of alien strategy games.
Winner: XCOM 2
Do you agree? Feel free to leave any feedback you have, including your own comparisons, in the comments below.
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