Game News Phantom Doctrine, a turn-based tactical Cold War thriller from the developers of Hard West

[Infinitron]

Tags: CreativeForge Games; Phantom Doctrine

Remember Hard West, 2015's Weird West turn-based tactics game from Polish indie studio CreativeForge Games? Well, whether or not you do, it looks like the game was successful enough that its publisher hired them to create another tactics game, which was revealed today. Its name is Phantom Doctrine, and it's a Cold War thriller about global conspiracies and double agents. They put together a fancy live action trailer for it, with details and screenshots available on the game's new Steam and GOG pages:

Set in 1983 during the Cold War, Phantom Doctrine is an alternate history thriller in which players lead The Cabal, a secret organization dedicated to fighting a global conspiracy committed to controlling the world by pitting world leaders and nations against one another.

Throughout secret missions, classified files investigations and enemy agent interrogations, peel off layers upon layers of a sinister plot and save the world from a somber future. If you can.

Features

• A rich alternate history plot anchored by historical events and characters, bringing the chillingly relevant Cold War reality to life from a unique point of view.
  
• Next-generation turn-based combat: Unprecedented flexibility of movement and actions, variable overwatch modes and assault-oriented Breaching ability
  
• Expanded battlefield: position assets around the world and call for assistance in the middle of battle when you need it most. Just remember, the enemy can bring their own reinforcements, heavy weapons or even air support and their toy box is much bigger than yours.
  
• Knowing is half the battle: scout mission locations ahead of time, infiltrate with undercover operatives and improve your odds. Elite enemy agents with their own agenda are always ready to spring their own ambushes.
  
• Go loud or go home (stealthily): fully-fledged stealth gameplay with silenced weapons, silent takedowns and cutting-edge Cold War era security technology. All this makes completing entire operations clandestinely a viable option.
  
• Run your own counterintelligence organization: recruit subjects of top secret government experiments, operatives of the world’s secret services, KGB & CIA included, or even criminals. Manage a global operation, securing weapons, resources and contacts. Command from a distance or go hands-on to fight for the real stakes.
  
• Actively pursue the truth: research cases, locations and individuals in Investigation Board gameplay mechanics to uncover new missions, resources and technologies.
  
• Employ technology ruthlessly to your advantage: learn from the enemy or research your own methods for brainwashing, interrogation, body engineering and chemical enhancement.
  
• Customize your operatives and then do it again once they need a new identity:forge documents, change appearance, retrain them for lethal effect and send them back into the fray.
  
• Replayable, modular campaign with an array of mechanics to ensure unique and markedly different playthroughs: generated character names and backgrounds, modular and algorithmically populated maps, randomized intelligence snippets.
  
• A highly replayable, story-driven campaign with meticulously designed and adaptable maps.
  
• Two stories to choose from: a KGB counterintelligence operative or a CIA wet work commando who have to come to grips with the truth and challenge the conspiracy, with an additional New Game Plus protagonist.
  
• No mission too big, no mission too small: enter a bustling government facility undercover to assassinate a target with surgical precision or mount a heavy frontal assault on an enemy staging base. With optional objectives closely linked to a mission’s complexity and opportunities like loot and intelligence to collect, there are decisions to be made at each step.

Looks pretty cool! These guys have come a long way since Kickstarter. Phantom Doctrine is set to come out sometime next year.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Using a shitty live-action trailer for their game because why?

 

[Infinitron]

Have some screenshots:

 

[Volrath]

Using a shitty live-action trailer for their game because why?

Gives me GTA2 vibes. Good times.

 

[Jaesun]

Ooooh! Now this is a setting I like.

 

[Morality Games]

Finally.

 

[Freddie]

This looks interesting.

 

[CRD]

Hard west was not great but not bad, just ok but still fun to play.

If they managed to learn from that and improve on that base, this is going to be good, sold for me.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Looks interesting. But they sure do promise A LOT

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Excidium II]

Using a shitty live-action trailer for their game because why?

Because there's no reason you'd put gameplay on a game trailer. It's not like anyone wants to see how it plays.

 

[Azalin]

I liked Hard West and its setting,I hope this one will be as good and the setting as interesting as the previous one.

 

[TheGameSquid]

I literally completed Hard West less than 24 hours ago (I actually really enjoyed it, even with its obvious flaws and budgetary restraints), and was about to ask around here if anyone had heard if CreativeForge were working on something new. Nice coincidence!

The list of promised features is total incline, though I do worry that they're being a little over-ambitious. Regardless, I'm pretty excited.

 

[taxalot]

Hey, look, another indie RPG announced on RPGCodex, except for once it appears to be actually interesting.

 

[Infinitron]

Hey, look, another indie RPG announced on RPGCodex, except for once it appears to be actually interesting.

And wouldn't you know, just like Hard West, it's technically not an RPG. But for some games I'm willing to make an exception.

 

[taxalot]

First we must define what is a turn-based tactics game.

 

[Azalin]

First we must define what is a turn-based tactics game.

Right after we define what's an RPG

 

[*-*/\--/\~]

That trailer was the most horrible thing I've seen this year.

 

[aratuk]

Because in 1980s organ harvesters wear sundials on their wrists…

 

[Severian Silk]

Minor gripe: That world map should use great circles for airplane routes.

 

[Turtle-Zone 3000]

Cold war X-Com?

 

[Morality Games]

Using a shitty live-action trailer for their game because why?

In the words of Plinkett: Fucking money.

The games market is saturated and there are a billion gameplay videos out there. Making a live action video is more attention grabbing.

 

[.Pixote.]

 

[Daedalos]

Looks like a mod for Invisible Inc or a weird sequel

 

[Dr Skeleton]

Looks good. Hard West was alright, if they improve the wonky elements from it, this could turn out very well.