Frozen Synapse: Prime Review
The Devil in The Details
Let me share with you a recent moment of failure.
I was recently tasked by our dear editor to review , a strategy game I was quite fond of (as was its original reviewer, Travis Fahs in his excellent write-up). While basking in the afterglow of another article finished (afterglow in this instance meaning cheap beer, and lots of it) I was gently reminded the game I was tasked to review was not , but its enhanced follow-up; .
It was what we refer to in the industry as: “A really dumb mistake.”
I share this moment of stupidity with you to emphasize the point that details do matter, which is a pretty good summary of my feelings towards . A game that, for all intents and purposes, is with a graphical overhaul.
It’s actually about as substantial of a graphical overhaul as the title could undergo, without converting to more of an type experience. Gone are the minimalist looks of the original game, and in is a pretty highly detailed, and quite sleek, modern graphical paint job. There are some similarities to the original design of (particularly in the icons and general menu layout), but everything else was fair game for an upgrade.
This is particularly noticeable with the destructible environments. In the original game, destructible environments were present, but you never really considered them beyond a strategic perspective. Here, a post-battle scene does truly resemble a warzone, and it does add an extra bit of satisfaction to a game that already left you feeling pretty accomplished when things went according to plan.
That one aspect, combined with the new particle effects, character models and somewhat out of place (yet still fairly awesome) “kill-cam” sequences, actually does add to the game beyond a superficial level. They make the experience feel more visceral, which addresses one of my larger complaints with the original game, which sometimes felt more like a concept demo that saw a retail release. addresses this issue, and because of that feels like it was made in a decade where cinematic quality in gaming was limited to re-watching at the local theater.
But I must say that while the updated visuals do add a level of intensity, from a purely artistic standpoint I find that I prefer the looks of the original . It lended the game a certain quality of character, and while that quality didn’t always shine through as often as it could have, it made the experience unique, aesthetically speaking. The visuals fit the tone of the cyberpunk universe quite well, and also allowed the player to inject a healthy dose of imagination into their experience.
The new look, on the other hand, feels too cold and industrial. There’s no charm to the visuals. They lost that indie spirit and heart. Everything that was great about the original game is here, and some things are even better, but the personality of the experience has taken a hit.
It actually produces something of a conundrum, wherein better graphics lend more to the gameplay than they do the overall visual appeal of the game. Playing feels more satisfying in the heat of the moment, but from an afar I find myself really appreciating the style of the original.
It’s also worth mentioning that the graphics of do call for a more powerful device. It runs well enough on its compatible platforms, but for the smoothest experience possible, I don’t hesitate to recommend for most smaller, or less powerful phones, whereas is more of a candidate for tablets and your more gaming oriented Android phones.
was always a strategy game that emphasized the details. adds to that focus with the inclusion of detailed graphics, that fundamentally alter the experience on a level I wasn’t quite expecting. ’s new looks make a more rounded experience, but surprisingly I wouldn’t say they make it a more visually exciting one.
Supply Hardcoredroid
Frozen Synapse: Prime Review - App Review 4U
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