Frozen Synapse is a turn-based strategy game with only a handful of units that players maneuver simultaneously. Players take their turns simultaneously, with each turn lasting five seconds. There’s no economy. There’s no “macro/micro.” This is a videogame for people without the reflexes to play videogames. And yet it maintains the depth that might just appeal to the average Starcraft or DOTA veteran.
Games take place on maps that are usually a maze of blue walls filled with green men (your units), red men (enemies), and occasionally yellow ones (allies). That probably gets across exactly what the game looks like. It’s simplistic, but visually very pleasant.
You spend the bulk of the game planning out orders for each of your squad members, who have different roles such as rifleman (medium range), shotgun (close herp), and sniper (long derp), as well as RPG’s and grenadiers who blow up walls as well as people. The maps are usually randomized to a certain degree whether you’re playing the campaign or multiplayer, meaning you can never plan out perfectly what to do beforehand.
Frozen Synapse’s signature feature is probably how it lets you simulate each turn before committing to your orders, allowing you to give your enemies orders and simulate what you think your opponent will do. You’ll spend a lot of time agonizing over every move, making Frozen Synapse a relatively slow game.
The game gives you a ridiculous amount of control over your units. You’ll set up waypoints for them to move and you can alter their behavior from point to point, telling them to floor it to the next point or aim carefully in case they encounter an enemy. The game’s logic is pretty easy to follow: still units beat moving ones, units in cover beat exposed ones, and aiming units beat running ones, all with range taken into account. The basic tactics take a relatively short amount of time to synthesize, allowing you to focus on actual strategy within a few hours.
While a mainstream RTS like Starcraft requires not only strategy but an incredible level of mouse dexterity (I’m not bitter, I swear), Frozen Synapse, as its title might suggest, forces you to slow down (especially if you’re waiting for someone else to submit their orders online). You need to consider as many possibilities as possible, and often test out multiple solutions, because your opponent will surely be doing the same, whether a human enemy or the surprisingly competent AI. That doesn’t mean Frozen Synapse is boring, as those five seconds when the actual turn occurs usually turn out to be incredibly exciting, given all the time you just invested in it.
The game of course features 1v1 multiplayer, but I found the campaign to be the most fun part of the game. Set in a cyberpunk universe where people can enter an alternate reality called “the Shape,” the campaign features quite a few varied and exciting missions, and you’ll likely see several variations of each mission if you fail as much as I did.
The game costs $25, which is expensive for an indie title, but it comes with two copies of the game so you can give one to a friend who might also be interested (cost-splitting optional). Even though it’s a somewhat simplistic world by modern standards, it’s hard to argue against $12.50 for a game that’s addicting, cerebral, and social. And it’s compatible for both PC and Mac, making this a perfect title for anyone interested in gaming on a Mac or any computer with low system specs.
The developers say they’re considering bringing Frozen Synapse to other platforms, and I can easily see the game being at home on iOS or Android, perhaps more so than on either the Xbox or Playstation. Frozen Synapse is a rare game, one that feels like it could appeal to both The Hardcorzz and the dreaded Casuals without having to pervert its core gameplay to appeal to one or the other.
When this type of game is the norm in the future, you’ll know we have the indies to blame.
