Phantom Doctrine: The Cabal

Phantom Doctrine 2: The Cabal is the sequel of the 2018 spy strategy game. Sequel is not so much inspired by the XCOM cycle, focusing on completely different ideas and solutions (the turn-based system was abandoned, among others). The game was developed by the Polish studio CreativeForge Games. PlayWay helped with the release of this game.

Plot

Phantom Doctrine 2: The Cabal takes place in an alternative version of 1986. In the vision created by the devs, the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the work of terrorists - one of several famous attacks. The player is the leader of an organization that tries to find the perpetrators.

Mechanics

In terms of the game mechanics Phantom Doctrine 2: The Cabal differs quite significantly from the previous part. The developers have decided to abandon the turn-based mechanics - the action now takes place in real time (we look at the controlled agent from the third person perspective), and controlling the course of clashes is facilitated by the active pause system.

The gameplay is mainly about sneaking around (sometimes we use curtains and sometimes disguises) and silently eliminating enemies (we must also hide their bodies). From time to time, we also have to deal with fully-fledged shootings. Missions take place in different locations in different corners of the globe - in some cases deserted and in others filled with people. Often we can also perform a variety of additional goals, offering specific bonuses and opportunities.

Tasks require tactical thinking and proper use of your team's abilities (we direct the entire team - we can switch between agents). Between the missions, we also take care of the strategic aspect - we conduct investigations and intelligence activities, recruit and train spies, and develop new technologies ( such as brainwashing, interrogation, body improvement or combat chemicals).

Game modes

In Phantom Doctrine 2: The Cabal we can only play alone. The core of the game is a feature campaign.

Technical aspects

Phantom Doctrine 2: The Cabal has an attractive three-dimensional graphic design. The character models do not stand out too much from other TPP games, but the game environment is designed in an interesting way and full of different kinds of details that build the atmosphere.