Developed by Creative Forge Games and published by Good Shepherd Entertainment, the downloadable Phantom Doctrine is one of the better Cold War-themed games to come out in quite some time. Using what can only be described as a spy-versus-spy style tactical RPG set up, Phantom Doctrine pits you and your team of assembled spies against others in a race to stop the other side from ruling the world – or destroying it all in a nuclear Armageddon.
How to Download Phantom Doctrine
To download the game follow the Download link below the review. You can get the game either from GOG.com or Steam. Both Standard and Deluxe Editions are available, the latter with the soundtrack in FLAC and MP3 format, as well as a digital artbook.
The Game Review
A conflict that lasted from the end of the Second World War until the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was one of the most fraught times in international relations and a period filled with simmering tensions.
Armed with nuclear arsenals capable of destroying the world many times over, the US and Soviet Union fought proxy wars against each other and engaged in tactical espionage to undermine one another’s interests. It is this latter feature of the Cold War that provides much of the inspiration behind Phantom Doctrine’s gameplay, and it is a compelling choice at that.
Aside from the awesome background and narrative, Phantom Doctrine also features graphics that are period appropriate and look right at home in a 1980s action movie. Reminiscent of titles like the Shadowrun series, Phantom Doctrine’s graphics are detailed enough to let you know what’s going on without bogging your system down with tons of graphical flare. And that’s a good thing – because there’s a lot going on in Phantom Doctrine.
But best of all is the underlying creative portion of the narrative that makes Phantom Doctrine more than just a Cold War thriller. As a member of the Cabal, a group tasked with preventing war between the two superpowers, you represent a secret society that takes on Americans and Soviets in order to ensure world peace.
Called “life-consuming” by many of its reviewers, the narrative portion of the single-player game can take over forty hours to complete and is filled with rich lore and tons of cool stuff to learn. If you love spy movies, Phantom Doctrine is that on steroids.
Outside of this are the procedurally generated arenas where Phantom Doctrine’s tactical action really shines. Again, like the Shadowrun series or even the older game Wasteland, Phantom Doctrine is deep in terms of strategy and how many approaches you can take to the same mission.
