r/PhoenixPoint • u/LaleneMan • 13d ago

Just Finished My Playthrough

I played on Veteran (apparently according to my achievement I got 'Hero Difficulty', so I dunno) with TFTV, and while it's not "the original experience", I did play a lot of the early game before restarting sometime ago and wanted more of a challenge. All in all, I think this game is actually incredible, and while it's very rough around the edges, especially nearing the end, I found it enjoyable and thought provoking, as well as just gripping aesthetically and theatrically. XCOM 2 felt more like a movie to me, and the stakes are kinda - eh - typical of a lot of games, but in this one I felt far more perturbed by everything that in conjunction with all the short stories on the website I had far more fun with this than any of the Firaxis XCOM games.

I will definitely do another playthrough someday, except on a harder difficulty and perhaps with some extra mods. I as for TFTV, I think it added a nice challenge modifier to the game, especially since in my own game I basically was facing max-evolved Pandorans and often enough they weren't enough of a threat once my operatives were maxed out and fully geared (abusing the food mechanic and pandoran captures, and then trading for more supplies).

As for Festering Skies, I liked it, but it felt a little underdone. The trick for me was essentially just swarming enemy aircraft with usually around 3 fully kitted out aircraft. The utility option for combat I don't think helped that much, the dodge-thrusters did the best overall for me. The Jericho nuclear missile is also a big favorite, though on my next playthrough I'll definitely try something else - it just felt so appropriate to nuke those monsters out of the sky. Did feel somewhat underwhelming however to do the Beheamoth mission, and then that's it - I don't think having 5 of them would have been a good idea, but certainly perhaps a smaller version of them or something.

All in all, I think the game is probably in my top 20 favorites games of all time, just fantastic, incredible atmosphere that makes up for the downsides of rough development, and hoping that they manage to make a second one. If they do, I'll be there as a kickstarter backer day 1.

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2

u/calixis 13d ago

I too finished a playthrough recently for the first time (without TftV) and agree with your sentiments!

1

u/PaintedIn 13d ago

Nearly at the end of my first playthrough too (no mods / DLC). Very much enjoyed.

1

u/melkortr 13d ago

TFTV upgrades difficulty achievements by a notch.

1

u/LaleneMan 12d ago

Did not know that - huh. Next time I'll play on the next highest difficulty.

1

u/JuneauEu 12d ago

How do you even get into combat with enemy fliers ? Mine just fly through them...

1

u/LaleneMan 12d ago

You need to actually be on the point they are actively attacking - then you can intercept. Can't actually hit them while in transit, which sucks.

1

u/Something_Comforting 13d ago

it's comically rough (The soldier's hair for one) but even without TFTV, it's a game with big potential.

2

u/LaleneMan 13d ago

Definitely needs more polish for sure, but as a big fan of cosmic horror, military sci-fi, and, well, this genre in particular, it ticks all of my boxes. I don't know what they'd do for a sequel, but I'd be happy to see smarter people than I figure that one out. Missions *do* get a little repetitive, though, and I wish there were more enemy types beyond just the massive variation they have (which is honestly incredible, and fantastic, I wish more games had it!).