<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
is	O
a	O
strategy	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
featuring	O
a	O
turn-based	B-Application
tactics	I-Application
system	O
that	O
is	O
developed	O
by	O
Bulgaria-based	O
independent	O
developer	O
Snapshot	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
3	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
for	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
for	O
Stadia	B-Application
on	O
January	O
26	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
on	O
October	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
is	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
X-COM	B-Application
series	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
originally	O
created	O
by	O
Snapshot	O
Games	O
head	O
Julian	O
Gollop	O
during	O
the	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
2047	O
on	O
an	O
Earth	O
in	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
an	O
alien	O
invasion	O
,	O
with	O
Lovecraftian	O
horrors	O
on	O
the	O
verge	O
of	O
wiping	O
out	O
humanity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
start	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
command	O
of	O
a	O
lone	O
base	O
,	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
,	O
and	O
face	O
a	O
mix	O
of	O
strategic	O
and	O
tactical	O
challenges	O
as	O
they	O
try	O
to	O
save	O
themselves	O
and	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
humankind	O
from	O
annihilation	O
by	O
the	O
alien	O
threat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Pandoravirus	O
controls	O
the	O
oceans	O
,	O
contaminating	O
all	O
sea	O
life	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
brought	O
humans	O
to	O
the	O
brink	O
of	O
extinction	B-Application
on	O
land	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Phoenix	O
Project	O
activates	O
the	O
members	O
of	O
players	O
 '	O
cell	O
who	O
then	O
gather	O
at	O
a	O
base	O
called	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
is	O
described	O
as	O
a	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
X-COM	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
X-COM	B-Application
series	O
of	O
video	O
games	O
introduced	O
and	O
integrated	O
global	O
strategy	B-Application
and	O
tactical	O
combat	O
through	O
which	O
players	O
try	O
to	O
save	O
Earth	O
from	O
alien	O
invasions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
has	O
not	O
been	O
ruled	O
out	O
,	O
a	O
survey	O
answered	O
by	O
likely	O
players	O
has	O
focused	O
on	O
developing	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
as	O
a	O
single-player	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Altogether	O
,	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
is	O
described	O
as	O
adding	O
new	O
and	O
improved	O
gameplay	O
dynamics	O
to	O
the	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
,	O
the	O
alien	O
threat	O
evolves	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
gameplay	O
system	O
designed	O
to	O
generate	O
a	O
wide	O
variety	O
of	O
challenges	O
and	O
surprises	O
for	O
players	O
in	O
tactical	O
combat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
Africa	O
,	O
the	O
procedurally	O
generated	O
mutation	O
system	O
might	O
mash	O
up	O
the	O
body	O
of	O
a	O
lion	O
with	O
body	O
parts	O
of	O
humans	O
and	O
other	O
animals	O
to	O
create	O
alien	O
monsters	O
that	O
resemble	O
a	O
Sphinx	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
aliens	O
that	O
are	O
consistently	O
defeated	O
will	O
continue	O
to	O
mutate	O
in	O
a	O
natural	B-Application
selection	I-Application
process	O
which	O
mimics	O
evolution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
mutations	O
are	O
somewhat	O
random	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
AI	B-Application
works	O
in	O
the	O
background	O
to	O
find	O
mutations	O
that	O
can	O
defeat	O
players	O
 '	O
soldiers	O
by	O
discarding	O
iterations	O
that	O
are	O
unsuccessful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
players	O
contend	O
with	O
the	O
alien	O
threat	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
AI-controlled	B-Application
human	O
factions	O
in	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
that	O
interact	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
world	O
much	O
like	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
means	O
that	O
players	O
are	O
not	O
able	O
to	O
obtain	O
access	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
ways	O
to	O
defeat	O
the	O
aliens	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
campaign	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
world	O
for	O
each	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
campaign	B-Application
populates	O
by	O
means	O
of	O
procedural	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
interact	O
with	O
non-player	O
factions	O
much	O
like	O
in	O
a	O
4X	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
from	O
the	O
Civilization	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
making	O
strategic	O
choices	O
,	O
players	O
use	O
a	O
globe-shaped	O
strategic	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
called	O
a	O
Geoscape	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Geoscape	O
is	O
a	O
more	O
complex	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
strategic	O
user	B-Application
interfaces	I-Application
used	O
in	O
previous	O
X-COM	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
also	O
use	O
the	O
Geoscape	O
to	O
deploy	O
squads	B-Application
of	O
soldiers	O
on	O
tactical	O
combat	O
missions	O
to	O
different	O
locales	O
spread	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
deploy	O
squads	B-Application
of	O
four	O
to	O
roughly	O
sixteen	O
soldiers	O
,	O
though	O
limits	O
on	O
squad	B-Application
size	O
are	O
determined	O
mostly	O
by	O
players	O
 '	O
availability	O
of	O
healthy	O
soldiers	O
and	O
transportation	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combat	O
occurs	O
through	O
turn-based	B-Application
moves	O
which	O
involve	O
tactical	O
options	O
that	O
are	O
similar	O
to	O
those	O
found	O
in	O
X-COM	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Willpower	O
and	O
will	O
points	O
relate	O
to	O
a	O
system	O
in	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
where	O
combat	O
can	O
inflict	O
lasting	O
physical	O
and	O
even	O
psychological	O
injuries	O
on	O
soldiers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
permanent	B-Application
death	I-Application
of	O
soldiers	O
,	O
also	O
called	O
permadeath	B-Application
,	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
significant	O
concern	O
for	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
screenshots	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
prototype	O
show	O
that	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
has	O
a	O
targeting	O
system	O
which	O
works	O
similarly	O
to	O
the	O
V.A.T.S.	O
</s>
<s>
used	O
in	O
Fallout	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
tactical	O
options	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
combat	O
adversaries	O
which	O
may	O
be	O
significantly	O
tougher	O
than	O
those	O
found	O
in	O
more	O
traditional	O
X-COM	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Julian	O
Gollop	O
and	O
David	O
Kaye	O
founded	O
Snapshot	O
Games	O
to	O
create	O
Chaos	B-Application
Reborn	I-Application
,	O
a	O
modern	O
version	O
of	O
Gollop	O
's	O
own	O
1985	O
Chaos	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Battle	I-Application
of	I-Application
Wizards	I-Application
,	O
which	O
they	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
26	O
,	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Less	O
than	O
six	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
on	O
March	O
18	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Gollop	O
used	O
Twitter	B-Application
to	O
provide	O
the	O
first	O
teaser	O
for	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
,	O
Gollop	O
returned	O
to	O
the	O
X-COM	B-Application
genre	O
he	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
investing	O
$	O
450,000	O
into	O
this	O
first	O
year	O
of	O
development	O
,	O
Snapshot	O
Games	O
launched	O
a	O
Fig	O
crowdfunding	O
campaign	B-Application
to	O
obtain	O
the	O
$	O
500,000	O
they	O
budgeted	O
to	O
complete	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
campaign	B-Application
ended	O
successfully	O
on	O
June	O
7	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
raising	O
$	O
765,948	O
from	O
10,314	O
contributors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Crediting	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
campaign	B-Application
,	O
Snapshot	O
Games	O
announced	O
the	O
next	O
day	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
hired	O
four	O
developers	O
and	O
planned	O
to	O
grow	O
their	O
team	O
to	O
include	O
around	O
thirty	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
was	O
initially	O
expected	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
fourth	O
quarter	O
of	O
2018	O
through	O
Steam	B-Application
and	O
GOG	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Snapshot	O
Games	O
aims	O
to	O
sell	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
million	O
copies	O
of	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gollop	O
set	O
this	O
goal	O
based	O
on	O
his	O
confidence	O
in	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
being	O
development	O
and	O
his	O
belief	O
that	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
strong	O
interest	O
in	O
another	O
X-COM	B-Application
game	O
from	O
its	O
creator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gollop	O
said	O
in	O
May	O
2018	O
:	O
"	O
When	O
we	O
launched	O
our	O
crowdfunding	O
campaign	B-Application
for	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
in	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
we	O
hoped	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
well	O
received	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
's	O
expectations	O
are	O
higher	O
,	O
our	O
team	O
is	O
growing	O
,	O
and	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
has	O
become	O
a	O
bigger	O
game.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
it	O
was	O
initially	O
anticipated	O
for	O
release	O
through	O
Steam	B-Application
and	O
GOG	O
,	O
Snapshot	O
Games	O
announced	O
a	O
one-year	O
exclusivity	O
deal	O
with	O
Epic	O
Games	O
Store	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
macOS	B-Application
with	O
one	O
year	O
of	O
free	O
DLC	O
for	O
its	O
backers	O
or	O
a	O
full	O
refund	O
by	O
no	O
later	O
than	O
April	O
12	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Julian	O
Gollop	O
,	O
original	O
designer	O
of	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
UFO	I-Application
Defense	I-Application
and	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Apocalypse	I-Application
,	O
is	O
the	O
creative	O
lead	O
for	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
music	O
is	O
composed	O
by	O
John	O
Broomhall	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
UFO	I-Application
Defense	I-Application
,	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Terror	I-Application
from	I-Application
the	I-Application
Deep	I-Application
,	O
and	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Apocalypse	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Petrov	O
and	O
Bogdanov	O
previously	O
worked	O
in	O
similar	O
artistic	O
roles	O
on	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Chaos	B-Application
Reborn	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stroud	O
provided	O
world-building	O
and	O
novelization	O
for	O
other	O
games	O
,	O
Chaos	B-Application
Reborn	I-Application
and	O
Elite	B-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
Dangerous	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kyratzes	O
provided	O
writing	O
for	O
the	O
story	O
and	O
premise	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Talos	I-Application
Principle	I-Application
that	O
was	O
noted	O
for	O
being	O
as	O
much	O
responsible	O
for	O
its	O
success	O
as	O
its	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
an	O
open-world	O
environment	O
in	O
which	O
multiple	O
AI-controlled	B-Application
human	O
factions	O
act	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
agendas	O
,	O
Gollop	O
's	O
own	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Apocalypse	I-Application
(	O
1997	O
)	O
provided	O
a	O
foundational	O
example	O
of	O
the	O
type	O
of	O
strategic	O
gameplay	O
that	O
Gollop	O
developed	O
for	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
designing	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
strategic	O
gameplay	O
systems	O
that	O
Gollop	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
Gollop	O
sought	O
to	O
add	O
a	O
grand	O
strategy	B-Application
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
plans	O
for	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
borrow	O
from	O
grand	O
strategy	B-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
with	O
procedural	O
generation	O
elements	O
and	O
emergent	O
gameplay	O
like	O
Crusader	B-Application
Kings	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sid	B-Application
Meier	I-Application
's	I-Application
Alpha	I-Application
Centauri	I-Application
similarly	O
influenced	O
how	O
Gollop	O
plans	O
to	O
develop	O
more	O
4X-like	O
dynamics	O
into	O
the	O
open-world	O
strategy	B-Application
aspects	O
of	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
for	O
combat	O
,	O
the	O
2012	O
X-COM	B-Application
reboot	O
,	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
,	O
by	O
Firaxis	O
Games	O
and	O
its	O
sequel	O
,	O
XCOM	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
inspire	O
the	O
turn-based	B-Application
tactical	I-Application
combat	I-Application
system	O
and	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
found	O
in	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
the	O
visual	O
presentation	O
of	O
tactical	O
combat	O
missions	O
looks	O
similar	O
to	O
these	O
X-COM	B-Application
games	O
of	O
the	O
2010s	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
underlying	O
tactical	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
continued	O
to	O
draw	O
inspiration	O
from	O
Gollop	O
's	O
1994	O
original	O
X-COM	B-Application
game	O
,	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
UFO	I-Application
Defense	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
also	O
draws	O
inspiration	O
from	O
the	O
Fallout	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
series	I-Application
with	O
how	O
players	O
can	O
target	O
specific	O
body	O
parts	O
of	O
enemies	O
during	O
combat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
writers	O
,	O
Allen	O
Stroud	O
and	O
Jonas	O
Kyratzes	O
,	O
wrote	O
short	O
stories	O
which	O
help	O
establish	O
the	O
setting	O
and	O
narrative	O
themes	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
these	O
stories	O
,	O
the	O
writers	O
seek	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
dystopian	O
world	O
in	O
which	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
occurs	O
with	O
tales	O
of	O
individuals	O
from	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
who	O
experience	O
different	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
alien	O
invasion	O
at	O
various	O
points	O
in	O
the	O
years	O
leading	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
2047	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
a	O
compendium	O
of	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
stories	O
for	O
publication	O
in	O
ebook	O
and	O
print	O
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
+Stories	O
published	O
on	O
the	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
website	O
during	O
development.AnnouncedStoryWriterDescriptionCiteJune	O
25	O
,	O
2017Disciples	O
of	O
AnuKyratzesPhoenix	O
Project	O
analysis	O
of	O
the	O
Disciples	O
of	O
Anu.June	O
26	O
,	O
2017New	O
JerichoStroudPhoenix	O
Project	O
analysis	O
of	O
New	O
Jericho.June	O
26	O
,	O
2017SynedrionStroudPhoenix	O
Project	O
analysis	O
of	O
Synedrion.June	O
27	O
,	O
2017The	O
Old	O
Man	O
of	O
the	O
SeaStroudFirst-person	O
story	O
of	O
a	O
woman	O
in	O
1995	O
and	O
her	O
inheritance	O
from	O
her	O
grandfather.June	O
28	O
,	O
2017The	O
HatchKyratzesTranscript	O
of	O
hearing	O
regarding	O
a	O
1973	O
Phoenix	O
Project	O
mission	O
to	O
the	O
Moon.June	O
29	O
,	O
2017The	O
Tomb	O
of	O
the	O
PhoenixKyratzesFirst-person	O
account	O
of	O
an	O
expedition	O
in	O
1937	O
to	O
an	O
island	O
off	O
the	O
coast	O
of	O
Antarctica.June	O
30	O
,	O
2017Far	O
Out	O
ThereKyratzesTranscript	O
of	O
a	O
statement	O
to	O
US	O
Phoenix	O
Project	O
investigators	O
in	O
1978.July	O
1	O
,	O
2017RecruitingStroudFirst-person	O
story	O
of	O
a	O
disabled	O
military	O
veteran	O
approached	O
by	O
a	O
recruiter	O
from	O
Vanadium	O
Inc.July	O
2	O
,	O
2017The	O
CuratorTurnbull-RossExcerpt	O
of	O
translated	O
Arabic	O
records	O
from	O
the	O
office	O
of	O
a	O
curator	O
at	O
a	O
naval	O
museum	O
in	O
Egypt.July	O
3	O
,	O
2017The	O
Claimed	O
IdolStroudFirst-person	O
story	O
of	O
a	O
European	O
hiker	O
and	O
his	O
guide	O
who	O
come	O
upon	O
a	O
structure	O
in	O
a	O
rainforest.July	O
4	O
,	O
2017Fragments	O
of	O
KnowingStroudFirst-person	O
story	O
that	O
begins	O
with	O
a	O
man	O
waking	O
up	O
in	O
a	O
public	O
toilet	O
without	O
a	O
memory	O
of	O
his	O
identity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
was	O
met	O
with	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
"	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
with	O
an	O
aggregate	O
score	O
of	O
74/100	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Guardians	O
reviewer	O
praises	O
"	O
complex	O
political	O
metagame	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
strategically	O
deeper	O
than	O
X-COM	B-Application
,	O
even	O
though	O
he	O
notes	O
"	O
X-COM-style	O
games	O
are	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
engines	O
of	O
tension	O
;	O
emotional	O
rollercoasters	O
that	O
pit	O
you	O
against	O
impossible	O
odds	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
end	O
he	O
concludes	O
:	O
"	O
Phoenix	B-Application
Point	I-Application
has	O
double	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
teeth	O
[	O
of	O
X-COM	B-Application
]	O
but	O
a	O
less	O
effective	O
bite	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	O
N	O
's	O
Strategy	B-Application
Gamer	O
wrote	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
lack	O
of	O
character	O
"	O
compared	O
to	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
and	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
does	O
n't	O
seem	O
to	O
have	O
found	O
that	O
human	O
touch	O
that	O
made	O
Firaxis	O
 '	O
own	O
take	O
so	O
appealing.	O
"	O
</s>
