I have a backlog of previously-sampled games. Frozen Synapse is another one of them. I was originally being pressured to advancing this quarter, which would have made the next three months all kinds of busy, but now I am advancing next quarter so I should be able to start playing a new game a week again.

Frozen Synapse is a turn-based strategy game based on a third-person shooter. The little bit I played involved the tutorial, which was tedious and involved a lot of less-than-intuitive controls, and a few levels of the single-player campaign. The tutorial fails to mention that while you are executing your orders, the computer controlling the enemies is also executing orders. While this sounds intuitive, the tutorial is structured so that the enemies are stationary or move to the appropriate positions to demonstrate some aspect of the control that you are capable of. Once you’re out in the real world, you realize rather quickly that the enemies are not stationary and you make a target out of yourself.

Another relevant point is each turn directs an action that lasts just a few seconds (off the top of my head, I think 5). So, if you wanted to direct a unit from one side of the room to another, he may only make it partway. There is a simulation option to make this time aspect a little more clear and comes in handy.

My thoughts are sort of conflicted. I was willing to give it a chance because it was different from Civilization, from example. It quickly revealed its true nature to me that made it less appealing.

In one of the levels, you are instructed to protect someone as he makes his way across the screen. You have two enemies on the map initially. My first play through, I died and had to start over again. The AI computes random goals for the enemy units, resulting in different strategies needing to be employed. I managed to get farther, unclear whether it was due to luck or because I actually had a decent strategy. Then, more enemies spawned. Oh great.

I don’t remember if I finished that level or if I just ended up quitting after a while. It became a game of cat and mouse where the role of the cat was being switched off between me and the AI. I don’t think I touched it since.

It’s interesting how it topped one of the indie charts for 2011. I remember reading through the comments on Joystiq when its bundle was announced and a lot of players were dissatisfied with the AI clearly having the upperhand. It also shows when you finish your turn, the AI calculates its next move, like it has to wait for you to input your directives first, and then the scenario is played out.

That said, it certainly has an innovative feel about it with being able to direct units to do specific things, such as crouch and shoot through windows. I think it really caters to turn-based strategy fans, of which I am not particularly one.

The story is also sci-fi-ish. It reminded me of The Matrix by being in another world and a pawn for some larger corporation. I think you’re supposed to be dead, but instead you are recruited for this task. Something like that. It also lends to the Tron-esque graphics and new-age-y music accompanying the game as you set out to free the world from invaders or something like that.

All that said, this was one of the Humble Bundles I was hesitant to actually buy because I wasn’t too enamored with the whole turn-based shooting thing. However, I believe it was eventually packed with Blocks that Matter and that’s what made me purchase the bundle.