Frozen Synapse Game Guide

Frozen Synapse is a turn-based game with a distinctly tactical focus and thrilling one-versus-one combat. Unlike the traditional back and forth of other turn-based games, Frozen Synapse's turns play out simultaneously in five seconds of real-time action. Success in Frozen Synapse depends on careful tactical planning (and, sometimes, a nearly supernatural sense of intuition), but it is also very easy to learn and play. First off, there are just five unit types. Multiplayer is where Frozen Synapse really shines, thanks to the natural tension that comes from matching wits with a human being. In Secure, opposing players bid to defend swaths of the map, and if you bid to defend the larger area then you must keep your opponent from getting a unit into that zone. Disputed is like Extermination but with the addition of glowing red boxes. Finally, there is a Hostage Rescue mode.

Technically, Frozen Synapse is a play-by-email game, but you receive notifications in the multiplayer menu whenever you need to take a turn in a game, so the only time you'll receive any clutter in your inbox is when you're actually logged out of the game.

Frozen Synapse's long single-player campaign serves as an excellent trainer for multiplayer, as well as an explanation for why the little green men have to kill the little red men. Most of the missions have objectives similar to the multiplayer modes: You escort VIPs, pick up keys, defend areas from enemy infiltrators, storm enemy strongholds, or just wipe out every enemy on the map. Graphics in Frozen Synapse get a minimalistic treatment. Frozen Synapse is a great game, thanks to its elegant mechanics, the depth of its tactical gameplay, and the tension of trying to get into your opponent's head.