Chains of Freedom

Chains of Freedom points straight at a tactical or strategy game about control, escape, or resistance, and that already tells a player the sort of thinking it wants. By our assessment, the appeal is in pressure and planning: these games usually reward careful positioning, resource choices, and the sense that every move tightens or loosens the situation. The downside is the same one that follows the whole tactical genre around — when numbers and systems do too much of the talking, the human drama can get buried under procedure. In practice this kind of game tends to be slower, more deliberate, and more punishing of careless turns than a simple action title, so it asks for patience. Compared with freeform adventure or pure combat games, it lives on constraint, and that constraint is what gives the name its weight. Chains of Freedom looks suited to players who like thinking several steps ahead, and it is less friendly to anyone who wants a loose, reactive pace.