Ghost Recon Phantoms first impressions: tactically tasty

You may not have heard of Ghost Recon Phantoms because until recently, it was known as Ghost Recon Online. But the recently-renamed game, which was developed by Ubisoft Singapore, launched globally today on Steam. The game is free-to-play, so there’s no cost to download and check it out.

Phantoms 101

Ghost Recon Phantoms is a multiplayer-only tactical third-person/first-person shooter. There’s no single-player and no story to speak of, nor are there a lot of options for game modes. In fact, there’s not even a tutorial! When you load up the game there’s a quick two-screen introduction you can read, but beyond that, you’re going to learn by queueing up for a game.

Being a tactical shooter, gameplay in Phantoms is focused on objectives rather than kills. Players are split into two teams across a map with five control points arranged more or less in a line. Each team starts with two points, and tries to push forward to capture the neutral central point and, if they’re good enough, push into enemy territory. The game is on a timer, but you can extend the time allotted by capturing points. Games are also split into two rounds so that each team starts once from each side of the map; the ultimate winner of the match will be the team that controlled more points in total over the course of the two rounds.

Points are controlled simply by staying in a designated area and preventing enemies from entering it, though, so the game is still pretty focused on kills. Each player has a class and can choose from amongst a few class specific weapons, carrying one primary weapon and one sidearm into battle. True to the Tom Clancy theme, players can eventually also unlock and equip their characters with futuristic devices like a temporary invisibility cloak or a special riot shield for charges. The basics are very simple—get into cover, put the gun sights over the enemy, pull the trigger—but the more you play, the more customization options you can unlock.

This ain’t Call of Duty

Given that it’s still day one, it’s tough to know how players will choose to approach the game in the long term, but at least for the moment, Phantoms requires some strategic thought and patience. If you try to run around spamming the shotgun, Call of Duty-style, you’re going to get killed early and often. More often, teams succeed by pushing steadily from cover to cover, securing their own safety first, killing nearby opponents, and then pushing up when the coast is clear.

That’s not to say that the game is slow-paced, though, because players die pretty quickly. Firefights rarely last more than a couple of seconds. While health does magically regenerate in Phantoms just like it does in most shooters these days, it’s pretty slow compared to other games, and skilled enemies will run up and take you out while you’re hiding in cover trying to regenerate if your teammates aren’t looking out for you.