Syndicate Wars

About Syndicate Wars

Syndicate Wars (1996) is Bullfrog's isometric real-time tactics sequel to Syndicate, in which cyborg agents of the EuroCorp megacorporation or the rival Church of the New Epoch fight for control of a world in revolt.

Syndicate Wars in Depth

In 2191, 95 years after Syndicate, EuroCorp rules the world through military and economic power and mind-controlling CHIP implants, its decisions made by AIs linked through a global network. A virus called Harbinger, released by the Church of the New Epoch and its leaders The Nine, damages the implants and frees citizens, some of whom take up arms as the Unguided. From its London headquarters EuroCorp sends quartets of heavily armed agents to restore order, while also crushing sub-corporations that switch sides or bid for independence. The war ends on the Moon, reached by an orbital elevator, where The Nine plan to turn ionosphere equipment into a weapon to destroy all life on Earth. The game can also be played from the Church's side.

The isometric view of the original now rotates and tilts, so agents never vanish behind buildings. The player commands four agents, or acolytes, singly or in groups on missions around the globe, briefed through a fictional email system. Health, shields and weapon energy recharge over time, and research unlocks new weapons and cybernetic upgrades, from Uzis, miniguns and flamethrowers to the pulse laser, plasma lance, graviton gun and satellite-directed orbital strikes. The Persuadertron, or Indoctrinator for the Church, converts civilians and enemies into followers. Almost every structure can be destroyed, and money comes from robbing or destroying banks.

Making Syndicate Wars

Bullfrog built it on a modified Magic Carpet engine. Mike Diskett recalled that one of the biggest complaints about Syndicate was that agents disappeared behind buildings, and the team waited for the technology to allow a rotating map, while the AI was improved so enemies worked together. Next Generation found it "even more dark and menacing than the original", with stunning SVGA graphics, though the controls took getting used to, and GameSpot's Greg Kasavin said it "masterfully recaptures the dark, deadly emotion of the original" with a huge variety of weapons and scenarios, despite tiny characters and enemies getting free hits during rotation. It won Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1996 action game of the year, while critics judged the PlayStation version inferior.