I started three times over until I got a grasp on all the mechanics, escpecially on the strategy layer. Some aspects could use a little better documentation. On the tactical layer, the UI is a little janky. It was also necessary to start over to follow the sometimes confusing story (you begin as a CIA-division, yet you already command a group of agents with all kinds of background - so the transtition from CIA to your own freelance agency is a little blurry). Other than that I LOVE this game. I circumvented the non-intuitive fights by going for a non-violent playstyle. Which is possible on almost every mission :) If you follow that path, the game can become an interesting puzzle. You need one agent who breaks through the window to take out a civilist, so the next agent can reach the camera control, so the third agent gets to the secret file, and you have to to that in the right order. This is the basic concept, in game that chain of commands can become complicated and really fun. They got the atmosphere of that era, or at least the Hollywood-version of it, spot on. Think more of Three days of Condor than of James Bond, and you get the idea. The pinboard on which you connect your clues is gamewise not much to do, but it's full of flavor text that enriches the story of the game (most of it actually happens in those clues) and I liked that. It's more about suspense and less about XCOM-style action. The graphics don't look expensive, still really immersive and fitting to the 80s. Again, not the neon-cyberpunk Miami Vice 80s, but brown cassette recorders and ill fitting suits. The soundtrack makes me want to grab a coat and roam rainy streets. Instead I will listen to it in the background while I browsing the internet, but that's my fault. I don't really have to say much about the game mechanics, for me this game is all about the atmopsphere and quenching my thirst for a neglected era in gaming. The developers did a great job!
