Nordcurrent's Chains of Freedom combines modern XCOM-style tactical combat with real-time exploration in a post-apocalyptic setting. How does it compare to others in the genre?
Chains of Freedom is set in a post-apocalyptic, fictional Eastern European state. Players control a small elite military squad through a dystopian world devastated by a meteorite strike and controlled by the nationalist government known as The Sovereignty regime - presented in well-crafted visual novel-style cutscenes that are at times gripping and at times predictable. In search of a rogue scientist, players will battle other soldiers as well as supernatural and mutated creatures.
Chains of Freedom is set in a post-apocalyptic, fictional Eastern European state. Players control a small elite military squad through a dystopian world devastated by a meteorite strike and controlled by the nationalist government known as The Sovereignty regime - presented in well-crafted visual novel-style cutscenes that are at times gripping and at times predictable. In search of a rogue scientist, players will battle other soldiers as well as supernatural and mutated creatures.
Locations, ranging from abandoned cityscapes to hidden forest labs and fortified military bases, can be explored in real time to find the items and resources needed for combat - most importantly, ammunition. When enemies are encountered, they can either be avoided using stealth (which is a bit fiddly and restrictive) or eventually engaged in turn-based combat. There are options for full and half cover, and an action point system for the various actions the fighters can perform. In general, the game is reminiscent of Corruption 2029, Miasma Chronicles, Gears Tactics or Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden - and of course the modern XCOM games, Hard West or Jagged Alliance, although the game has no overarching strategic world map component and is largely linear.
Players are therefore engaged in a large, ongoing mission. Characters can be equipped with new melee and ranged weapons, including flamethrowers and mortars, with the interface clearly displaying hit probability and other relevant information. Characters are not healed after combat, making healing kits essential, and ammunition is relatively scarce, forcing players to plan their actions carefully or engage in melee combat. All characters can use all weapons, so character development is largely limited to biocrystals, which grant abilities and perks, but can also be swapped between characters, making them somewhat completely interchangeable. This is the main way of customising a character for combat, and special shrines can be used to increase the number of biocrystal slots. There are no other, deeper character progression options, and the game wastes a lot of potential here.
However, this cannot hide that the fights (some of them against bullet sponges) become repetitive after a while and that there is not much variety in the encounters and the soldiers' abilities as well as the tactical options for approaching enemies.
The game was developed by Nordcurrent, a game developer and publisher founded in 2002 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Nordcurrent is headquartered in Lithuania and has development studios in Vilnius, Dnipro, Warsaw and Gothenburg. Nordcurrent Labs is the PC and console publishing label of the Nordcurrent group. The group employs over 300 people and has developed over 50 games across multiple platforms, with over 500 million downloads worldwide.
Chains of Freedom was released on 15 April 2025 for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S for €24.99.
Conclusion
Chains of Freedom is a solid game, but not an outstanding one. Despite some good ideas, it doesn't quite manage to step out of the shadow of other games in the genre.
Features
Solid turn-based combat
Biocrystals allow flexibility
Good presentation of post-apocalyptic world
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Locations, ranging from abandoned cityscapes to hidden forest labs and fortified military bases, can be explored in real time to find the items and resources needed for combat - most importantly, ammunition. When enemies are encountered, they can either be avoided using stealth (which is a bit fiddly and restrictive) or eventually engaged in turn-based combat. There are options for full and half cover, and an action point system for the various actions the fighters can perform. In general, the game is reminiscent of Corruption 2029, Miasma Chronicles, Gears Tactics or Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden - and of course the modern XCOM games, Hard West or Jagged Alliance, although the game has no overarching strategic world map component and is largely linear.
Players are therefore engaged in a large, ongoing mission. Characters can be equipped with new melee and ranged weapons, including flamethrowers and mortars, with the interface clearly displaying hit probability and other relevant information. Characters are not healed after combat, making healing kits essential, and ammunition is relatively scarce, forcing players to plan their actions carefully or engage in melee combat. All characters can use all weapons, so character development is largely limited to biocrystals, which grant abilities and perks, but can also be swapped between characters, making them somewhat completely interchangeable. This is the main way of customising a character for combat, and special shrines can be used to increase the number of biocrystal slots. There are no other, deeper character progression options, and the game wastes a lot of potential here.
However, this cannot hide that the fights (some of them against bullet sponges) become repetitive after a while and that there is not much variety in the encounters and the soldiers' abilities as well as the tactical options for approaching enemies.
The game was developed by Nordcurrent, a game developer and publisher founded in 2002 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Nordcurrent is headquartered in Lithuania and has development studios in Vilnius, Dnipro, Warsaw and Gothenburg. Nordcurrent Labs is the PC and console publishing label of the Nordcurrent group. The group employs over 300 people and has developed over 50 games across multiple platforms, with over 500 million downloads worldwide.
Chains of Freedom was released on 15 April 2025 for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S for €24.99.
Conclusion
Chains of Freedom is a solid game, but not an outstanding one. Despite some good ideas, it doesn't quite manage to step out of the shadow of other games in the genre.
