[2] Set in 1983, Phantom Doctrine takes place in an alternative Cold War where brainwashing is a real danger and secret organizations control the world.

Project Iceberg will use computers to decrypt and alter government communications in real time, making societal manipulation effortless.

However, an epilogue reveals that many of Beholder's desires continued to come true (such as the fall of the Soviet Union), raising questions as to whether the organization is actually gone.

The Extended Campaign reveals that Beholder is a splinter group of "the Komplex", a larger conspiracy based around fuelling military–industrial complexes.

Additionally, Tai-Pan, a minor villain from earlier in the story, is revealed to have seized control of the Beholder remnants and reconciled them with the Komplex.

Utilizing a classic pinboard and string approach, players scour the documents for matching codewords while connecting the dots on the corkboard.

Various things like loud gunfire and dead bodies being found will trigger an alarm thus activating the combat mode.

Phantom Doctrine takes a new approach on turn-based tactics by almost complete removing die rolls for its combat solutions.

"[14] GameSpot reviewer also praises the feeling of paranoia in the game: "Tension and suspicion are ingrained throughout Phantom Doctrine to great effect.

Its isometric turn-based combat system is rewardingly complex, steeped with the feeling of paranoia, where every variable decision and tactic needs to be carefully considered".

He praises the plot, which mixes a fictional conspiracy with Cold War, and thinks that if the events were more frequent or had more permanent effect the agents might "have felt like genuine characters with histories, not collections of stats behind a portrait".

[1] Jeremy Peel of PCGamesN writes that the developer "has absolutely nailed the atmosphere of Cold War genre fiction".

[18] In contrast to the PC Gamer's reviewer, according to whom a certain combination of agents' perks allows to go around unnoticed and feels like having a cheat code,[1] Jeremy Peel is glad the missions can be finished without raising alarms.

The reviewer does not like that even a poorly trained enemy with a pistol (a short range weapon) can shoot from a long distance and still do some damage.

However the reviewer feels the game "nails the spy aesthetic" with several of the mechanics, for example the disguise system, support to team in action (cleaners that bag up bodies, spotters and snipers) and strategy on the global map.

[20] Joel A. DeWitte of NintendoWorldReport likes lack of dice rolls, while noting that it may disturb the players who "prefer the additional chance".

As far as the atmosphere is concerned he praises "well-spoken radio-messages", but calls the narrative "too confused" and "not exciting enough", however he appreciates that the agents in the game have their own life.

[13] Jeux Video notes that investigations are essential in a Cold War game and states: "Analyzing dozens of documents and interrogating is not tiresome, quite on the contrary".

"[15] NintendoLife reviewer criticises "too often a paper thin narrative", while appreciating strategic gameplay, which, according to him, "makes for some truly intense moments".