In Episode 73 of Amiga Re:Review, UK Gaming Networking revisits Syndicate on Amiga, Bullfrog’s 1993 tactical strategy game set in a corporate-controlled cyberpunk future. It’s a mix of stylish violence, agent micromanagement, and—of course—plenty of flamethrowers.
Syndicate on Amiga marked a shift in tone for Bullfrog Productions, best known at the time for god games like Populous. Here, the divine powers are swapped for trench coats, neural enhancements, and tax sliders. You command a squad of agents across a series of missions, taking on objectives that range from assassination to persuasion, all while extracting funds from the cities you’ve “liberated.”
The game launched to critical acclaim, with scores averaging over 91% in major Amiga magazines. CU Amiga awarded it 94%, calling it one of the best games in years. Amiga Power praised the aesthetics and strategic depth, though not without noting its difficulty curve. These reviews helped Syndicate on Amiga become one of the platform’s standout titles of the era.
The episode’s playtest showcases both the game’s strengths and its frustrations. While the flamethrower proves to be an overachiever in just about every mission, the AI pathfinding underachieves at every opportunity. Indoor navigation is a guessing game, and the inability to rotate the view results in agents getting blindsided behind buildings you didn’t even know existed.
Later missions become more punishing, with enemies capable of dropping your agents in one shot. There’s no option to replay missions, and once a mission goes wrong—whether due to poor planning or bad luck—it’s gone for good. Still, there’s something oddly satisfying about cooking a squad of enemies and rolling out in a stolen car. For anyone curious about dystopian tactics or just looking to see where the flamethrower budget went, Syndicate on Amiga is well worth a look.
