N1NE: The Splintered Mind Part 1
Welcome to Neo Eysden!
N1NE: The Splintered Mind is a Cyberpunk narrative-driven game, designed exclusively for VR. Set in the year 2099 where you play a resourceful detective as you explore, interact, investigate and interrogate your way to the bottom of a suspicious murder that will take you through the real world as well as Nu.Real.
In a world torn between monopolistic conglomerates and ruthless gangs, we step into the shoes of Avery Nine. N1NE: The Splintered Mind follows his journey as he is forced into contact with the seedy underground, resistance movements, and the nefarious corporations in his quest to uncover the truth behind a mysterious murder.
N1NE: The Splintered Mind Part 1 is the first chapter in a planned trilogy that will follow Avery Nine on a quest to uncover the truth behind his friend’s murder, a truth that goes deeper than he ever imagined. Avery will encounter some of the darkest sides of Neo Eysden, but hope can always be found in those who are willing to stand and fight.
Players will interact with the world by exploring, manipulating objects, scanning items to discover more clues, hacking security and computer systems, conversing with various characters in the world, solving puzzles, and more.
N1NE includes an amazing original score by Felix Watson (The Invisible Hand, Henry Mosse and the Wormhole Conspiracy, Road Warden)
Read More: Best Cyberpunk Noir Games.
Gamedec
Pretty well done. Definitely along the lines of Disco Elysium in a cyberpunk setting, but without the roll of the dice involved in your dialogue checks - options are mostly determined by how you branch your professions (the level-up system) and by your past actions and interactions with other characters, things or situations. On top of that, you have to use the information you gather to draw conclusions and make deductions (you play as a sort of cyber detective), and most choices you make will either block certain paths of information or open them, which ends up changing the nature of a lot of the dialogue and the way the story’s told and, inevitably, how you’ll get to end the game.
– Real player with 65.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cyberpunk CRPG Games.
IN A WORD: COMPELLING
IN A NUTSHELL:
WHAT TO EXPECT: Detective adventure game. Isometric presentation. Cyberpunk Setting. Wide range of well-crafted locations. Good variety of crafted NPC individuals. Scripted, linear but self-deterministic story with arcs. Point & click style interaction system with some depth. Minimal character creation. Unrestrictive clue and deduction system. Occupational skill system for additional interaction options. Forgiving design generates some replayability. Made with no soft-caps. Text heavy, requires lots of reading. Extensive Codex feature full of important game data. No combat system. Single-player.
– Real player with 31.6 hrs in game
Synther
Features:
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You Are The Agent - you belong to Steiger corporation, a privatised company employing hunters. You are participating in the Awant project - the first programme that uses servo-savants to remotely accomplish dangerous tasks.
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Open World - more than 70% of the island is explorable: from docks and metro station recesses to individual flats inside buildings. Use various routes to reach and explore the location.
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Autonomous City - you are not a hero, you’re a newcomer with a specific task, the city will take care of itself without you and go on regardless.
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Unique and simple player interface - no excess on-screen information, all actions are accessible with a few keys.
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Personal Microcomputer - translate, discover, gain valuable information and start conversations with every character you meet.
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Reputation System - be good or bad, make enemies or allies, every decision matters.
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General Language SGA - learn the famous Standard Galactic Alphabet or use your microcomputer to translate visually in real-time.
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World Randomization - thanks to the total randomization of the main mission setup the gameplay is different every time.
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Think Like A Detective - look for clues and analyse them to solve cases.
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Learn Electronics - learn the basics of logic systems by hacking, disabling door locks as well as computers or find alternative solutions to gain access.
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Advanced Artificial Intelligence - characters have their acquaintances, locations where they belong and their personal goals that don’t have to correlate with yours.
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The Real Real-time - schedule and meet your informants at appropriate places and times. Follow characters in the world and analyse their activities. Your simulation goes on regardless whether you are in it or not.
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Almost Permadeath - if you leave the simulation in a dangerous location and your reputation isn’t in a good state there is a possibility you will die even when you are not playing - however, you always have the opportunity to escape and survive.
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Limited Time - your servo-savant has a limited lifecycle. After the expiration point it will start decomposing and eventually end the game session.
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Extensive Communication & Transportation - walk, use the metro or your autonomous vehicle to reach locations.
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Define The Simulation - it is you who decides what you experience in the simulation. Accomplish main mission, random ones or neither. Eliminate anything that moves or hack and explore the world.
Description:
Synther is an FPP simulation game with adventure-like, detective elements set in a futuristic, open world. The game is innovative and reminiscent of early 3D games and DOS applications.
The game is set in a city located on a remote island and the year is 2050. The players get a chance to step in the shoes of Agent from Steiger Corporation, explore vast areas, crime scenes and gather intel, that reveals even more mysteries surrounding the city and its inhabitants. The police, paramilitary groups, gangs, fractions, large corporations - they can all stand in your way or can be helpful during, what can be the most demanding assignment of Your Agent career.
Synther has been in development since 2013, and is highly inspired bymovies like Blade Runner, anime like Ghost In The Shell and games like Deus Ex, B.A.T., and Syndicate from the ’90s.
Read More: Best Cyberpunk Noir Games.
Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure
I have been a fan of Tex Murphy since Under a Killing Moon – nearly twenty years! That said, I will not do this game or the community a disservice by writing anything less than a fully honest review. The game succeeds far more often than it fails, but is far from perfect, so I will not score it 10 out of nostalgia, or 0 out of disappointment.
First, let me give this game a score out of ten. In my opinion, it falls somewhere around 7.5. I think this game will please Tex fans and newcomers alike, even if it isn’t perfect. If you like a good story or adventure games, then check this one out. If you like it, I highly recommend trying out Tex’s past adventures.
– Real player with 31.4 hrs in game
As a Tex Murphy fan, I was stoked after hearing about the newest installment, and boy was I eager to play! But after playing half-way through, I found myself questioning whether I should even bother finishing the game. It was only through sheer force of will and a weird, nostalgic obligation, that I managed to see it through to the end. sigh So where to begin?
Let’s first talk about the things it did well:
Revisiting Chandler Avenue and reuniting with the old cast was a treat for old Tex Murphy fans like myself. And honestly, I didn’t mind the mediocre graphics, as it felt reminiscent of the old Tex Murphy games. The FMV sequences were well-done for the most part, and I enjoyed exploring areas without running into loading screens or having to change discs. (I know I’m throwing a bone here, but it’s the little things that count, right?) Unfortunately, that’s where the good ends. Now on to my personal gripes:
– Real player with 15.8 hrs in game
Tex Murphy: Mean Streets
Mean Streets is an open world game set in the far off future of 2033 complete with flying cars that have wireless fax machines, imagine that! You take on the role of detective Tex Murphy to solve the mysterious death of a University professor. Next time you see that someone wants a GTA style open world game, tip your fedora, saying you want a real open world game Tex Murphy style. This is vintage gaming at its best, the game comes with a manual, where the manual for the first time ever in the history of me gaming on steam is required.
– Real player with 25.9 hrs in game
That game was made before I was born and yet it still entertain me. It’s amazing how much fun can be packed in that 30MB. I must admit that graphics hurts my eyes comparing to modern games but this game really makes up for that with gameplay.
Lots of locations which You can visit in open-world manner, roaming West Coast in a flight simulator. Every location come with map to search for clues and evidence or memorable and distinctive character. Some of them will cooperate. And some won’t.
Also, I’ve really liked that I had to write my questions. Nothing was given to me on the silver plate. It gives lots of satisfaction when all of the clues start to make sense. And if You find Yourself stuck, after looking everywhere and asking everyone (and believe me, You are wrong if You think so) You may always ask Your informator. For a price of course.
– Real player with 16.9 hrs in game
NeonCode
It’s bad. It is really bad. I wanted to like this game, I really did, and I went in with extremely low expectations. Even though it was only $0.99, I still feel robbed. A junior cheeseburger would be more rewarding than this. I barely made it past the beginning. Everything about it is terrible, except for the aesthetic, which is only marginally interesting. I’m a huge fan of the cyberpunk and neo noir genres, but I couldn’t even begin to get into this.
I definitely don’t have a high end gaming rig, but my frame rates should NOT be this low when the graphics are this bad, so obviously much of the processing is just going to unnecessary lens flares and glow and stuff like that, which does little to make up for everything else. The gameplay is extremely rough and non-intuitive.
– Real player with 5.8 hrs in game
More interesting reviews on my Curator’s Page
Neon code is an experimental 3D adventure game that plunges us in an investigation of corporate conspiracy and murder, carried out by the detective, and main character, Craig Williams, in a cyberpunk world, full of lights and futuristic technology.
The city where the action takes place is vast and amenable to exploration. The 3D graphics are simple but well-done, with dark backgrounds, only lit by street lights and neon ads, which fit perfectly into the story environment. The music, predominantly electronic, blends surprisingly well with the game atmosphere and accompanies us without interruption.
– Real player with 3.9 hrs in game
Whispers of a Machine
BottomLine at the Top: As someone who has long held a fascination with futurism and the singularity this game was a must buy right away for me. Overall an excellent sci-fi P&C game with cool cyberpunk detective elements. Highly recommended!
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Pros
-Again, I am a big fan of any sort of media that deals with the theme of the singularity and gets that concept into the public consciousness (especially cool to see it starting to crop up more and more in gaming!)
– Real player with 18.3 hrs in game
Decent albeit underwhelming
Short and sweet point & click adventure made in AGS that dabbles with entry level trans-humanism subjects about rejection of human/AI integration. Developed through collaboration of two small but experienced Swedish studios, with the by now familiar contribution of proven Dave Gilbert’s work in fittingly well done voice acting department.
As an adventure game it supports manual objects highlight eliminating pixel hunts, skipping of long walking animations by double-clicking transition areas and very useful dynamically updated note system for ongoing themes/NPCs/places of interests (but not current objective for some reason). UI is pleasant and player is not bombarded with irrelevant pickupable objects (leftovers even get cleared from inventory on couple of occasions).
– Real player with 12.7 hrs in game
Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure
Disclaimer: I know the developer personally, which is why this review can be considered biased.
Still, I honestly had a great time with Lacuna and recommend this to everyone who enjoys games with a focus on narrative and detective-work.
I played through the game once and will likely play it again, since your choices really seem to have an impact on the story.
The game combines pixel art with several effects such as dynamic lighting and fog. Together with the soundtrack and an overall great sound design, it creates a very captivating and moody atmosphere.
– Real player with 16.9 hrs in game
Lacuna doesn’t miss much as the game’s investigation leads you through unfilled spaces and into a deeply compelling sci-fi noir story.
Lacuna - an unfilled space or interval; a gap or missing part - a very intriguing title choice. Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure moves beyond visual novel yet doesn’t really play like a point-and-click game; however, the story and overall feel are sure to please fans of the Blackwell series and similar investigative adventure games.
– Real player with 9.4 hrs in game
Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive
Tex Murphy is one of those things you either had to grow up with or which you’ll probably never get.
That being said, it remains one of the least worst FMV series in existence. Some would even go as far as to call all of them a masterpiece. Personally, I won’t but there’s definitely historical merit to them and the story is indeed actually quite cool.
The acting is not as cringeworthy as the old C&C in between mission movies and has its moments, but all things considered this age pretty terrible.
– Real player with 126.2 hrs in game
Truely awesome game. Had this back in the day but forgot how good it really was. The story line is great and the puzzles are devious but not un-doable with a little logic. All in all, it took me 38 hours to complete. ( although that includes time spent going off to make a cup of tea while I thought about where to go next) . Some of you may find that the initial scenes, discussions and traveling a little tedious at first but the game does become more exciting as it goes on.
The Tex Murphey games are the leaders in this genre. IMO.
– Real player with 71.4 hrs in game
>observer_
Observer_ is the latest game from the developers behind Layers of Fear. Set in a dystopian cyberpunk world, you play as Dan Lazarski, a neural detective known as an Observer. With your augmentations, you can hack into peoples minds to solve crimes all while reliving some of their biggest fears and nightmares. One rainy night you get a call from your estranged son, seemingly in danger and asking for help. Once you trace that call to a decrepit apartment complex in the slums of Krakow, your investigation begins.
– Real player with 29.2 hrs in game
There is something unsettling about plugging in your computer, loading up Rutger Hauer’s character and playing a game where he plugs into dead people’s brains to get a look at their memories. It makes noir cyberpunk feel a little too close to home in 2020. RIP Rutger, gone but not forgotten. Off-genre stealth scenes mar this otherwise great experience, worth picking up if you are into cyberpunk, detective mysteries and/or horror games. (Please note that you can no longer buy the original game and must purchase the Redux version)
– Real player with 12.9 hrs in game