>//:System.Hack Reviews

After the first questionnaire I thought I'd be skulking around in shadows and hacking into companies afterhours or something like Vampires The Masquerade Bloodlines but for cyberpunk theme. Instead you are confined to your room and everything explorative is cyber-wise. This game needs more updates. Plus the special powers you use to "hack" are easily to forget how to use. Maybe a toggle-able tutorial or a consistant tutorial until you have say over 15,000 dollars. Also the randomized quest system should be overhauled to give more money, seems too grindy. But maybe that is because this game needs to develop more. I am NOT recommending this game just yet, I will come back and try it properly when their is more features implemented.

Since this game is early acccess, the review is about its current state. (However, so far the game got better and better with each new update!!) When my characterI first logged into the net of >//:System.Hack I was just amazed how well this cyberspace worked for me. The game is also a lot of fun, accessing the systems and performing various tasks like cracking the access codes to a node via a real well-made and fun mini-game and 1:1 battles vs different intrusion countermeasure (IC) codes ranging from simple block programs to pretty difficult battle codes. So far I did only see a fraction of the IC variants, so I am eager to explore more of the net. The game also has player stats in virtual combat and stealth, cryptology and programming. The latter is fun because it allows the player to create new programs for the character. For this an quite amazing script-like language is already in place. The player-base is very active and seeing the development of the game first hand is a quite welcome experience. The developers are in close contact with the community and listen to the bug reports and suggestions. When writing this review I own this game less than a week, but there have already been a number of updates. I fully recommend the game to anyone in love with cyberpunk/sci-fi hacking games and anyone who always wanted to see the matrix in first person.

So I don't usually write reviews, but I really like how this game is turning out. Starting off you play the part of a hacker who has landed himself in hot water and is applying for work at a company that provides job of the not so legal sort for hackers. They set you up with a bunker and a hacking rig, at a cost of course, and you take various jobs improving your skils.earning cash, to make programs upgrade your rig, and get out of your contract with the company. The gameplay might be a bit repetitive for some due to the need to grind your skills and level them up to take on progressively tougher systems. however new feature are planned to make it more diverse, and I dont mind the grind as long as the leveling is rewarding. there are alot of cool features like the program creation console where you can build custom programs to aid you in hacking the systems. There is also a set of perks you can earn and three different modes of game play to unlock. The graphics are nothing special but do the job of immersing you in the role of the virtual hacker. The developer is very active squashing bugs and adding new features. The game has a little bit of a learning curve but once you get the hang of it I think it very fun.

This game is a pretty sweet mix of hacking and rpg. Things start slowly, but when you get going it feels really rewarding. There's some bugs still, but that's to be expected in early access, and the developer is extremely active. Often able to get a fix pushed out within a few hours even. If you're looking for a fresh new take on a hacking game, this one is worth getting.

I quite enjoy System Hack even though it's pretty simple in design. It reminds me of an old game I used to play called Neuromancer. The game does suffer from some instability issues and bugs but a quick reload later and you're back in the action. It's very heavy on the grind but every upgrade is worth the pain.

Could have been great, but it's likely abandonware at this stage, and barring some modding virtuoso, this unfinished thing is the best it'll get.

Even as an advocate of early access and in-dev titles in the past, I've recently been avoiding them almost entirely. Something about this game just made me curioius and I bought it on a whim after playing a decent amount of other hacking games. Just keep in mind that early access means the very real possibility of bugs and crashes, unbalanced gameplay, and just the general "unfinished" feel. So you should expect this. That said, the dev on this project is EXTREMELY responsive to feedback and on top of any bugs reported. I have no question that he truly respects the opinions of the fanbase and honestly wants to make his game better. Every time I've posted a bug on the forum, it has been fixed in less than 24 hours! OK, but what about the actual game? -There's a good bit of repitition as you can expect with most hacking games, but in this case you are navigating systems in an FPS style, rather than typing into a console. That may turn off a lot of people right away as "totally not hacking". -An RPG style upgrade system lets you get better at the things you want to focus on. If you like the combat, fighting more IC's will level you up. If you prefer to break passwords and spoof user accounts, your stealth rating will increase. Not an entirely new concept, but in a hacking game it hasn't been greatly explored so far. -You have a bit of work to start understanding how the gameplay goes, and it can be frustrating and confusing. My advice is to read all the tutorial screens and absorb the most relevant info at the time. You can refer back anytime for whatever starts to confuse you. - TL;DR version - What this boils down to is just so; -If you want to play a hacking game that isn't like most hacking games then definitely check it out. -If the screenshots interest you and you aren't afraid of learning how to play a game while playing it, download it. -If you want to support Indie devs who are here to make the best game they can, and not take your money and run, buy it. BUT, -If you don't like the idea of early access and want to play a finished game, don't buy it. -If you're looking for the next Uplink, Hacknet, [your fav hack game here], dont't buy it.

I've got an extensive library of hacking simulation games and enjoy them, this specific one is nice because it allows you to "work" on building up the rig, exp of your character, and operate a loader. I warn you it is a bit repetitive to get the exp up and the story needs work, but I've enjoyed the challenge to build the rig, maneuver through the system in a 1st person mode (kinda new), and enjoy the perspective of being inside a system and moving through as if I were a data packet.

I bought this game to support the original author of one of my favorite mods for Shadowrun Returns, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying >//:System.Hack on its own merits. The gameplay just has a great “flow” to it and managed to be great fun even during my learning curve when all I knew was to run around and interact with random nodes, and even after I figured out what I was supposed to be doing it managed to keep that "fun factor". However, probably one of the best features of >//:System.Hack is “Oracle” which allows you to code your own hacking programs, it’s powerful, extremely flexible, and just “feels” perfect for the setting. Now, as an Early Release, the game still has a few bugs a couple of minor quibbles here and there, but I’ve yet to run across anything that was Gamebreaking or managed to dent my enjoyment of slicing through systems like a ghost or smashing ICE into oblivion. The fact that the dev is extremely responsive to both bug reports and feature requests is a REALLY nice change from the usual as well. Overall this game really is a gem and I’d recommend it whole heartily to anyone that are fans of the cyberpunk genre as well as hacking games in general.

Game looks great and seems to play great. Had a small problem when setting my resolution higher, had to quit game and come back in. Overall the net hacking is pretty amazing. Feels like you are doing Shadowrun decking in first person. The tutorials are only pages to read, so that isn't as good as the game teaching how to play. Game doesn't look like it will be that easy either. Hacking comes down to running across the grids, trying to find the proper nodes to access and defeating ICE in multiple ways without getting knocked out yourself. So far no flaws in game besides the beginning part I talked about. Would recommend to fans of Hacking games, Shadowrun, the simple roguelike Decker, and especially the Old Genesis Shadowrun.