SPELLHACK!!

The only thing I could want from this game, besides "more," is the ability to rebind keys manually

This game has a fun and catchy retro theme mixed with cyberpunk. The tutorial is well done, easing players into the game. The mechanics and UI are all clear and everything is well defined. Game play is fast paced and addictive. Man, I love this game! ...except for the cigarette and ash tray next to the computer. Smoking is nasty. Replace it was a copy of Heavy Metal magazine or something cool that fits the theme.

Really enjoying this so far!! I like how the battle gameplay is faster pace and engaging compared to other deckbuilders, the intensity really makes you feel like you're furiously hacking once you get in the rhythm and understand your spellhacks and their synergies. The day portion of the game is a nice way to take a breath and upgrade your deck, and scanning locations and doing the events is a fun way to go about that. It's been fun to see the different events pop up and find new ones. During the night, there's a good variety of enemies with different abilities that present different challenges that keep things interesting. Aesthetically I'm really digging it too. The mixture of live action and retro gameplay is very well done here and hits a few nostalgic notes for me from my childhood: Playing DOS games, playing on a CRT monitor, and the live action bits peppered in remind me of games like Myst/Riven and really add to the intrigue. I love the little bits of worldbuilding sprinkled in as you play through and hints of greater mysteries. The sense of humor in the writing is on point as well. The music is great and fits the vibe well without being obnoxious or distracting (I'm someone who finds themselves often muting games with repetitive background music and I wasn't feeling that at all here). The simple control scheme is perfect and allows both fast paced gameplay and the ability to easily play with a controller or Streamdeck in a more relaxed environment. I played with both controller and keyboard, both feel great but honestly enjoying keyboard gameplay more than I was expecting because it really adds to feeling like a hacker once the game is getting intense! Really excited to play more and see what else you come up with!! Really great stuff here.

Great! Lane-based roguelike deckbuilder. The 80s theme is done very well and the whole game drips with charm.

Survive the night by killing enemies and preventing them from reaching your portal. Each lane can have up to 3 enemies at a time and they gradually move 1 lane closer to your portal. Scan a location to have random encounters happen such as adding spells, healing your portal, or changing a spell. You get a choice between 2 events. [h1] Pros: [/h1] - Minimalist graphics similar to Nintendo and other old school games. - $5.99 Price is good for the value. You can play 5-10 hours easily if you want to beat challenge Modes. - Takes about 30- 45 minutes to complete a run on normal mode. - Simple game play and there are strategic elements. Order matters when using your spells. [h2] Cons: [/h2] - Final boss is hard to beat. As of this review, only 18% beat story mode. - Limited viable strategies to win fights. There are 2 main ways I have discovered- push/wall stall and applying status effects. - Having a smaller deck is generally better and there is no benefit when skipping a card like coins/gold to spend. - No progression after losing. It would be good if they offered better starting spells or other benefits. [h3] Suggestions: [/h3] - Add keyboard shortcuts for navigating locations to scan. This game is tedious using ASWD or arrow keys. - Add note that controller is recommended for playing the game. - Add undo option. It's easy to mis-click on the wrong lane. - The keywords and enemy help menus were somewhat hidden and should be added to pause menu. I only found it by accidentally clicking X with a controller. - Make it easier to see how many turns needed to survive night. There is a clock, but it would be more clear if indicator showed how many turns/hours left. - Offer different starting decks, so each run feels different and player can try out other spells. [b] Conclusion: A deck builder with beasts that attack you during the night. Overall, its fun and simple to play, but there is no progression for losing. This game is not a Slay the Spire clone and I praise the developers for their originality with the lane based combat. [/b] [quote=author][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/] Follow IndieGems for more reviews like this one.

$6 Steal, if you like roguelites this is probably for you. It may look a little confusing, but it's not hard to learn. 8/10 Would be a pro hacker again.

It's time to sling spells and kill beasts!