CyberCorp Review (Switch, PC, Linux, & MacOS)

When you already have a masterpiece in a specific genre out there, it can be a hard sell to then jump into a new game. Most of the time, new games build on the foundation of tried-and-tested mechanics. In the process, they ride on the success of previous games before it, hardly adding novelty or mechanics we have yet to see. It’s the question CyberCorp is facing, in a bid to carve out its own path in the twin-stick looter shooter gaming space. Does the new game reinvent the wheel enough to warrant checking out for yourself or does it play it safe? Let’s find out in our CyberCorp review.

Dystopia

CyberCorp drops us into a futuristic cyberpunk dystopian universe set in 2084. Megacorporations run the world, among them CyberCorp, the organization you work for. It gives you a neuralink technological device that you can use to control a Synth and wreak havoc on the world at CyberCorp’s bidding. The Synth body is a futuristic cybernetic build that can wield all sorts of weapons and equip you with diverse skills to take on the dangers of the world. 

The game does have a story, although not a very profound one. It unravels plotlines via text dialogue that has no voice acting. You could read the dialogue, but it’ll soon dawn on you that the plot lacks intrigue. It doesn’t motivate you to want to find out more. Sure, you unlock new characters, but they lack depth or personality. Overall, you find yourself ditching the narrative altogether in favor of the more intense combat missions. 

Shoot to Kill

Like any other twin-stick looter shooter game, CyberCorp focuses on combat missions that task you with an objective. It can range anywhere from defending a post to killing a certain number of enemies in a set time. They are drop-in-and-out sort of missions that are snappy and fast-paced. These are the game’s biggest strength points, as they form the sections when your adrenaline will be pumping hard. 

Shot from an isometric, top-down perspective, you’ll move from zone to zone in a maze-like civilization. Bright neon colors will light your way, with a deep cyberpunk tone jumping off the screen of your playthrough. You won’t always see the enemies coming, only shooting in the direction that you expect them to. For the most part, it’s mindless shooting in the direction of enemies, regardless of their type. 

Body Count

Sure, enemies will be of different types. But the way that you kill them remains the same. That’s because they will be coming at you in waves and relentlessly, too. You have no time to plan the perfect strategy. You have no time to identify points of weakness. It’s carnage in the streets of CyberCorp, and to survive, you’ll be emptying rounds on piles and piles of foes.

For that reason, your moment-to-moment gameplay can begin to feel repetitive. Even when you unlock new weapons with extra buffs and new skills, the execution during combat rarely changes much. And you will unlock a ton of weapons the more you play, crafting a unique play style, from sniper to brawler. But ranged combat remains the go-to playstyle, as melee is a bit wonky. 

Up Close and Personal

You can hack and slash enemies up close. But it feels off and not nearly as electric as the gunplay. Perhaps it’s the unnatural sword-slashing sound effect that breaks immersion. Or the animation that feels rather rigid. In any case, your main motivation to keep going is the rewards you gain from each mission. And with 15 story missions and plenty of more side quests, you’re often kept busy.

As you unlock higher-level weapons and armor, the difficulty will go up. You’ll constantly be on your toes, as you strive to stay alive. At the end of each level is a mini-boss who poses a higher challenge. You’ll also tackle three big bosses. And while defeating them scoops you exciting rewards, the battles themselves can break immersion. 

Something Feels Off

Often, you’ll be fighting off waves of enemies in a fast-paced flow. But bosses are slower, as you focus on landing as many hits as you can to take them down. Moreover, the boss fights don’t feel nearly as climactic as you might expect. It should be a build-up from the missions into a huge spectacle. Instead, the boss battles feel boring. Also, it’s worth mentioning that the boss battles can spike in difficulty, and not in a clever way either. Sometimes it’s as simple as a boss’s damage output doubling during the second phase of the battle.

But the issue stretches beyond the boss battles. When you’ve played for some hours, CyberCorp begins to feel bland. It lacks that “fun” aspect of gaming for a reason I can’t place. For some reason, the combat doesn’t feel nearly as exhilarating as it should, especially when we have masterpiece competitors to compare it to, including Nex Machina, The Ascent, Enter the Gungeon, and many more.

By the Book

In fact, plenty of CyberCorp’s gameplay will be familiar to fans of the twin-stick looter shooter genre. It’s all a by-the-book implementation of what works. And to some extent, you enjoy a relatively fun killing spree because the game sticks to tried-and-tested mechanics. 

The game even goes further to add QTEs to reload. It’s a pretty neat feature that keeps you on your toes. You become aware of the right time to hit the respective button, which has a very short reaction period. If you fail to hit the button at the right time, you’ll be forced to wait for the reload to complete fully. That can be precious time that can be all it takes for a powerful enemy or boss to take you down. 

Pros and Cons

CyberCorp certainly isn’t a bad game. It does have plenty of pros going for it. For one, you can customize your Synth to deep levels. Your body build is essentially your weapons and armor, making way for some interesting customization options. Moreover, you enjoy variety in the weapons, skills, missions, and enemy types. 

The visuals, meanwhile, serve their purpose. They are seeped in neon with futuristic detail. You explore diverse environments in these tight spaces that allow you to focus on one zone at a time. During the boss fights, the environment changes too, allowing for a refreshing change of pace.

However, CyberCorp is also bogged down by too many cons. While you access deep customization mechanics, the options blend into one another. Gaining a new skill or extra buff fails to pay off on the battlefield. Part of it is because of the gameplay that soon becomes repetitive. 

But it’s also because your stats are tied to your build, which can lead to some restrictive progression later on. You essentially have to loot until you get specific drops to level up.

Meanwhile, the environments also begin to look a little too familiar. At the hub, the blandness of the visuals hit hard when you realize how empty the room is. You have too many screens, actual TV screens, and not much else that catches your attention. 

And then, of course, you have a couple of bugs here and there that are so dire you may have to restart the game. But the good news is the developer has been prompt in ironing out the issues gamers have been pointing out. So, with patch updates, and refining of the gameplay, CyberCorp could be worth the try.

Verdict

At present, CyberCorp is still imperfect. And not that it needs to be perfect to be worth your time and money, but that it simply hasn’t polished its gameplay enough. The story for one feels too rushed, like the developers were pressed for time to truly craft a profound plot.

You hardly enjoy any character development. Heck, the protagonist is hardly memorable. Still, the environment here, a cyberpunk dystopian world, sets the stage for a potentially intriguing mystery-ridden story. Unfortunately, the gameplay fails to make up for the lackluster plot.

For some reason, I can’t put a finger on why CyberCorp’s gameplay isn’t fun. Sure, you’ll dive into the usual twin-stick looter shooter mechanics. You’ll take down waves of relentless enemies across different zones. But the zones will soon begin to blend into one another. Worse? The core gameplay will begin to feel repetitive. 

As much as you unlock new gear and upgrades, the core gameplay fails to evolve. And so, after several hours of playing the game, you struggle to find a reason to prolong your playthrough any further or even stick around for multiple playthroughs. 

A lot of hope is riding on the developers ironing out the issues gamers have been pointing out. Further, they need to find ways to keep gamers engaged by crafting a more intriguing story, adding exciting environments and overall ensuring the core gameplay is a blast to play. Only then can CyberCorp become the twin-stick looter shooter it was meant to be.