The Art Of Not Asking Why

It’s been a while since I talked about a game here, and Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is a good reason to get back in the habit. Hopefully.

There is a lot going on in this game and a lot to like. It’s a bit hard to compare it to other games, but I can start by saying it’s a sophisticated X-Com turn-based tactic squad game with a deep story and base management on the next level. But it’s much more than that. Take each system you know from X-Com and bring it up to the next level, and then you’ll start to get the idea.

You’re in charge of a group of mercenaries in a futuristic, dystopian Cyberpunk Boston. Your goal is to pick up missions from different contacts and get paid so you can pay the bills. This game being story-focused, there are main-story missions, and there are characters with interesting stories that develop as the game goes on, depending on the choices you make.

In combat, it’s a detailed turn-based game with many mechanics determining what you can do and how. These mechanics are based on Cyberpunk the TRPG (the latest version is Cyberpunk Red), so there’s a lot to take in. Action points determine how far you can move and what actions you can do, but certain kinds of movements (sneaking) are slower, and the overall amount is affected by the character’s reaction attribute. Likewise, the character’s strength affects the amount of recoil after they shoot (to stabilize the weapon), which in turn affects the percentage to hit, as well as weapon modifications (yep, they have those), and certain traits the character has, which are special skills, separate from attributes. The game engine in combat is improved from X-Com, too: grenades can bounce off surfaces, the angle your character is facing affects the amount of cover they have, and enemies have a radius of seeing and hearing you, depending on how stealthy and quiet you are. And there’s much more (did I forget to mention there are classes in this game, and the ability to multi-class? Oh well, I need to post this at some point).

The combat might be the main highlight, but for me, the developing story is just as fun. Your characters talk to each other in on-screen dialog, and you get to choose the answers to certain questions. They form relationships with each other, which affect the gameplay as well, depending on the missions you play. Each character is unique and brings their own additional missions, choices, enemies, and allies. They have their own general background where, as they talk about their past with the others, you get to choose what exactly happened to them, where, and when. You can also change characters' looks and add notes about them as well.

Meanwhile, the story has the depths and details of a rich TRPG campaign, because Tresebrothers, the makers of the game, have been playing a homebrew version of the aforementioned Cyberpunk Red for over a decade. Many choices you make count, and some are irreversible. You need to keep track of the complicated political landscape as different employers try to con you while the guy who operates on you for cyber implants (yet another thing I didn’t get into - yes, you have those) might have a brother who got lost somewhere and will ask you to help in exchange of a favor, because favors are an important additional currency in this game. Loyalty is a factor, and an employee who likes you is more likely to pay you more for your missions and give you special equipment - but at the cost of others disliking you, and some squad members will refuse to go on missions for someone they hate, for example. All of this is managed by the game’s “DM” which builds missions and stories for you as the game goes. It’s a bit like Rimworld’s storyteller, if you’re familiar.

There’s still more to this game I haven’t talked about. The base building is similar to X-Com, but yet again, on the next level. You need to manage power and cooling, among other things, to be able to build certain facilities, which open up even more possibilities. For example, in my still early game, it’s indicated I could build certain weapons and mods in my own base instead of trading in the underworld, but I don’t have the right place for that yet. My “face,” the squadmate who is a special class who takes care of the missions, can have their own operation room, which might bring in different kinds of missions and options that I don’t know about yet. Even the way the power is laid out is not as simple as just running wires; some rooms get more power than others, etc.

Oh, and did I tell you there’s hacking too, which is its own form of a minigame… OK, I’ve got to stop somewhere.

This game makes me miss my own DnD games and makes me want to pick up Cyberpunk Red (I got the rulebook a year ago or so) and try to play some. There are few games that are this detailed and complex, and none that I know that combine it all with tactics, base building, and of course, the beautiful dystopian cyberpunk theme. If you’re into RPGS/TRPG, or if you liked Cyberpunk 2077 and want some more of that world, or if you’re thirsty for a good X-Com-like game, or if you like complex systems and want something challenging, or all of the above… check this game out. It’s very much worth it at its non-premium price tag.