Cyberpunk Game - DEX (Deus Ex meets Flashback?).

If you're watching this video, chances are you're a little like me. I love me some Cyberpunk. Neon-lit cityscapes, cybernetic limbs and augmentation, hacking, cyberspace, dystopian regimes, high-tech, low-life. Cyberpunk Curated is a series of videos covering interesting games that emit the cyberpunk vibe either aesthetically or mechanically, hopefully both.

So what would happen if you mixed Flashback with Deus Ex? The result may look a little like DEX. Combining sidescrolling, platforming gameplay with choice, side missions, RPG progression and dialogue and often offering multiple routes to complete each objective.

But does this Czech-developed indie side scrolling RPG live up to its legendary inspirations? Let's find out in this episode of Cyberpunk Curated... This game intrigued me from the first time I saw it's Kickstarer in 2012. DEX opens up to some competently rendered 2D cinematics briefly "hooking" you into the story.

You don't get much to work on as the overall plot is as much a mystery to the protagonist as it is for you. The game does a good enough job getting you oriented into the main two interfaces - the sidescrolling and platforming that will envelop most of the game, and the Cyberspace mode which lets you control a free-floating spherical entity through a "cyber" version of the world.

This "world-within-a-world" idea where you can switch between cyberspace and the real world at anytime is an awesome idea that is just brimming with potential. The look and feel of the game reminds me of a modernized version of the urban levels of Flashback from 1992, but with beautifully realized backgrounds and environments are a marvel to look at.

Seriously, the level artists in this game deserve some major kudos, the atmosphere you get from the gritty slums Chinatown, to the sleazy neon-drenched red-light district. The static visuals are amazing. My only issue is that unlike games such as Flashback from 20 years ago, which had smooth rotoscoped animation, the animation quality in DEX is lacking.

Characters move as if their limbs are all in casts. The sound design for static noise and music is top-tier with some catchy tunes and soundscapes, there are however some places where sounds are inexplicably missing where you would naturally think there would be, especially in the UI.

And some of the sound effects in combat and in cyberspace come off as a little bit cartoony. The voice acting is a hit or miss, for every charming drug dealer you get a badly paced and awkward hobo. There are some legitimately well-voiced characters on-par with AAA games, but there are some irritating or uncompelling voices as well that you may have to endure.

Luckily, all dialogue is skippable so you won't have to endure it for very long. DEX touts a multi-path and nonlinear "hub" style of gameplay that games like Deus Ex were famous for. Most of the denizens of Harbor City are non-interactive, but there are a handful in each district with something to say or provide optional side missions.

There are locked doors and containers around the city which you can lockpick or open. Hidden items and other distractions help fill the world up and adds a level of interactivity that games like Deus Ex were known for. Walking to street corners or breaking into homes and reading emails, snagging foodstuffs and peeking into others lives is a really fun and immersive pastime that I always enjoyed when games allow it.

Combat is pretty limited from the start. You get no weapons early on and very few moves, so the first hour or so of combat looks like Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, with a little bit of blocking here and there. As the game progresses, you can unlock new moves and techniques in melee combat if you apply points to that skill, but sadly your limbs are your only close-range weapons in the game.

No laser katanas to be seen here. Shooting is a bit more varied and features six different guns you can find or buy in the game world. Upping your Ranged skill helps with accuracy, recoil and reload speed. There is a method of stunning enemies with the Augmented Reality skill which lets you go into Cyberspace, target an enemy, then go back to the real world and fight them again, as well as jump kicks, combos and other moves after you invest skill points into them while leveling up.

It's a fairly shallow combat system when you start out, but as you build up your character and unlock new abilities is does get more satisfying. There are very tough enemies that will just demolish you if you're not careful, so quite often you will rely on cheap tactics to outsmart their dull AI rather than fight them at their own game.

The Cyberspace mechanic is probably the most unique and compelling system in the game, and has huge potential. Once unlocked, you can switch between the real world and cyberspace with a flick of a button at any time. The mode plays like a simple Geometry Wars clone, where you can soar and hack nodes to activate switches, gain info, or deactivate security systems.

You can also shoot in 360 degrees, and you will do a lot of this as the protagonist is being hunted by a never-ending cyber-virus that will mob you as soon as you start hacking. As you level up you can unlock better stats and weapons which is a must if you are going to try to hack the more difficult nodes.

I feel the Cyberspace "alternate world" mechanic of the game is underutilized in all but the mission levels Most hub areas are devoid of anything to hack or manipulate in Cyberspace. While IN missions though, it provides another dimension to how you approach levels.

I found myself cruising the circuits to find cameras, turrets and other hackables to take out, while the ever-looming threat of viruses and security systems were just around the corner. There are terminals and points in the story where you are transported into a completely cyberspace map where you have to fight your way to your objective in a maze-like cyberdungeon featuring optional story bits, experience and health pickups and enemies.

One problem with these sequences was the camera was too close, resulting in enemies rushing you in a quarter of a second flat. Having your camera further back would solve this and allow more reaction time and less cheap deaths while "jacked in". I can't help but feel a little underwhelmed with the audiovisuals, though.

The original concept art shown in the Kickstarter teased a more fleshed out and realized world with the protagonist's avatar resembling sort of a Chinese dragon, and a wider variety of enemies. The actual game features various colored "tech circles" as both the protagonist and enemies which in contrast to the beautifully realized real-world environs, comes off as a little thrown together, and just about every corridor and enemy looks about the same.

Stealth mechanics are probably the weakest part of DEX, relying on pretty basic artificial intelligence which doesn't take into account sound or anything like that. You can perform one-hit kills in the form of takedowns if you are able to get behind an enemy without being detected.

And there are occasionally objects you can hide behind or air vents you can use to circumvent areas, but the level design fails here in my opinion. Not enough attention was placed on map design and you will almost undoubtedly run into areas where alerting enemies is unavoidable.

You can run away from them instead of fighting, but that brings up another problem: fights quite often don't have many repercussions for winning or avoiding. Drops and experience seem nominal, and so often I found it more advantageous to run past the tougher enemies in order to ration health and ammo.

Enemies SHOULD follow and gang up on you like other games, but DEX's have a fairly limited follow range and zoning loses them completely so it's easy enough to just skip 'em. DEX is a hard game to judge. In many ways, you can do better with other games.

If you want 2D stealth and melee action with complex AI and involved stealth mechanics and multiple ways of beating each level, the fantastic Mark of the Ninja would be a better bet. Apotheon and Salt and Sanctuary have much deeper 2D melee combat, or if you want a solid 2D shooter with Metroidvania elements, you could look at games like Shadow Complex Remastered.

If you want a more solid "twin-stick shooter" than DEX's cyberspace mechanic, you'd do well to check out the Geometry Wars series. Though each part is flawed, this is one of those rare games where the theme and way the systems connect make them greater than the sum of their parts.

DEX is an ambitious title that combines a lot under a thick and compelling Cyberpunk theme. It may not have been the Neuromancer game of our dreams, but it is a solid effort by a small team, and I would definitely recommend it to hardcore Cyberpunk fans who just can't get enough.