else Heart.Break()

Jan 10 2016. I played this game from start to finish in one weekend. In the time from release to when I played this game there have been several walkthroughs posted, of which I used a few to get through the main storyline and finish the game without much trouble. But the trouble was the most interesting part. Messing up and schooling yourself on coding methods, hacking together spaghetti code, putting everything in nice functions, etc.. You'll actually somewhat learn to code in this game. Just gotta get a modifier, a syntax reference (besides the lower part of your modifier, it's good to have a keyword reference in dead tree format, and yes there is a few out there), and an arcade cabinet to work on. There is SO MUCH stuff to be explored in this game, the mind boggles. To sum up a few of the things worth collecting; -DigitalTrashXX diskettes. They're spread all over the world, and can be read using a floppy reader computer, or if you're already savvy with the in-game programming language; just about any computer with a screen. -Screwdrivers, fryingpan's, booze, coffee, water, mystical cubes, doors, junction boxes, computers, buttons, elevator panels, almost EVERYTHING can be hacked with your modifier. So you did your first playthrough? Great, now delete your saves, and take it slow. Don't take any missions, just ignore Pixie and the Gang, and go into every building you can (and can't, because switching open doors to locked doors is pretty damn trivial). Hack the planet. You might find Ratvader's last chillaxing place, away from the ministery. You might find Zarah's TV to be an entrypoint. Maybe you'll find the secret arcade? Maybe fix your bad creditcard balance? Who knows!? But most of all, you'll be having a blast, while you're learning a programming language. For that alone, this game gets full marks from me. Yes, sure, the game has quite a few bugs with hanging dialog, but you learn to save often. This is by far THE best way to get gamers into programming.

This game is a rather intriguing piece. You're kind of left to your own devices in the beginning and it's really only at about the 2 hour mark that the game becomes enjoyable at all. Once you've got your scripting tool, the game really lets you cut loose with what you can and can't do. I was breaking all kinds of stuff. I was rich, I could break into anywhere, and I never had to sleep again. I program as a hobby, not as a job, so this game was a great excuse to sit down and actually do some programming that I was able to use (in game at least). P's & C's: + Interesting art style + Probably the most programming I've ever done in a game + The really let you think outside the box in terms of what can and can't be interacted with - Story was dumb and boring - End was very unsatisfying - Worst camera controls in gaming history tl;dr: Do you like to program, or have you ever found yourself without anything practical to program? If so, buy this game.

"Don't expect the game to give you what you need" says another review. Well, yes and no. That really depends on how you proceed and approach it. True, if you expect an on-rails experience with a tutorial and hand-holding, it will not give you what you need. But clues are in fact strewn liberally all over the place so as long as you explore - and keep exploring, there's a lot of Dorisburg and a lot of code - with an open mind and a modicum of curiousity, you will inevitably get everything you need, cool toys and understanding of code included, without any need for luck. And you'll feel all the more bad-ass for it because it wasn't handed to you on a silver plate. Maybe it's a cat person/dog person kind of thing. Personally I loved the way the game didn't really care to fill me in on trivial details, like the name of my contact or where I was supposed to go. It's like a cat, looking at you arrogantly, condescending to being petted. It's not going to ask you to or instruct you how to do it. But if you really want to, it'll let you. Also it just felt wonderfully noir, being lost this way. As for the game itself: Don't think of it as a programming puzzle game because it's not. Code is a mechanic you use to learn about and tinker with the world. It's an adventure/detective game in which you actually have a meaningful way to meddle with the world instead of randomly mashing-bashing inventory items together and pretend that random results count as logic connections. Why do I recommend it? Because it gives a whole new meaning to the idea of an open world. This is a world where some twenty hours in I'm not still not really sure what the limits are to what I can do. Are there pretty firm limits in place? Yes, definitely. But they still seem unclear and the world is nothing but possibility. Can I get rid of my romantic rival by reprogramming the arcade machine he plays on to transport him into a room without doors? Possibly. Maybe. I'm definitely going to try.

This game really blew me away. I stumbled upon it more or less by chance, and apparently 8 years too late. The gameplay is divided into three core areas: point-and-click adventure, exploration, and programming (hacking). Overall, the game comes with many fresh approaches. I'll leave the overall gameplay principle aside because it's so unique that there's definitely no second game of its kind (unfortunately). Pros: - Freely explorable game world (where curiosity is always rewarded) - The world expands practically with your personal real-life programming skills. - Day/night cycles and NPC routines - You learn programming if you don't already know how (in a programming language similar on "Ruby"). - There are many social interactions and you don't have to constantly chase a quest log. Cons: - The camera control may make you think the game is still in early access at first... You get used to it over time. - While there is a description of programming basics that you have to piece together, there is no complete reference. - You can't wake up sleeping characters if you need to talk to them. This often leads to frustration because you have to wait for them to wake up. Both pros and cons: - Time is a factor. It's actually a cool idea. If someone says "It's urgent," then it really is urgent. If you don't complete the task in a timely manner, it will fail. Because the world keeps turning without you. If you're supposed to meet someone at the club at 6 p.m. the next evening, they'll only be there that one evening. If you don't show up, tough luck, the quest failed. Unfortunately, this leads to rushing or everything failing later in the game, as many storylines happen at the same time and overlap. All in all, this is a wonderful game, and I can only hope that a sequel or a similar representative of this completely unique genre will come to the market.