I am a huge fan of roguelikes, first person shooters, rhythm games, and I'm a musician. Rhythm is not an issue for me. I literally found this game to be unplayable. This has nothing to do with the unique concept that the game has, but everything to do with how poorly the game controls. I will have a hard time explaining it, but if you're planning to play with a controller, you're in for a nightmarish time. The controls in this game are horribly unresponsive. I want to be clear about this too - I don't mean that the game thought I was shooting off the beat or not rhythmically on point, but rather the actual movement, and looking around just feels wrong. I tried different sensitivity options and nothing felt right. I literally stopped playing after 4 minutes with this game. The idea seemed cool, music was not great, based on the first level, but the controls.... If you're planning to play with a controller, steer clear from this one.
I have a soft spot for all things Cyberpunk. I just find the setting to be fascinating. This game was just awful. I was intrigued by the concept, and seeing the word Cyberpunk made it a no-brainer. However, 45 minutes in, I just couldn't bear it anymore. Some people have said it's like Paper's Please meets a visual novel. While this is true to some degree, it isn't wholly accurate. From what I witnessed, the game has no dialogue options and only boils down to following recipes, that sometimes require you to double up on the dosages. This game would benefit tremendously from having dialogue choices. Instead of presenting something compelling, this game just strives to be edgy, and more often than not comes across as crass. I've never worked as a bartender, so I don't know if these types of conversations are what bartenders typically get from their patrons. Particular parts that stood out to me was the second patron asking the bartender if has ever faked an orgasm.... I get that it's a mature game, but it just comes across as very tasteless, and it comes very early in the game. I don't see it maturing further along. The bartending mechanic is simple and not particularly fun. While Paper's Please actually presented a challenge, this game does not. The gameplay merely boils down to following a recipe. You can make the drink wrong and then you just have to remake the drink. The stakes are incredibly low. To be fair, I grant this game a whopping two stars, for decent music in its JRPG - Breath of Fire 3ish sort of way. I found the music to have some level of charm. I also respect the developer trying something new-ish, especially in a cyberpunk setting. It's just a shame that the game was crass and tried too hard to be edgy.. This concept could work. If I could give the devs a tip, it would be to give the game an actual story and allow for dialogue choices. It could be interesting to piece together a story of cyberpunk corps, from talking to patrons. Pass on this.
