Do you like the following things?
Dystopian Cyberpunk
Pixel Art
Moody Synth-Techno Chiptune Music
Point and Click Adventure Shenannigans (Complete with both normal and obtuse as hell puzzles)
Would you like those things to be combined into one smooth homogenous mixture and injected right into your bloodstream?
Me too, you'll probably like it.
VirtuaVerse is a retro-style, point-and-click adventure game taking place in a cyberpunk world where the lines of true reality and the augmented/virtual one is really blurred. You play as a man named Nathan, who went looking for his missing girlfriend Jay and discover how bad the reality blur is. By retro-style, what I meant was other than the pixel graphics, the puzzles can be lengthy and confusing, like early P&C games.
But not to worry, as this game offers a Story Mode, where many puzzles are shortened and easier but the story stays the same. However I discovered it does cut an area, a restaurant early in the game. Not sure if there are other cut areas, but I think not. Honestly, it would be better if the area stays, even if there's no puzzles or pickable items there. All achievements are still doable in this mode.
One thing I like about the levels is that its not just limited to the usual hi-tech city you see in cyberpunk media. There are some pretty unique levels such as a jungle, the ocean, and a hardware junkyard, to name a few. The story is pretty thrilling as well, especially near the end. But I won't say too much about that.
If there's one thing I wish this game had, it's voice acting. All the lines are unvoiced, just small blocks of text. However, the game doesn't feel that silent, as it has an awesome futuristic soundtrack, which really sets the atmosphere. But the music probably can't be that prominent if there is voiced dialogue, so maybe its a good thing.
Overall I think VirtuaVerse is a pretty great P&C cyberpunk game, and definitely worth a try if you're into those. Don't worry too much about the difficulty, as there are plenty great walkthroughs and an easier mode to choose from.
Good game, interesting story, minimum pixel hunting. I wonder if there is a MS-DOS or Amiga version? It feels like the Beneath the steel sky, and this game has some connections with that classic, also with similar sense of humor. For me - worst part of this game is music, I'd prefer some Ad lib like (actually like that in the Beneath the steel sky, more colorful), not dark synth wave, for something with it wrong. About plot... I could describe it in one sentence: this is an instruction how to get rid properly of "boyfriend of the year".
The game is exactly what it looks like, an old school point and click cyberpunk adventure game, with challenging and obscure puzzles, accompanied by a great soundtrack (soundtrack album sold separately) by the indomitable MBR, who also wrote the game's story.
If you want:
- A visual treat of crazy-good pixel art and animations
- An over-the-top cyberpunk dystopian story which is not afraid to reuse and reinvent some of the genre's tropes
- An 8-bit / chiptune / retro OST which you'll sing to for days
- A classic adventure game that follows in the footsteps of the Lucasarts giants and takes your nostalgia over the top
Then BUY this game. Now.