Cyber Knights: Flashpoint

I had this game in my library for a while, debating whether to play it or not. Got it on a good sale, maybe paid like, 15 bucks, maybe 10 for it. Anyways, the game is a lot better than i thought it would be. Very addicting, decent story, with a good gameplay loop. You have a crew of mercs, and can only send up to four on mission (idk if you can send more down the line, wish you could send 5). You can have more mercs in your base. You have different classes and abilities. A bunch of different weapons and gear, which you can customize to fit specific builds or mission types. You can recruit mercs during storyline events, a bunch of different contacts you can meet, and can build up or ruin your rep with them. This game is pretty deep. it is turn based and initiative based, has a decent overwatch system, has buffs and debuffs, i mean the works. Now, it is stealth focused, and that is what had put me off in the first place. but that doesnt mean it is stealth only. There are various missions where combat is all youre going to do. There is hacking focused missions as well. You can choose to skip missions, which may ruin your rep. If you have an obligation with a contact (you owe them a favor), you MUST do that mission, or you get burned with that contact and the rest of them will be weary of working with you. I can keep on rambling, but here are a couple of bad things. The loop can SOMETIMES get a little tedious or overwhelming (you can actually adjust the speed of that in the settings). The music is awesome, but i wish there were a few more tracks thrown into the mix, especially during missions. And as already mentioned, i wish you could have more mercs on mission, even if just one (idk if thats something that you can do later in the game). If you like games like xcom, jagged alliance, or shadowrun, (this game even has a basebuilding mechanic with crafting and token crafting for mission and activity buffs, AND you can customize your characters to your liking) then you will definitely enjoy this game. Overall, id give it a 9/10. Will update my review if needed.

Este es un juego genial para los que les gusten los juegos tipo XCOM. Las mecánicas están bien pensadas y son originales, el juego tiene momentos tranquilos y momentos difíciles, y hay una cierta historia emergente. ¡Muy bueno!

challenging but fun game. Good tactical depth.

好玩，耐玩。希望能加入机器人，控制机器狗无人机的职业，更符合赛博朋克的背景。还有潜行关卡太多，能不能加入企业出生的起源，去攻打其他企业，就不用那么多潜行了

For me personally not only is this game one of the best x-com likes i have ever played, but i would even go as far as to say that it has way better potential. The devs are open to feedback and quick to solve critical issues.

Je recommande milles fois, après avoir jouer à beaucoup de jeux du genre comme xcom, xenonauts, wartales, rogue trader et bien d'autres c'est ici un des plus complet auxquels j'ai pu jouer. Il offre une grande variétés de personnages et permets d'approcher les missions de plusieurs manières différentes. Après 25h + de jeu je ne trouve les missions toujours pas du tout répétitives, ce qui est quelque chose qu'on peut facilement retrouver dans ce genre de jeu. Pour les +: - Hacking, c'est bien pensé et plutôt sympa - Variété de classes et de talents tous différents - Difficile sans être impossible mais il faut parfois se résoudre à se retirer de missions - Des histoires annexes sympa - Gestion global plutôt rafraîchissante avec un système de contacts pour les missions qui sont lié à la boutique. Ex je peux choisir des missions d'un contact contre un autre le rendant + influent et me permettant d'avoir plus de matos mais je peux me faire des ennemis qui vont chercher à envoyer des assassins pour bousiller mes missions de manière aléatoire. - Les systèmes de l'IA sont variés et l'infiltration est vraiment bien réussi. - On sent que les dev sont investis - Encore bcp d'autres Les -: - Prise en main global facile mais certaines indications et info-bulles manquent, il y en a mais par exemple pour le Lore on a un codex mais c'est un peu embêtant de devoir aller fouiller dedans chaque fois et parfois certaines statistiques ne sont pas vraiment expliqué (pour les clients par exemple). - le tuto: ça rejoint le point précédent mais le système de combat et de hack est très bien expliqué/indiqué mais la base et le système de client pas du tout (j'ai mis 5h avant de me rendre compte que il y avait un système de client/contact et magasin parce que les icônes sont petites en haut à droite de l'écran à côtés du bouton help..) Je n'ai vraiment pas trouvé d'autres points négatifs le jeu est bien foutu et constamment amélioré, FONCEZ

A very solid turn-based tactics RPG. Skill trees are deep and offer highly varied build options, there are crafting mechanics, black markets, using favors for discounts in said markets, developing connections with contacts, making friends, making enemies, stress management, XCOM-esque base management, and a solid amount of character customization options. There's a lot of things going on in Cyber Knights that makes it feel like a very deep and intentional game. I've put 35 hours into Cyber Knights, and I honestly feel like I've barely scraped the surface of what is in this game, for the most part. The missions themselves are a bit repetitive. Even the ones for storylines are more or less the same as any old regular gig. But there's a decent variety, just don't expect every missions to feel completely different. Also stealth is quite challenging. IDK why but I'm such a perfectionist which means I spend way more time trying to make things perfect, but it always gets messed up. I will say, there is significant tactical depth to said missions that goes well beyond what most turn-based tactics games will do. There are a lot of abilities you can unlock for you mercenaries that allow them to do all sorts of things. From predicting enemy movement, disabling electronics, boosting the amount of AP for your team members, hacking into the matrix and stealing data/disabling security systems. When you chose what mercs you take into mission, it goes beyond just what kind of weapon they use and the singular class ability they have. You will end up designing the builds your mercenaries around specific roles that are necessary to the completion of particular kinds of mission. You wouldn't take your heavily armed and armored merc into a mission that prioritizes speed and stealth and you wouldn't your stealth mercs to a job that's gonna get loud and bloody. This brings into the build crafting. It's quite deep. This isn't XCOM where you level up a unit and choose between 1 of 2 options for a new ability or perk. In CK:F, you get regular old RPG skill points that you invest into a skill tree. You have little connecting nodes between actual skill nodes that boost particular stats. Then you have the actual skills that themselves have little nodes within them that when upgraded, increase the duration time, effectiveness or amount of charges for said skills. The skill trees are really quite deep, and a bit unwieldly at times. The game doesn't hold your hand and tell you what the best choice should be, and I respect that because it encourages the player to experiment and learn through just playing. Just because it doesn't explain what the best thing is, doesn't mean the game is ruthlessly punishing to a player, it just means there's something to learn that will optimize your effectiveness. This is the part of game where I justify my claim that I've barely scraped the surface, there's just so much. Visually, the game is serviceable. The characters look a little stiff and lack life. I would also like to see some blood decals on the ground on or near injured or killed enemies, anything really to just convey some response or impact. I DO understand that environmental destruction was something that was outside of the scope of the devs, and am fine that it isn't present in the game. I understand this is a small studio and it's clear the bigger focus was on the numbers and mechanics that are working behind the scenes for this game. Nevertheless, it makes the game come off a little abstract at times. This is especially evident for the level design. I genuinely don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at most of the time. Is this a sewer, a warehouse, or an underground bunker? It all just looks like generic industrial areas save for some special missions in a data vault or in a high rise. Something I loved about the XCOM games (and I'm sorry to compare this to them I know it's a VERY bruised and bloody dead horse by this point when it comes to any turned-based tactical game) is the excellent level design. You knew what the location was and its purpose in the game's setting. Plus there was a considerable verticality in those levels, something I find missing in CK:F. (It's present but just not as common or useful as it is in XCOM. There aren't many vantage points and some enemies are straight up locked on top of a little building or structure that basically are living turrets meant to circle 360 degrees. Sometimes I can't even hit them because of how line of sight works in this game.) You don't need high fidelity graphics, but just stronger art direction and design. Battle Brothers has very simple graphics, but it conveys so much information for both gameplay and immersion despite that. As for the writing, it's just ok. Some are a bit more interesting than others, but I can't say I was ever completely engrossed in what was happening. The legwork mini-stories had some cool little moments that did pique my imagination a bit. Overall however, I can't say I was all that immersed in the setting and world. Maybe show us some more of it. Give us slides with artwork depicting certain key story scenes or even random events with choices that help expand the world and lore. I understand you can read up about the world in the game, but I just see all these names that don't mean much other than them being the target, or the client. I will give CK:F an 8/10. It's addicting when you're just playing. I end up spending WAY more time than I initially think I will when I sit down to play it. The tactics are very fun and engrossing. It's a good game, made by devs that care are ALWAYS working on it. They are determined to provide long term, consistent free support for their titles and I respect heavily. Mod support is coming, meaning the game will eventually have way more content, build diversity and story potential. This is a game I'll continue to play every now and then, and never feel like I disliked it. Good game. This also runs solid (40-60 fps on mid to high settings) on the Steam Deck after the performance update, which is what I usually play this game on.