Deadeye Deepfake Simulacrum

Cyberpunk if Netrunner was a viable build (and it was made by whom I can only assume to be a single transfem furry)

i have zero words to describe this. this is perfect game if you like emergent mechanics, immersive sims, weirdcore/serial experiments lain vibes and cyberpunk/hacking themes in general. the variety of builds is astonishing, the plot is interesting to follow, this game is probably one of the best experiences i ever had with videogames.

In Deadeye Deepfake Simulacrum, you essentially play as an indentured servant forced to perform dirty deeds at the behest of your corporate overlords in order to pay off your medical bills. Gameplay is difficult to characterize because there are a spectrum of approaches to executing your missions, but I'll lead with a comparison to Hotline Miami. Missions must be completed without dying (death restarts the mission) and your character will generally go down in one hit. So expect to die a lot! One of the major ways this game differs from Hotline Miami is that in addition to being able to overwhelm your targets with speed and violence, you can also slowly and methodically hack your way to your objective. My preferred method was to soften up the enemy force through hacking -- eg. turning their security turrets against them -- then gun down any stragglers. The hacking route is not without risks, however. The more you engage with the enemies' defense systems, the more you expose yourself to counterattacks. For example the enemy systems can retaliate by revealing your position or by having you involuntarily drop a grenade at your own feet. A slow approach in the context of the hyper-deadly Hotline Miami style gameplay can be brutal. Your 30 min of thorough preparation through hacking can be easily foiled by an enemy that happened to wander by. Every weapon, armor, grenade, enemy, etc. in this game is procedurally generated in a thoughtful way that promotes variety and encourages experimentation, but manages to avoid generating items that are too OP. Sorting through loot can sometimes become tedious in games with procedurally generated items, but in this case, even at the end of the game, I was still happy to sift through my enemies remains in search for my next "favorite weapon." There are also over a dozen classes with different active abilities and passive perks that the player can unlock. You can freely mix and match these abilities and perks to craft a build that suits your favored play style. The low-fi soundtrack is an interesting choice that works, in my opinion. The graphics are minimalistic and serve as a means to an end. The controls are responsive and unobtrusive. Overall, Deadeye Deepfake Simulacrum is a fun sci-fi action game that makes you feel like a slick cyberpunk corporate operative half of the time. The other half of the time, you feel like a punching bag. This is a game that freely dishes out punishment, but one that also encourages experimentation and flexibility. After playing a hour or so of the demo, you should have a good idea if this game is for you or not.

still only on my first playthrough but this game has the kind of netrunner fantasy i really wanted out of games like watch_dogs or cyberpunk 2077. but there are so many more ways to play the game its a bit disorientating

A very fascinating game. It has its flaws, but wears them on its sleeves. I love how this game allows you to play the hacker fantasy. This is definitely one of the most fun ways to hack I've seen in a video game. Some of the missions are completely trivialized by some lateral thinking and creative use of mechanics. When you really start thinking with how all the different nodes and systems interact, you can truly feel like a god, orchestrating everything on the map like a puppet master. It's very cool. This game is also very fun as an immersive sim. Sure, the graphics might not be on par with many of its cohorts, but don't let that fool you. I love how the game thinks of so many alternatives. They went out of their way to expect you to solve each little quest in multiple different ways. Whenever I uncovered a secret, it felt very earned; once I knew the developer was doing things and basically seeding the map with things for me to find, I searched everywhere, and I was always pleasantly surprised to find something, as if it was a breadcrumb laid just for me as a diligent player. The biggest issue with this game is that it's hard! Insanely hard. Much of the difficulty comes from the way you build; once the game really gets going, you're going to feel inefficiencies in your build really quickly. But part of the problem is the distribution of guns. The game encourages you to buy stuff, or pick up weapons from downed enemies, but you would be a fool if you didn't just steal one of the hyper-overpowered guns from particular portions of the game. This kinda trivializes the rest of the game though... why did I earn all that money if there's nothing I can spend it on? The difficulty curve also is quite sharp. I went from dominating every match to getting absolutely curb stomped every time. The balance feels a bit weird. Later missions have enemies that can one-shot you, and you're constantly fighting 5-15 different enemies simultaneously. This is also made worse in part because hacking loses its potency in late game. It's always useful, but you simply can't hack fast enough when you're fighting so many moving enemies. This is especially disappointing if, like me, you take a hacker build, only to find essentially half your skills as a player and powers as a character outmoded by simple running and gunning. There's definitely some ludonarrative weight to why this happens, but it's still a bit disappointing. But overall, I had a fun time with this. There's a lot of variety, with multiple endings as well. I also came across multiple secrets that absolutely baffled me, and that I'll definitely need to consult a guide to understand. Which is where this game excels. It's extremely unique, extremely flexible, and extremely fun, even if it can feel unfair and punishing at times. Excellent for anyone who wants their games with a little pepper.

Very difficult, but very fun and creative. I love the dialogue and the story, and how each mission feels like it has so many different ways to approach it.

Unapologetically postmodern, brimming with creativity.

I wish every game was like this

i absolutely adore this title. hacking, procedural generation, lesbianism, a handler somehow more offputting than the Cruelty Squad handler, what more you ask for? also: tip: equip "hotfix" and then open the shop next to the helipad.

This is an insanely good game, one I likely haven't even scratched the surface of. Great story paths and worldbuilding, the skills and items are a solid foundation for player-driven immersive sim gameplay. Especially the hacking mechanic is deceptively simple but so much fun. However: THIS GAME IS DIFFICULT AS HELL This is in no way meant as a demerit towards this game. You are meant to find your personal OP build or cheese strat in order to prevent the game from turning you into mincemeat. The 1 million dollar penalty on death encourages careful planning and you need patience and mental fortitude to handle the tension and occasional abrupt death. I don't have that, at least not at the moment. So I will put this gem down for now and hope that I can someday stay cold-blooded enough to pay off my debt.