I was given a free copy of this game by the developers.
If you’d prefer a video review, have a look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ByP-cJf1sc
In Networm, you play as a vigilante hacker, who’s trying to take down evil conglomerates. The gameplay consists of rhythm style movement without the rhythm. The music doesn’t go with the gameplay which, in my opinion is a shame because that would have added a cool element to the levels, instead you are, basically, avoiding obstacles on a circular plane.
The game was a bit of an eye-sore for me at first. It’s certainly not a style that’s going to appeal to everyone; with bright neon style colours peppered throughout a blue tube. But I do think it’s appropriate and relatively unique. I liked the menus as well; pretty much all of the presentation fit with the theme which is definitely a positive thing overall.
I really liked the mechanics of this game though, surprisingly enough. The actual gameplay of avoiding stuff is really simple; also, just as tip, I think switching to the camera that follows you is a good idea. The fixed camera was confusing to me. The thing that makes the gameplay interesting is that you can control your speed, and if you don’t go fast enough you’ll fail because of the tracer. You need to know when to speed up and when to slow down, and try to strike a balance between risk and reward. It gets another few layers of depth as well when you consider the upgrading system. When you get files you can choose to release them to the public and get the credibility currency, or sell it and get the credit currency. I just want to say that naming the two separate currencies: “Credibility” and “Credits” was maybe not the best call. It could be confusing sometimes. But both of these currencies are used to but lots of different things that can help make the gameplay a little easier. I have to say, without this system I’d have gotten bored pretty quick. I liked that you’re forced to micromanage what software you have installed because of your limited amount of memory too; which allows you to have different “builds” almost.
I really liked the theme of the game, and there’s a surprisingly cohesive story with a pretty sweet ending. It was an empowering feeling to release sensitive documents to the public, and you do genuinely feel like you're exposing something. Even if some of your hacks only lead to releasing information about a video game early.
All in all, this is a substantially good game for $7. There’s very little that’s negative to say; maybe it’s a little short, I finished it in about 3-4 hours, even then it’s pretty cheap. I absolutely recommend it; it could be frustrating at times, but in the end I kept playing because I was genuinely enjoying it, and not just because I had to release a review. It’s pretty addictive.
