Nightfall Hacker

I loved Spybotics: The Nightfall Incident flash game from back in the day and this is a pretty solid remake. All the programs are there plus there are some new ones too which add their own interesting mechanics and twists. Now it does lack the cyberpunk aesthetic that the original had, but if you enjoyed the gameplay of The Nightfall Incident you should enjoy this one as well. There are a few minor differences mechanically, they're not necessarily bad but they did surprise me a little bit. First your programs can now attack allies and themselves, I actually prefer this to the original however just be careful where you click. Second the Bit Man program can't add or remove tiles that contain a program square. Third the pathing that the AI uses is a little different, it's not a big deal and honestly I'm not sure if most people would even notice Now while I prefer the original for music, sound, story and aesthetics there are things that Nightfall Hacker adds that more than make up for it. It has a level editor You can control programs from the keyboard. WASD to move numbers to select an attack. This in and of itself is a pretty big QoL improvement. A suggestion here for the devs if they read this, make space bar select the next available program and if possible make keys re-bindable All the new programs that are added, they add a nice extra layer of strategy. Some are just upgraded versions of old programs but others have new unique mechanics. Overall it's got the same gameplay but enough new and extra things to make it shine above the original.

I randomly remembered "that ancient LEGO Flash-based hacking game" the other week and was delighted to find this gem of a remake! I'm sad that the remake of the original campaign doesn't have the original story included, but understand that including the original story would probably be a big copyright no-no despite the original game being two decades old and only available on archive sites to those willing to figure out a Flash emulator. The only things I would improve are: - Include Steam Workshop or some equivalent for the convenient sharing of levels created with the level editor. - Let the player sell programs back to shops at some reduced value. This way the player doesn't have to scroll through Hack 1.0's and Slingshots that stopped being relevant after the first 8 levels, and the player doesn't have to grind as much to try out strategies like 6 Stone Golems. Even if you didn't play the original game, this is a really solid puzzle game all its own and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys puzzle games such as Hexcells, or RPGs/strategy games with turn-based combat on a grid. The rules are simple, but difficult to master, and it's so satisfying to finally figure out a solution to a puzzle you've been stumped on.

I missed out on Spybotics, apparently the game this is based on. For the others who are coming to this game without that background, I would describe this as a turn-based, tactical, digital board-game with a hacking theme. You play as a hacker controlling 1-6, usually 4, programs with ranged, melee, buff, debuff, and other abilities that change the board or teleport programs around the board. Your objective is either to eradicate the other programs or to get one of your programs to a key. Missions can take several attempts as you puzzle out a winning combination and sequence of moves. I've spent over ten hours going through the first campaign and it looks like the second campaign has just as much content. In addition to that, the game includes a level editor for you to setup your own scenarios. If you're on linux, you can get it from canonical's snap store for free. That being said, I think whats on offer is worth the full $10USD. A couple of things I wished for while playing the game: - A turn tracker or initiative indicator for which program goes first. Right now you just need to remember. This is mostly fine, but it would be nice to have the option. - A setting menu to change or view the key bindings.

The gameplay itself seems to resemble the original 100% HOWEVER I've bought this product simply for its editor and it's safe to say that the UI messes with the created levels once you load them. A simple "minimize"-option for the side menu during battles and level creations would do the trick. I'll change my review to a positive one once this gets fixed. Also, I couldn't find the trailer music anywhere in the game so far, which is pretty disapointing. The music in the game itself isn't nearly as good as in the trailer. For those who wanna get this simply because they want to do the data battles again, go for it. EDIT: ....you gotta press M1 to scroll accos the map... *facepalm* I feel satisfied now xD Still the music isn't that great but it works, just sad that I havn't found the trailer music yet, but who knows, maybe I will. Sorry for that earlier review, dear Game Developer <3

（追記） メインのゲームモード「Smoking Mirror」キャンペーンはクリアしました。振り返ると最初の印象よりは簡単で、適度に頭を使うあたりが心地よかったです（もうひとつのキャンペーンは難しいのかもしれませんけど）。シナリオも最初はあってないようなものでしたが、最終的には映画みたいになって面白かったですね。分岐もあるよ。あ、チュートリアルがないようなことを書いちゃいましたが、ちゃんとありました。ごめんね;p --- 正統派のターンベース制ストラテジーゲームです。詰め将棋やチェスのようなマインド・ゲームに近いものがありますね。 基本的にはプレイヤーとCPUが互いのユニットを攻撃し合う単純なゲームですが、そこはチェスではなくビデオゲームなので…ユニットには体力や移動力、そしてスキルなどが備わっています。 面白いのは体力の仕組みで、ユニットの移動したマスがそのまま体力になります。ちょうどスネークゲームのようにユニットの体が伸びていくと考えてください。例え体力が1、つまり1マスしかない状態になっても、移動すればすぐに回復するわけです。しかし、その分「当たり判定」は大きくなるため、移動するだけでも注意が必要、先の先を読む必要が生じます。中には20マスくらい進めるユニットもありますが、大抵は1〜3マスくらいなので。 スキルはダメージを与えるものがメインですが、変わり種もあります。中でもビットマンやアーキテクトというユニット、こいつらはなんとステージを壊したり作ったりできます。こういうの大好きですね。普通では行けないような場所へ行けたり、敵を閉じ込めたり、戦略の幅が広がります。 たぶん最初は操作方法もわからないし、ユニットの数も少ないので、ギリギリの戦いになるでしょう。私も初めた頃は無理無理無理無理カタツムリ！でしたが、3、4ステージもクリアすれば楽に勝てるようになります。とりあえず「Media Storage」というステージまで進めてみた感想としては、ユニットの種類が増えるに従って楽しさと難しさが加速を付けて増えていく、という感じです。 いただけない点としては、操作が多少面倒な点と、敵スキルの射程距離を調べるのが面倒くさい点でしょうか。このあたりを改善してチュートリアルを作り、かつ多言語対応すればヒットする可能性はあるかと（これ書いてるうちにヒットしたらごめんなさい）。 最後に世界観を少し。プレイヤーはクラッカーと戦う雇われハッカーみたいな位置付けです。登場する雇い主はセキュリティの概念がないのか、漏れなくウィルスの侵入を許してしまっており（もうこの時点でダメだと思います）、さっきからユニットと呼んでいるのはソフトウェアをビジュアライズしたようなものです。ただ、それがゲーム性に影響するかと言うとそれほどでもないので、あまり気にする必要はありません。 あと、ステージ名がテック界隈で良く使う単語になっています。エンジニアな方は自身と関係のあるステージを目指して攻略するのはどうでしょう。私はフロントエンドエンジニアなので「Website Front-End」というステージに期待（？）を寄せていましたが、まぁ、うん…色々ありますよね。 まとめると、とっつきにくさはあるものの、慣れれば面白いのでオススメですよ。

Amazing game that completely captures the feeling I had playing the original many a year a go. Bonus points for including the original games levels as well.

Very fun! A faithful recreation of The Nightfall Incident, but I'm glad the game goes the extra mile and includes new maps and units as well. I particularly liked the new Architect, Zombie, and Trojan Horse units

Fantastic turn based strategy, and a really chill soundtrack to help keep you calm and stop you rage quitting if you get frustrated. Definitely the most addictive game I own

Great turn based strategy game. There are lots of unique units. There are many challenging levels. It's single player but would make an excellent vs game.