Unhack

░░░░░░░░░░░████ ░░░░░░░░░░░█░░█ ░░░░░░░░░░█░░░█ ░░░░░░░░░█░░░░█ ██████▄▄█░░░░░███▄ ▓▓▓▓▓█░░░░░░░░░░░░█ ▓▓▓▓▓█░░░░░░░░░░░░█ ▓▓▓▓▓█░░░░░░░░░░░░█ ▓▓▓▓▓█░░░░░░░░░░░░█ ▓▓▓▓▓█░░░░░░░░░░░░█ ▓▓▓▓▓█░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░▀▀

Noooooooo Weedy, YOU are becoming dear Creator's MISTAKE! Somehow, even though along the way I found soo many reasons NOT to like this game, like: Cons: too short, too easy no achievements, no points store (or bugged / view on community market) the few settings there are do not carry over between sessions Incompatible with steam overlay + no screenshots (unless you manually add compatibility -> see Guides) False promise of Weedy showing using The Mod story ok but not very realistic (bogus hacking / programming) or deep gameplay not very challenging or enticing DLC also too short and easy However, I guess the cons didn't convince me, even though in quantity and quality they seem to outweigh the Pros: small price kind of #Hack as a (Mini-)Game instead of series, so more or less innovative haven't played a similar game before Good BGM (but too loud) Nice, simple and relaxing gameplay Trading cards unforeseeable Plot Twists and actual emotions Several puns and character interactions / development Good voice acting (of AI only, Player's lines aren't voiced in main game or DLC). SO I guess what I'm saying, somehow I actually liked it and it seems ok for the small price (bought it on sale) and old age (first game developed by invert mouse, so check out their other similar visual novels or innovative games if you liked this one, along with of course the Sequel to this one -> Unhack 2). And yes, would have loved to see that famed costume mod in action (I think it would have made for a good DLC idea), puny perverted human me. Now, on to Unhack 2, which I hear is supposed to be even better. I'm certainly excited in anticipation.

I have a special appreciation for visual novels that are interwoven with gameplay. This one certainly doesn't disappoint in that category! The mini-game style gameplay requires you to find the right timing. It's not overly difficult, I played on Hard (three lives) for all of the missions without issue. Each level builds upon the previous ones and has a new mechanic added keeping it fresh. However what I found a bit inconventient was how the story gets auto-played by passing certain level points which leads to two outcomes. Either you naturally breeze through like I initially did and have to back up the dialogue at the end to read it or you have to periodically stop to read each piece of dialogue as it comes up. It's not that big a problem and I have no idea how to solve this for an ideal flow, though I believe I should at least mention it. Nevertheless the story is quite nice and did get me a little emotional over the AI characters at the end. Due to how short it is it doesn't go very deep into the subject matter present and isn't particularly complex, but in combination with the gameplay, the nice visuals and great sound design it is a good, simple game for an evening. To sum it up, each piece comes together to make a quite good game I recommend.

A fairly short title combining action puzzles with visual novel sections. Is the idea of virus chasing enticing enough? As an 'unhacking' specialist you are tasked with worm elimination. The task boils down to simple navigation of simple maze -like stages in order to exterminate computer worms or to reach certain places. There are ten stages within the main game and three extra in the DLC. You can select any stage from the start. Also, there are three levels of difficulty but even the hardest one doesn't pose any serious challenge. As for the story, while all stages contain some chatting sections, most talking occurs between levels. It is a fairly short and straightforward sci-fi story with mostly predictable events. There is only one ending so one playthrough is enough to see everything. Due to its length, characters are underdeveloped and some parts remain unanswered but it still is decent enough to enjoy. For the price asked, and when compared to similar titles at this price point, it is good enough to fill a few hours of your day. The main theme here is sci-fi, or virtual space to be more specific, and it is more than clear. Stages look like electronic circuits and cold colours emphasise this style. Everything feels a bit sterile and somewhat empty, budget-like. Characters done in anime style also reflect the low budget as it's at best average. Still, overall design and visual quality is acceptable. Electronic music is one of the strongest points of this game. I really enjoyed some tracks and the free soundtrack DLC is a cool bonus. There is also some voice acting which is unusual for such a cheap title, however, it is pretty bland. Character voices do not convey emotions well and sound pretty monotone. Not terrible but unnecessary feature. No bugs encountered. To summarise, a short action puzzle/visual novel with average anime art and decent soundtrack. If you enjoy the listed genres you might find it enjoyable but it is still a budget title so low expectations are almost a must: 5.1/10

Le plus intéressant dans ce jeu, ce n'est pas la partie visual novel à proprement parler (qui est sympa mais très courte), ni la partie puzzle game (qui est cool aussi mais pas révolutionnaire), mais plutôt le mélange des deux : le visual novel y gagne beaucoup grâce au mini-jeu qui rend le concept original, et le mini-jeu aurait pu n'être qu'une variante d'un jeu mobile lambda s'il n'avait pas été illustré par une histoire qui se déroule au fur et à mesure de notre progression, ce qui rend l'expérience nettement plus plaisante. Par contre j'aurais bien aimé que les épisodes non encore joués soient grisés dans le menu ou quelque chose comme ça, ça aurait permis de savoir où on en est si on ne veut pas forcément tous les faire d'une traite. Au final, bien que très court (2h maxi), j'ai trouvé ce petit jeu plutôt sympa, surtout pour son concept original, et l'histoire est amusante aussi.

You can't save your progress. Thin and predictable story.

2/10