Cyberdrifter Hands On: Beat The Computer In This Homage To Retro Games

After their relative success with the psychological horror Marlene Betwixt, UziGames started work on a fast-paced shooter set in a cyberspace VR world. They released Cyberdrifter for Vive and Rift with Touch on Steam Early Access and the Oculus Store back in May 2017 and recently released a couple of big updates with updated AI bots and a new level amongst some other additions and fixes.

Cyberdrifter, if you haven’t heard of the game, follows the story of an AI that became self-aware and went rogue, turning against humanity. Now you, as part of an elite squad called Cyberdrifters, has to infiltrate the AI’s system and try to wrest back control from within the program. But don’t think that this AI will make it easy for you. You’ll have to go up against some nasty corrupted bots in an intensely fast-paced neon world. While in the game, you’ll be playing the role of Jack Torrents (yeah, I wonder where that name came from) who is a military trained computer specialist.

Check out the teaser trailer for the new level in Cyberdrifter below:

Where’s My Tron Bike?

When starting out on the first level, I flew into a virtual neon city with a glider. The game uses a free locomotion mechanic where I could move in any direction by pulling the trigger (I was playing with a Vive) and then tilting the controller in the direction I wanted to go in. So while this isn’t necessarily a good option for those who are prone to motion sickness, since the game is very fast paced, it did work great – especially in the setting. Because I felt like I was inside a computer the whole time, gliding around on rollerblades or something.

As for the bots, the AI seems to be well-written as those that aren’t mounted on something won’t just stay stationary, but actually adjusted for my movements around the map. There were other huge ‘boss’ bots as well that tended to move in certain patterns, which paired with the smaller bots – gave me quite a hard time. But the game isn’t just about shooting all the time because there were quite a few traps/puzzles vaguely reminiscent of an Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider movie. Though luckily I did have the ability to slow time (which recharged every 10 seconds) that helped get me out of some sticky situations. Plus the gun in the game never ran out of ammo, which was handy.

If there has ever been a game that made me feel more like I was inside the cyber world of Tron than Cyberdrifter then I certainly don’t remember it. The retro black and neon blockish style paired with the fast paced electronic music just instantly transported me into a world where I sorely wished Jeff Bridges would show up.

I really liked the look and overall theme of the game. It felt like Cyberdrifter is an homage to the roots of gaming for a new platform when it feels like we’re on the cusp of stepping into a new era for games. So if you’re a fan of retro games and looking for a great FPS VR title then make sure to give Cyberdrifter a try. There’s also a demo available on the Steam page if you don’t want to commit just yet.

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