Each Decision You Make Could Have Unfortunate Consequences…
What is the cyberpunk genre about, really? Fear? Oppression? A dark future that can’t be fixed, only survived? Is it all just summed up in that legendary phrase ‘high-tech, low-life?’ Yes, probably, but the only way to really know is to dive into cyberpunk media and form your own opinion–you know, away from CD Projekt Red’s ongoing trainwreck–and InfiniteCorp: Cyberpunk Revolution is a great place to start. This indie decision-based strategy card game puts players in the role of a megacorp employee who specializes in goods distribution within the megatower, a colossal structure in which all local citizens live. The corporation wants to turn a profit, but the various factions within the tower have their own goals. If you don’t balance these conflicting forces well enough, they’ll turn on you. Hard to get more cyberpunk than that. Besides, have you heard this soundtrack?
The Steam page encourages you to “strive for balance between different social groups”, a task that’s easier said than done in a world where your position in the social hierarchy is reflected by how high up in the tower you’re permitted to live. The elites, the citizens, the media, criminal overlords, and the security personnel all have strong feelings about how you should do your job, and puzzling out how to satisfy them all–mostly–without being killed, or worse, fired, is a complex and fascinating puzzle.
Each time you die, you’ll start your new run with slightly different cards, so the summary contains this warning: “Choose the right strategy and make the right decisions. There are many choices – each has a definite impact on citizens’ lives. Make sure that “megacorporations” maintain an influence on the world’s operation and the lives of citizens.” It goes on to state that: “Corporations deal with specific fields and want to earn the highest possible profit. They do not care about their customers or their employees.”
Now that is the essence of cyberpunk.
InfiniteCorp: Cyberpunk Revolution is now available on Steam and mobile.
What’s your favorite cyberpunk game? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.