PREVIEW: Glitchpunk Early Access

By GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Before I start let me make it clear that the game is Early Access, for those who do not know, that means it is not finished, and often nowhere near finished, it means the game is barebones, something that the developers can release that lets people play the game, and in turn help them find bugs, get ideas, improve gameplay and so on.

It is a bit like releasing the first chapter draft of a book you are writing, so please keep all of this in mind any time you play an Early Access title.

Onto the game itself, Glitchpunk is a top-down action game, think the original GTA games but in a dystopian future. I really hate the word dystopian; everything has to be dystopian these days! come on guys, be original!

In Glitchpunk you shoot, steal and drive your way around as you maim your victims, you are an android bounter hunter. You have a "glitch" in your programming which allows you to break your programming, yes, I know, not the most original idea, but we are in a dystopian future after all. Anyway, since you have broken your programming, you have decided that you want to "destabilize the tyrannical governments of the post-nuclear world", and as such you just want to cause havoc. There are gangs to kill, police to take on, and generally trouble to cause.

As you play, you will accept contracts, earn money to make upgrades, buy cybernetic modules which give you new abilities, for example the ability to hack into others and control their behaviour, make alliances, lose alliances and more.

As of writing there is only one city to play in, eventually there will be 4.

In general, this game is GTA but with modern graphics.

The Good

As with all Early Access games, the question always has to be "does this game have potential?" And Glitchpunk has all the potential in the world. Is it very cliché and full of unoriginal ideas? Yes, but still that is not always a bad thing if done well.

The Bad

I hate to say this, but as of right now, the game is pretty bad, numerous graphical errors, poor optimisation, frame drops, freezing, never ending loading screens, poor physics, I could go on, but I keep reminding myself that this is an early access game.

Overall

The game has potential, but I wonder if the game is cursed by the "punk" part of the title. We all know the disaster of the Cyberpunk release, perhaps Glitchpunk should have a name rethink?

A long, long way to go, but the potential is there. Either change the graphical style to be much simpler, or work on that optimisation, even on a decent PC the game really struggled.

By GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Daedalic Entertainment Reveals Glitchpunk - Cyberpunk Aesthetic Meets Gritty GTA 2 Style Action

Welcome to the dystopian future! Developer Dark Lord and Publisher Daedalic Entertainment have announced Glitchpunk, a cyberpunk-themed game with an old school GTA 2 feel. Set to be released in 2021, Glitchpunk is a top-down action game where you shoot, brawl, drive, steal and sneak yourself through a neon-soaked world full of gangs and cults, forging cooperations along the way. A demo of the game is available during the Steam Games Festival: February 2021 from 3rd February to 9th February. 

In Glitchpunk you play as a glitching android going against your own programming and challenging the tyrannical governments and megacorps of the dystopian near-future. Forge your own path in several cities full of drug-crazed gangs, aggressive police, and irresponsible drivers that make each mission and playthrough unpredictable. Steal cars and lead your enemies on a merry chase, fight them with a variety of melee and long-range weapons, and upgrade your own body with tech. But Glitchpunk isn’t just about blowing things up, it also tells a story of transhumanism, xenophobia, and religion. You can influence the world around you, make new friends, face off against more enemies than you can count - and you might even find love. 

Key features:

Brutal top-down action with a massive arsenal of weapons to choose from

Hacking system allows players to control minds of pedestrians and affect various devices.

Many different ways of locomotion, including trains, tanks, motorbikes, buses, trucks, and obviously tons of cars

Frantic police chases and up to 10 escalations of mayhem-inducing wanted levels

12 gangs with their own stories, quests, and culture

4 different cities, from the desert remains of the USA to cyberpunk Soviet Russia in a post-nuclear winter

Mature story with several endings

Rare art style mix of 2D sprites in a 3D environment

In-game radio with music by artists from all over the world, together with news stations and absurd commercials

Glitchpunk is set to enter Early Access on Steam in the first half of 2021.