✨Overview
Cyber Rebellion is an upcoming mobile game that falls into the strategic hero collection genre with a cyberpunk theme. It's set in a future world, particularly in the year 2177, where human civilization has entered the Cyber Era. the game is set to have its soft launch on October 25, and I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek preview of the game before its release.
🟩Pros
+Stunning visuals and lively presentation
+Character customization options
+Engaging progression mechanics
+Menu is accessible and easy to navigate
🟥Cons
-Combat is shallow
-Voice acting and localization is underwhelming
-The gacha wall draws near within your first few hours of play.
⭐️Score: 7/10
📖Story
The game's storyline revolves around the destructive force known as "[Apocalypse]" that has released “α” viruses, causing the gradual erosion of the world's order. As a result, Skyfall City becomes humanity's last sanctuary. Players take on the role of the commander of Skyfall City, and their primary mission is to resist the attacks of the Invaders, which are robot-like creatures led by [Apocalypse].
🎨Graphics and Art Style
Cyber Rebellion stands out with its remarkable visuals; gorgeous, vibrant, and even looks like prerendered in certain shots. The game's glitchy stylized cyberpunk presentation and comic-book-inspired art style create an immersive and visually captivating world. Even the UI and Menus are sleek and heavily influenced by these Futuristic cyberpunk elements. At present, there is little to no voice acting, and the English localization and voice acting appear to be somewhat underwhelmingly translated.
🎮Gameplay
Cyber Rebellion features turn-based combat which are then automatically played out for the most part. Players can assemble a team of up to six characters, each with unique skills and abilities. During battles, as characters engage in combat, your team accumulates Tactical Points. These points, when filled, allow players to unleash a variety of character-specific abilities. There is an option to increase the game's speed to 2x and even automate battles, subject to your teams power level against the enemies’ power level.
However, I found the actual combat lacking depth and predominantly relies on power levels for progression. The difference between manual selection of abilities and automation is minimal. The AI's performance in managing regular attacks is downright bad and annoying, as it sometimes leaves enemies with low HP alive, choosing to target other foes instead of prioritizing efficiently. This aspect might benefit from further refinement to enhance the strategic depth of combat.
⏫Progression and Character Customization
The core of gameplay revolves around increasing the power of your team, referred to as "BR." This can be achieved through character leveling, equipping "Skill Codes," and utilizing Implants and Modules. The inclusion of a gacha system provides players with opportunities to acquire new and more powerful characters. Although there are a limited number of characters, the presence of multiple variants for each character expands the roster considerably. The character tree system, allowing for character modification and evolution to higher variants while retaining progress, enhances the depth of character customization.
⚡️Mission Structure
There is an energy system called Neurocons that limits play and is consumed during combat-oriented missions. The main story is composed of different chapters, and I like how combat-packed the missions are, and not filled with cutscenes with battles few and far between. Apart from the main story, there are other combat-oriented game modes catered for the purpose of farming specific materials to increase the power of characters. I found the option to skip some of these modes after the first completion by expending more Neurocon for faster farming is a player-friendly feature. The upgrading and prerequisite system is seamlessly integrated into menus, making it accessible and easy to navigate.
💵Monetization
Cyber Rebellion follows typical gacha game monetization patterns, including login bonuses, weekly events, grinding game modes, and premium currency. As a free-to-play experience in its current state, I find the game already enjoyable, but expect a gacha wall when progressing through the main story even in the first few hours of play, despite the early-game bonuses and generosity. Nevertheless, the mechanics of how upgrades are implemented can be addictive in their own right. When you combine that with the stunning and visually appealing graphics, this game has the potential to become a daily farming mainstay for you.
⚖️Conclusion
Cyber Rebellion offers a captivating and visually striking cyberpunk adventure for mobile gamers. The game's strengths lie in its remarkable graphics, stylish presentation, and character customization options. While there are areas that can be enhanced, Cyber Rebellion shows promise as a game that can keep players engaged on a daily basis.