Dex Review Summary

An authentic cyberpunk world with meaningful side quests and multiple endings is undermined by clunky combat, tedious hacking, and a predictable, cliched story.

Authentic cyberpunk atmosphere praised: Many reviewers highlight the game's faithful and immersive cyberpunk setting, describing it as one of the best in years. The world, tone, and universe are consistently praised for capturing the genre perfectly.

Meaningful and well-written side quests: Side quests are frequently described as engaging, with well-crafted stories that rival the main quest. They reward curiosity and flesh out the world and characters.

Good story with multiple endings: The main storyline is well-received, with many noting its quality and the inclusion of multiple endings. Choices and consequences add depth to the narrative.

Excellent voice acting and soundtrack: Voice acting is consistently praised as outstanding, with a soundtrack that fits the game well. Reviewers note the high standard of audio production.

Gorgeous visuals and art direction: Graphics are highly praised for being visually excellent and appealing. The art direction is elegant and coherent with a retro-cyberpunk aesthetic.

Combat Feels Clunky and Unrefined: Many players report that combat feels clunky, rough, and lacks fluidity. This issue spans both melee and ranged combat, making fights feel unresponsive and unsatisfying.

Hacking Minigame Becomes Tedious: The hacking minigame is frequently criticized as repetitive, boring, and forced. While upgrades can trivialize it, the core mechanic remains unengaging for many players.

Story Is Predictable and Clichéd: The narrative is often seen as generic, predictable, and loaded with cyberpunk tropes. It fails to stand out or deliver a compelling plot.

Melee Combat Is Underwhelming: Melee combat is often described as underbaked, with limited options like punching only. Even with upgrades, it rarely becomes useful or enjoyable.

Enemy Variety and AI Are Poor: Enemies have little variety in attack patterns, and the AI is poor, such as not pursuing players across screens. This makes combat monotonous and unchallenging.

2D side-scrolling cyberpunk RPG: The game is consistently described as a 2D side-scrolling RPG with a cyberpunk setting. It blends action, platforming, and exploration in a side-view perspective.

Extensive hacking minigame: A hacking minigame is a core mechanic, often resembling a twin-stick shooter or space shooter. It is used to disable cameras, turrets, and enemies, and can be upgraded.

Side quests with choices: Side quests are numerous and often involve meaningful choices that affect outcomes. Dialogue choices can change how missions resolve.

Simple combat system: Combat is functional but straightforward, featuring melee and ranged options. It includes basic mechanics like blocking, dodging, and attacking.

Metroidvania-style exploration: Many reviews highlight Metroidvania-like exploration and progression. The map opens up gradually as new abilities are unlocked.

Mostly Stable Performance: Many players report no crashes or major bugs, with the game running smoothly at high resolutions and refresh rates like 1440p at 85Hz. Optimization is generally good, and resource consumption stays within expected values.

Steam Deck Compatibility Excellent: The game runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, providing a reliable and enjoyable handheld experience. Battery life is also reported to be long, further enhancing portability.

Limited Graphics Options: Graphics settings are minimal and not very impactful, which is expected for a pixel art game. The art quality does not justify extensive graphical adjustments.

Low System Requirements: The PC version has modest system requirements, allowing it to run well on older hardware such as an i5 6600 and GTX 970. This aligns with its 2D pixel art style and ensures broad accessibility.

Occasional Crashes and Freezes: Some players experience occasional freezes and crashes, including a severe freeze during hacking moments that required a full PC reset. These issues can disrupt gameplay sessions.

Ideal for Cyberpunk Fans: The overwhelming majority of reviewers recommend the game specifically to fans of the cyberpunk genre. Many consider it a must-play for anyone who enjoys cyberpunk settings, aesthetics, or RPGs.

General Positive Recommendations: Many players give the game a strong recommendation without genre caveats, calling it a gem and an absolute must-play. The sentiment is broadly enthusiastic.

Wait for a Sale: Several reviewers suggest buying the game only during a sale or at a significant discount. They feel the full price may not be justified for everyone.

Appeal to Indie and RPG Fans: The game is particularly recommended for fans of indie games, RPGs, and platformers. Its niche appeal is highlighted as a strength for those specific audiences.

Definitely Worth Buying: Multiple reviewers state the game is definitely worth buying and consider it a must-buy. This reinforces the strong recommendation sentiment.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

Game completion: 13.0h.

Story completion: 10.0h.

Dex often starts rough due to awkward combat, a weak early build, and uneven difficulty, so fun is delayed for many players. It clicks for some after adapting to the combat and progression systems, roughly after half an hour, while others report that the tedium never fully resolves.

Reported time to anchor: 30m.

Friction: Gawky battle system that shows its worst initially; Extremely demanding and weak early game; Rough start with lock-picking and Charisma build choices; Unclear objectives and uneven difficulty spikes; Combat that can feel like a tedious slog; No tutorial, leading to repeated early deaths.

Unlock drivers: Learning and adapting to the gawky battle system; Installing implants; Character progression and leveling; Investing in the hacking skill; Side activity progression that helps the main path.

Cyberpunk Retro RPG Veteran: Explores the city, uses dialogue choices, stealth, hacking, melee/ranged combat, and augments to shape an RPG build. Motivation: Immersion in a cyberpunk world with old-school RPG choices, builds, and nostalgia. Stance: buy.

Casual Story Explorer: Plays on Casual, reads all dialogue, explores every area, does side quests, and avoids combat when possible. Motivation: Enjoy the story, world, exploration, and side quests at a relaxed pace without hardcore challenge. Stance: buy.

Build-Optimizing Completionist: Plans skill and implant builds, uses multiple saves, chases achievements and endings, and replays for alternate outcomes. Motivation: Optimize character builds, complete achievements, and see different outcomes and endings. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: The Steam Deck experience is playable but requires tinkering. The most impactful friction comes from awkward controller input and missing button prompts. Other issues include no cross-save between PC and Steam Deck, vague reports of Linux launch trouble, and a dialogue-heavy English text burden. There is no evidence of external launchers, anti-cheat failures, battery drain, or clearly unreadable UI, but the controller and Linux-related concerns keep the experience in the tinkering-required range.

External guides: The review's Wiki-related dependency is centered on quest and content guidance. The user mentions using the Wiki for DIY quest DLC and outfits, and advises browsing it when stuck. No evidence points to farming, loot tables, inventory management, blueprints, or crafting requirements. The primary Wiki Tax category is therefore Tier 3: The Student, giving a score of 50.

Short completion time around 10-15 hours: Many reviewers report finishing the game in roughly 10 hours, with completionist runs and all side quests extending to about 15 hours. A few players mention 8 hours or up to 25 hours for 100% achievements.

Deus Ex comparisons are core: Players consistently describe the game as a 2D Deus Ex-like experience, citing Human Revolution and Mankind Divided as reference points. This comparison defines expectations for genre, mission design, and cyberpunk tone.

Developed by Czech studio Dreadlocks: Dreadlocks Ltd., based in Prague, developed the game and is often described as a small Czech indie studio. Publishing was handled by Dreadlocks, Techland, and WhisperGames.

Free DLC adds outfits and content: Several free DLC packs provide extra outfits, bonuses, and an additional location. One DLC must be manually downloaded and adds content that appears around mid-game.

Strong cyberpunk literary influences: The game draws heavily from Neuromancer, Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, and classic dystopian sci-fi. Reviewers frequently note these influences as shaping the setting and atmosphere.