Info about Black Future '88:

Official game description:
  
**Black Future ’88** is a Synth-Punk roguelike 2D action Shooter. Vertically climb an always evolving procedural tower to reach the top and kill its insane owner…before your heart explodes. Shoot, slash, dash and upgrade yourself to survive the endless waves of deadly traps, homicidal AI, crazed junkies and colossal Wardens standing in your way in a stylish alternative version of 1988.  
The world is reeling from a nuclear cataclysm, created by Duncan, the tower architect. The First of his bombs fell in the summer of 1988, and by December they had blacked-out the sun with endless rain. We decided to stop keeping time after this, and it’s been 1988 ever since. Everything that lived through the initial attack will die in the extreme floods that followed. These are the times after, where there are no more months, or even weeks…everything is measured in minutes left to live.  
Take on the mantle of one of the last remaining misfit survivors, and fight your way to the top of the tower to kill the architect and stop the endless nuclear rain. Ascend to die, and die to survive.
Game Features
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*   **Death Ascendant:** Climb an always evolving procedural tower and fight for survival through a constant onslaught of death by fire, lasers, and slashes.  
*   **Unique Synth-Punk World:** Play through a unique take on a retro cyberpunk dystopia, and fight to survive through 5 distinct zones each with their own challenges.  
*   **Pick Your Poison:** Play as one of 5 playable characters, each with their own unique buffs- and weaknesses.  
*   **Ruin Friendships:** Test your wits and reflexes with a friend in couch co-op, and experience a completely unique take on the co-op roguelike.  
*   **Kill the Wardens:** Fight for survival by challenging the numerous unique bosses that guard each one of the game’s zones.  
*   **Fog Machines and Laser Beams:** Bring a gun and laser sword to a fire fight by arming yourself with a selection of the 50 unique weapons available in the game, each with their own unique effects.  
*   **Evolve to Survive:** The only way to survive when everything, including your own heart, is trying to kill you is to carefully boost or curse yourself by strategically choosing- and combining from 30 distinct buffs and curses.  
*   **Dailies:** Every day, a new challenge is generated with unique attributes that will test your mettle and allow you to see how your skills compare against other players in a global Leaderboard. Fight for not just survival, but supremacy!  
*   **Ear Candy:** Death never sounded so good thanks to an all killer original analog-synth soundtrack.

Release date: Nov 21, 2019

Categories: Roguelike, Twin-stick Shooter, 2D Platformer, Cyberpunk, Time-based Mechanics, Action Roguelike, Local Co-op


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 10.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 0.3h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The 10-hour report says the player had beaten the game multiple times and unlocked nearly everything by then, supporting an approximate game-completion milestone of 10 hours. The Chinese review describes an 18-minute run format, supporting a sessionLength of about 0.3 hours per run. The late-game endless time-loop quote confirms post-game looping but gives no reliable hour figure, so endgame is left null. No review provides a separate story completion time, so storyCompletion is null. The vague 'fun for a few hours' comment is too imprecise to override the more specific 10-hour clear report.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players report that the game becomes fun when movement and shooting click into an instinctive rhythm, though repetition and limited long-term progression are notable sources of friction.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: When everything clicks and movement and shooting feel instinctive
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Repetitive level generation; Fighting the same bosses in the same order; Environments look the same; Few weapon/perk combos that do not really matter; Punishing difficulty; Limited sense of long-term progression between runs
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: When everything clicks; When movement and shooting feel instinctive; For players who do not mind repetition; For players who do not require strong long-term progression
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Great Soundtrack (weight 0.71): Many reviews highlight the synthwave/industrial soundtrack as excellent and driving, enhancing the overall experience.
- Fun Arcade Gameplay (weight 0.58): The game delivers pure arcade fun with fast-paced, flashy run-and-gun action and responsive movement.
- Cyberpunk Pixel Art Style (weight 0.58): The neon pixel art with strong synth-punk aesthetic and abundant light effects creates a cohesive cyberpunk atmosphere.
- Diverse Weapon Variety (weight 0.47): Players appreciate the wide range of weapons that function differently, adding depth and fun to discovering new ones.
- Assist Mode Accessibility (weight 0.45): An assist mode is available that removes annoying curses and reduces quick deaths, making the game more accessible.
- Generally Positive Reception (weight 0.44): Players find the game cool, good, and somewhat fun, indicating a generally positive but not overly enthusiastic reception.
- Immersive Atmosphere (weight 0.33): The dense atmosphere of a living megacity and stylistically cohesive world draw players in.
- Upgrade System with Drawbacks (weight 0.31): Enhancements come with drawbacks, and uncollected loot makes the tower more dangerous with negative perks, adding strategic depth.
- Tight Platforming and Movement (weight 0.31): Platforming is tight, and movement is responsive with quick dashes, jumps, and precise positioning.
- Fluid Twin-Stick Combat (weight 0.31): Combat is fast and fluid, with chaotic encounters that rarely feel unfair.
- Abundant Unlockables (weight 0.18): Countless ability and equipment unlocks provide extensive progression and replay value.
- Endless Time Loop Satisfaction (weight 0.17): After completing a build, continuously killing monsters grants time and enters an endless time loop, which is satisfying.
- Decent Combat Feel (weight 0.17): The combat feel is decent, contributing to overall enjoyable gameplay.
- Dynamic Cyberpunk Roguelite (weight 0.17): The game is described as a dynamic cyberpunk roguelite with pleasant music, good gameplay, and simple mechanics.
- Gamepad AutoAim Ease (weight 0.16): Playing with a gamepad is simpler due to autoaim functionality.
- Toggle Flashing Visuals (weight 0.16): Flashing visuals can be turned off, accommodating players sensitive to flashing effects.

Common complaints:
- Visual overload impairs gameplay (weight 0.97): Many effects, bright flashes, and constant motion make it hard to see threats and avoid damage. Players report eye strain and confusion from the excessive visual noise.
- Repetitive runs and levels (weight 0.97): Procedural generation produces similar rooms and environments, leading to monotony. Runs feel the same, with little variety beyond visuals.
- Lack of long-term motivation (weight 0.73): After unlocking most content, the game stops motivating players to continue or return. Unlocks reduce interest in using different weapons, leading to same loadout.
- Game is too easy (weight 0.62): Bosses and overall difficulty are low, allowing speedrunning to the final boss without challenge. Bugs sometimes make bosses even easier.
- Sparse content and few bosses (weight 0.6): Content is sparse, with only five bosses appearing in the same order. Very few perks are available, mostly seen after about 10 runs.
- Characters feel indistinguishable (weight 0.5): Characters mostly differ by starting gun and minor stats, lacking meaningful gameplay differences. This is seen as unacceptable for a roguelike.
- Unexplained mechanics and systems (weight 0.48): Curse and simulator systems have unclear effects, and nothing is described, including portals, help, obelisks, and secret areas. Players can screw themselves without understanding.
- Technical bugs and softlocks (weight 0.48): Players experience softlocks after killing bosses, including the final one. Sprites of killed enemies do not disappear, and menu points disappear.
- Bad screen guidance (weight 0.47): Players find it hard to notice their health bar emptying and the protagonist is not conspicuous. Screen guidance is very poor.
- Forced time limit frustrating (weight 0.36): The time limit decreases quickly and leads to unwinnable situations, limiting upgrading and exploration. It adds another way to die.
- Poor gamepad controls (weight 0.34): Gamepad layout is not well-designed and cannot be changed in-game. Attack direction via right stick or auto-targeting feels unfamiliar.
- Confusing loop mechanic (weight 0.34): The loop mechanic is not understood and offers nothing new beyond gaining time. After several loops, players get tired.
- Unclear attack direction controls (weight 0.33): Setting attack direction with right stick, mouse, or automatic targeting felt unfamiliar to some players. Dodging is also hard to use.
- Niche game with no wiki (weight 0.31): The game is too niche, and a complete crafting formula cannot be found domestically. There is no real wiki online for the game.
- Off-putting art style (weight 0.29): Anime illustrations in trailers and AI-looking art on banners and covers are off-putting. Steam library оформление is considered ugly AI art.
- Limited map interactivity (weight 0.2): The map lacks enough interactivity and secrets, with literally only one secret. This reduces exploration value.
- Underdeveloped narrative (weight 0.18): The narrative is underdeveloped and serves more as a backdrop. It does not add much to the experience.
- Game feels too fast (weight 0.18): Gameplay sometimes feels too fast, making it hard to react. This can contribute to a sense of chaos.

Gameplay feedback:
- Cyberpunk roguelike platformer (weight 0.87): The game is consistently described as a 2D cyberpunk platformer with roguelike structure, combining side-scrolling action with roguelike elements. Multiple clusters mention the cyberpunk setting, side-scrolling shooter mechanics, and roguelike or roguelite framework.
- Strict time limit per run (weight 0.76): Every run is constrained by a strict time limit, often 18 minutes, which pressures players to climb a tech tower quickly and defeat the boss. This time limit is a core mechanic that shapes the entire gameplay loop.
- Unlockable weapons, perks, and characters (weight 0.73): Accumulated experience unlocks new weapons, perks, and characters for future runs, with no in-run character leveling. Characters start with different guns and a single perk ability, and upgrades may come with penalties such as reduced health.
- Randomized layouts and upgrades (weight 0.6): Levels feature randomized layouts, weapons, and upgrades, though some players note repetitive level generation and similar environments across runs. The tower is divided into interconnected rooms with enemies, traps, shops, and boss encounters.
- Twin-stick shooting with dodging (weight 0.58): Combat blends twin-stick shooting with platforming, featuring fast-paced run-and-gun action and dodging mechanics. Gamepad autoaim is also available to assist aiming.
- Time loop and endless time exploit (weight 0.5): After defeating the boss, players loop back with strengthened enemies, and the loop mechanic is primarily used to gain more time. Late-game builds can exploit this by continuously killing monsters to enter an endless time loop, trivializing the time limit.
- Bosses in fixed order (weight 0.33): Bosses appear in a fixed order, with five distinct bosses encountered during runs. This structure provides predictable progression through the tower.
- Curse, simulator, and other systems (weight 0.33): The game includes a curse and simulator system, as well as portal, help, obelisk, and secret area systems. These add depth and variety to each run.
- Crafting system with surprises (weight 0.31): A crafting system is present and can produce small surprises, adding an extra layer of discovery. It complements the weapon and perk combination system.
- Loot taken by tower (weight 0.18): Uncollected loot is taken by the tower, which grows more dangerous and spawns negative perks. This mechanic encourages players to collect loot promptly and adds risk to exploration.
- Daily challenges and records (weight 0.18): Daily challenges allow players to compete for records, adding a competitive and replayable element. This feature is noted in feedback.
- Pixel art with light effects (weight 0.17): The game features pixel art with light effects and reflections, contributing to its cyberpunk aesthetic. Visual details are highlighted in feedback.
- Underwater side branches (weight 0.17): Some levels include underwater side branches, adding environmental variety. This is a minor but noted feature.
- Void falls increase difficulty (weight 0.17): Certain scenarios include possible falls into the void, raising the difficulty by adding platforming hazards. This is mentioned as a challenge element.
- Jump mechanic and platforming (weight 0.16): A jump mechanic is present, supporting platforming gameplay. This is a basic but essential movement feature.

Performance notes:
No performancepoints

Recommendations:
- Mixed reception overall (weight 0.29): Some reviewers strongly recommend the game, while others do not, citing more interesting and accessible roguelikes. The feedback is split on whether it is worth playing.
- Rewarding mastery through repetition (weight 0.29): Players who enjoy mastering systems through repetition find the game rewarding. However, this same repetition may feel punishing to others.
- Wait for deep discount (weight 0.18): Some advise buying only at a massive discount of at least 80% off. This indicates perceived value issues at full price.
- Flashy effects polarize players (weight 0.17): The game's flashy effects can be enjoyable for those who tolerate them, but make it unsuitable for casual buyers. This creates a clear divide in appeal.
- Trainer enhances grinding experience (weight 0.16): Using a trainer with infinite money and invincibility makes the grinding satisfying for some players. This suggests the base game's grind may be tedious without cheats.
- Appeals to genre fans (weight 0.16): Fans of the roguelike genre are likely to enjoy the game. The recommendation is specifically targeted at that audience.

Other player notes:
- Limited replayability and variety (weight 0.5): Reviewers note that each run feels similar and lacks the diversity seen in games like The Binding of Isaac. The game offers approximately five bosses and limited content, making it short in length.
- Overpriced for content (weight 0.34): Some feel the developers underdelivered while selling at a high price. However, others mention it is sold cheaply during discounts.
- Horrible grindy achievements (weight 0.2): Achievements are considered horrible and grindy.
- Missing translated subtitles (weight 0.2): Reviewers report missing translated subtitles in their language.
- Roguelike element fits setting (weight 0.2): Reviewers compare it to Hades and Dead Cells regarding how the roguelike element fits the setting.
- Visuals differ from trailers (weight 0.2): In-game visuals do not contain the anime or AI-style art seen in trailers and banners.
- Dystopian 1988 setting (weight 0.2): Set in a dystopian, synth-soaked alternate 1988 where time has stalled.
- Gamepad layout customization limited (weight 0.18): The gamepad layout cannot be changed in-game, but Steam input can be used to find a suitable layout.
- Comparison to Enter the Gungeon (weight 0.18): One reviewer compared it to Enter the Gungeon, feeling like playing that game in a cyberpunk setting.
- Cooperative play available (weight 0.18): Cooperative play allows two players to tackle the tower together.
- Developer and publisher information (weight 0.17): Developed by SUPERSCARYSNAKES and published by Good Shepherd Entertainment and Surefire.Games.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.15): Players feel let down because characters lack differentiation, the game is very easy and short, translated subtitles are missing, and no complete crafting formula is available domestically. Softlocks after boss kills and other bugs further diminish the experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.15): Frustration arises from overloaded visuals that obscure gameplay, blinding effects that hide incoming bullets and health loss, and an intentionally unforgiving difficulty with abrupt run endings. Players often get hurt without knowing why due to confusing visual noise and a poor user interface.
- Boredom (weight 0.09): The game becomes monotonous and stops motivating play once everything is unlocked. The loop mechanic grows tiresome after several repetitions, and bosses and environments feel repetitive.
- Annoyance (weight 0.09): Annoyance stems from disliking the jump mechanic, grindy achievements like 10000 dashes, and constant camera shakes.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Satisfaction comes from the endless time loop after build formation and from combat and movement flowing together instinctively when everything clicks.
- Impressed (weight 0.06): Players are impressed by the incredible arcade-styled game with countless unlocks and a quality soundtrack, as well as the dense cyberpunk atmosphere with neon light effects and reflections.
- Fun (weight 0.06): Fun is derived from discovering what each new weapon does and from fast-paced, flashy, simple run-and-gun gameplay.
- Eye strain (weight 0.03): Eye strain is caused by flashy and bright effects.
- Regret (weight 0.03): Regret is felt because the game was bought too long ago to refund.
- Excitement (weight 0.03): Excitement is generated by the feeling of playing Enter the Gungeon in a cyberpunk setting.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Enjoyment comes from arcade combat, weapon variety, and the audiovisual presentation.
- Delighted (weight 0.03): Delight is caused by the excellent industrial synthwave soundtrack.
- Annoyed (weight 0.03): Annoyance is caused by ugly AI art used for the Steam library оформление.
- Tension (weight 0.03): Tension is created by a strict time limit that generates constant urgency.
- Monotony (weight 0.03): Monotony results from repetitive room types and a familiar structure over extended sessions.
- Confusion (weight 0.03): Confusion arises from unexplained portals, obelisks, curses, and secret areas with no descriptors.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.03): Dissatisfaction is due to poor screen guidance and hard-to-use dodging.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Appreciation is expressed for the awesome music.}