If it were not yet entirely clear, we are surrounded by cyberpunk. And no, I am not referring to the real world.
Not that it was also particularly controversial, as a comparison: after all, the entire globe is now actually interconnected (virtually via the Internet, specifically by means of globalization), the VR starts to take hold, and the economic / technological progress of ‘ Asia (including India and China) intimidates the West almost as much as Japan a few decades ago.
Not only that all carry a thin micro-computer in your pocket as if nothing had happened, so-called ” hacktivists ” are (and do not seem to want to stop defacesites in the name of the various causes), and the world is preparing the introduction of large scale of the first autonomous cars .
As if this were not enough, the mechanical prosthesesare a reality, the constant disputes about the immoderate surveillance by this or another intelligence agency have almost ceased to amaze, Amazon is preparing to send their parcels through the use of drones , while the influence of mega -corporazioni our newspaper seems more palpable from day to day.
In short, real life begins to share more traits with science fiction stories underground 80s; will not be very punk , however, we can say that this beginning to appear more and more cyber .
Whether it’s the one, the now widespread crisis of ideas (which affects far too long an industry “creative” after the other) , a simple wave of nostalgia or whatever, the point remains: the strand cyberpunk seems to finally return into vogue .
Hollywood has recently baked unworthy (albeit enjoyable) revival Live Action Ghost in the Shell , Warner Bros seems intent on reworking the brand Matrix the sequels, and historical fans eagerly await (fingers crossed) to Blade Runner ; even the world of TV series seems to embrace the genre, considering the future Altered Carbon (Netflix) andJudge Dredd: Mega City One , still in production.
If we consider the recent release, it is easy to see how video games are finished in some way, by hastening the return of the trend: the last Deus Ex (one of the cornerstones in the video game cyberpunk) goes back just last August, while games like Mirror’s Edge Catalyst , the new Shadowrun and Dreamfall Chapters: the Longest Journey did not fail to reproduce (at least) the typical kind of aesthetic.
Needless to mention then the Cyberpunk 2077 of CD Projekt , probably one of the most anticipated titles of all time (whose development time are unfortunately still unknown).
It was inevitable that cyberpunk is also manifested in smaller independent films such as the recent Technolust (for VR), Satellite Reign , Hover: Revolt of Gamers , Quadrilateral Cowboy , 2064: Read Only Memories , and Cyberpunk Bartender Action VA-11 HALL-A , to name a few.
The last mentioned, published last August on PC (Windows, OS X and Linux), expansion is the result of a demo designed to mark the first Cyberpunk Game Jam : the “recurrence” sees several independent developers compete in the creation of short games (theme, in fact, cyberpunk) to be submitted by extremely limited time. It is also the origin ofThe Last Night , revelation of last E3.
The prototype
In its first incarnation, The Last Night was just a simple browser game for a few minutes; in the shoes of a probable hitman / detective, the game allowed to advance -in search of the victim designata- in a picturesque setting cyberpunk by explicit references to classic of the genre’s most iconic (among all, Blade Runner ).
The simplicity of the gameplay (which incessantly advancing, flanked by the rare barely need to shoot) that can not pass completely in the second floor, in similar productions : to offering adventure adrenaline, the prototype clearly preferred to elicit certain emotions – staking everything on extremely evocative atmospheres, proposals in a cured as nostalgic 16-bit aesthetics.
The formula tested by brothers Soret (the two young French developer behind the title) seemed to work, so as to allow the demo to win first place in the Cyberpunk Game Jam in March 2014; a few months later, the infant study site Odd Tales announced the transformation of The Last Night in actual full game, to the delight of the very first fan.
Complete the prototype after all gave the impression of having seen barely to the prologue of an experience far wider and deeper; considering the warm welcome of the web and the semi-professional care put in the development (which lasted just six days) of the browser game, it is not too hard to guess what’s wrong pushed Tim Soret to extend the promising demo.
