REMEMBER ME
Remember Me is an interesting, memory hopping cyperpunk adventure crafted by Dontnod, who you’ll probably know better for Life is Strange. The truly startling thing is that Remember Me is Dontnod’s debut title, and it’s definitely one to remember. The game sees you playing as Nilin, a memory hunter working for an underground resistance called the Errorists. Like many cyberpunk works, a megacorporation called Memorize has taken an unhealthy control over the world, and laid claim to people’s memories in a way as well.
Remember Me uses many typical cyberpunk themes, but it’s more a game about emotion and relationships, and how budding technology like social media can impact those. Across the adventure, Nilin has to recover her own lost memories, and even has the ability to reconstruct and view others. Remember Me does have a few problems, particularly in the gameplay and pacing departments. However, there’s an incredibly ambitious story to see here, with a strong female lead that grows and changes throughout the experience. In terms of world building, characterization, soundtrack, and presentation, Remember Me stands tall with the best cyberpunk games, even if the gameplay doesn’t match up.
SHADOWRUN
Shadowrun is one of the well-known classic cyberpunk games, releasing in 1993 for the SNES. The title was adapted from the tabletop role-playing game of the same name, working the series’ themes into a virtual experience. Although Shadowrun does have a cyberpunk setting, it’s more science-fantasy than most series, weaving in elements like shamans and magic. The game is loosely based on the first Shadowrun novel, taking place in Seattle in the year 2050. You play as Jake Armitage, who at the beginning of the game is being gunned down in the street. Before he can react, a strange shadowy figure rushes in front of him and casts a spell. Most of the rest of the game is spent following Jake investigating the events around the assassination ordered on him, how he survived, and who the mysterious figure was.
Shadowrun is fondly remembered by most as one of the best old-school strategy games. Like many other isometric style RPGs you navigate Jake around the screen and select various options. Combat can get incredibly hectic, however, as assassins will pop out from random locations at any time. Shadowrun was easily one of the best games on SNES, and it was one of the earliest examples of a mature, dystopian cyberpunk story in gaming. The game has a gripping narrative filled with film noir style, themes of self reflection, and the dangers of technological advancement.
SNATCHER
Before he became the superstar creator of Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima crafted an unforgettable cyberpunk experience called Snatcher. The title had a tremendous impact on gaming, changing the future of the adventure genre and introducing one of the greatest narratives we’d ever seen from gaming at that time. For the time, Snatcher’s top notch presentation and focus on mature themes was unprecedented, with gorgeous animated cutscenes and impressive voice acting. The title revolves around the creation of artificial lifeforms, known as Snatcher, that kill their victims and then assume their place in society. The appearance of these creatures follows in the wake of a biological weapon created in Chernoton, Russia, known as Lucifer-Alpha, that ended in the death of 80 percent of the Eurasian population.
You play as Gillian Seed, a young amnesiac man that works for an Anti-Snatcher task force. Gillian’s goal is to hunt down Snatcher suspects, and discover the mysterious link he holds with them at the same time. Truth be told, Snatcher is most closely compared to what we know as a visual novel today, but its gripping story will absolutely keep you on the edge of your seat. At the time it’s neo-noir style detective story was unlike anything we’d ever seen in gaming, especially when you work in the vibrant cyberpunk setting and themes. Even after everything he’s done, Snatcher remains one of Hideo Kojima’s very best games, and an absolute must-play for any fan of the cyberpunk genre.
2064: READ ONLY MEMORIES
2064: Read Only Memories is a heavily narrative focused game, and one with quite a memorable cast of characters to boot. This one lays heavily on the cyberpunk themes, and even draws inspiration from 80s adventure titles like Snatcher. 2064 takes place during the Christmas season of the same year in Neo-San Francisco, where a company called Parallax has created a line of programs that integrate into people’s smartphones known as ROMs (Relationship and Organizational Managers). You play as a young journalist trying to track down a missing Parallax engineer, along with the help of Turing, a self modifying robot and the world’s very first sapient machine.
Gameplay is fairly straightforward in 2064, employing the general adventure game standards of investigating areas, building an inventory, and talking to the world’s many characters. What really makes the title stick, however, is how emotionally resonant its story and characters can be. There’s true cultural and racial diversity in the 2064’s cast, something not often seen in games. More than that, however, the title uses this diversity to explore identity and class politics, with a futuristic cyberpunk backdrop as the basis. This is one story you won’t soon forget.
SYSTEM SHOCK 2
The System Shock series has solidified its standing in the annals of gaming, serving as a design basis for other classic titles like BioShock and Metro 2033. The thing that always made System Shock stand out, thematically, was the fascinating blend of cyberpunk and horror that it employed. By and large System Shock 2 is remembered as the most influential title of the two, setting a new standard for first person RPGs. The title was partly designed by none other than Ken Levine, the father of BioShock, and was praised for the unique way it let you approach every situation in your own way, and highly customize your character.
System Shock 2 takes place aboard a ship called the Von Braun, as a nameless soldier wakes up from cryosleep to a horrific picture. A ruthless and brilliant AI known as Shodan has harnessed a deadly cyber virus that kills and enslaves humans. Shodan hopes to take advantage of this virus and enslave all of humanity, and wants to combine cyberspace and real space together into one. System Shock 2 is absolutely loaded with cyberpunk themes, weaving in corporate corruption and espionage, biomechanical engineering, and hostile AI among other things. To this day it remains a chilling horror game that brings a true feeling of isolation, as you make your way all alone through the abandoned halls of the Van Braun. It’s a title worth playing whether it’s to see one of the best video game representations of cyberpunk ever made, or just to see how the title impacted the future of gaming as a whole.
GEMINI RUE
Gemini Rue honestly has a lot in common with Snatcher, as it’s a graphic adventure game with light gunplay elements, set to the backdrop of a cyberpunk future. The game takes place in the 23rd century within the Gemini System, which has just been declared independent after a ten year war. Now, however, a mafia-like crime syndicate controls the majority of the system, using a drug called “Juice” to strengthen their control more and more. The game follows two characters mainly, an assassin turned law enforcement officer named Azriel Odin and his pilot Kane Harris.
Gemini Rue uses its point and click style gameplay well, combining it with a dark and oppressive atmosphere that permeates the entire experience. A beautiful art direction and smart puzzles also help to make the title distinct from other point and click experiences. Gemini Rue definitely tells an engaging story, and it’s probably the best cyberpunk experience you can get on a mobile phone.
OBSERVER
Although it may be the most recent addition here, Observer easily has the chops to stand with the best cyberpunk games around. It’s another cyberpunk game that also blends in elements of horror, taking place in 2084 Poland after a digital plague has wiped out a large portion of humanity. This plague resulted in wars and massive amounts of drug use, putting humanity in a precarious position. You play as Daniel Lazarski, a detective from the Observers unit, who’s sent in to hack their targets’ memories and fears with a device called the Dream Eater.
Observer tells a mysterious tale that unravels itself the further you get into the game. 2084 Poland really is a bit of a dystopic nightmare, as corporations control everything, setting curfews for residents who scarcely leave their abodes anyway. The title brings up some fascinating themes of exploring what it means to be human, using Lazarski’s Dream Eater to bring some truly poignant moments. Observer is a great exploration of many themes central to cyberpunk fiction, while simultaneously telling its own story that will keep you strung along.
DEUS EX
The original Deus Ex had a tremendous impact on the world of gaming, while simultaneously being one of the greatest cyberpunk games ever made. The title takes place in 2052, and follows an anti-terrorist agent named JC Denton, who’s been enhanced with augmentations and cybernetics. Where Deus Ex really shined was in player choice, both in how it presented it narratively and through gameplay. The game gives you so many options for approaching each situation that you can really do things however you see fit. Sneak in and hack through doors and turrets? Distract enemies out of the way? Go in guns blazing? It’s entirely up to you.
There’s a twisting story to follow in Deus Ex, based almost entirely around the themes of megacorporations controlling the world. The Illuminati play a central role in the game, and would in the rest of the series, deceiving humanity and vying for ultimate control. There’s a good reason Deus Ex is considered to be one of the greatest games of all time, and it delivers on all fronts, narratively, gameplay wise, and through its dystopian cyberpunk world.
DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION
Deus Ex went on a hiatus for years after Invisible War, but in came back in a big way with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Human Revolution actually takes place 25 years before the original game, casting you as Adam Jensen, the head of security for the megacorporation Sarif Industries. Through a turn of events, Jensen ends up nearly dead and only lives through the installation of tons of experimental augmentations. Like the first Deus Ex, Human Revolution is all about freedom, granting players the ability to approach any situation however they want. Things have of course been updated to modern standards, making Human Revolution a smoother experience to play, that’s also packed with story and lore to dig into.
At the same time, Human Revolution is an incredibly ambitious game that plays with many different themes. Augmentation is the big story point of the game, questioning whether it’s natural to mechanically enhance your body, while also playing with themes of racism on the topic. In almost every way, Human Revolution is a title that stands up to the legacy of the original Deus Ex, and even gives us an intriguing new protagonist with Adam Jensen.
INVISIBLE, INC.
The most striking thing about Invisible, Inc. is its vibrant cartoony art style, something that belies the cyberpunk storyline still on display. The game takes place in 2074, after megacorporations have overthrown governments around the world and taken total control. Invisible, Inc. is an agency that provides private intelligence services to corporations, infiltrating and using agents as well as advance AI systems. However, at the start of the title, Invisible, Inc. is compromised and most members are killed, with the exception of the player and two others.
Invisible, Inc. is a tactical strategy game in the same vein as something like XCOM or Shadowrun. Like those games, Invisible, Inc. can be a demanding and challenging experience, especially when you factor in an overall metagame of trying to recruit different agents and gain new equipment. Invisible, Inc. has a lot in common with the greatest strategy games out there, and can definitely stand with the best of them, while its cyberpunk story is sure to draw you in.
