Genre: AdventureDeveloper: Westwood StudiosYear: 1990
Rating: 0.00 / 10.00
(based on 0 votes)
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Based on George Alec Effinger's "When gravity fails", this adventure-action-RPG hybrid has a lot to do with Neuromancer, but it's arguably better in nearly all aspects. Which means it is a hell of a game, very very good.
In Circuit's edge you play the role of Marid Audran, a devious private eye and junkie. You currently live in the filthiest corner of Effinger's fictional future: the Budayeen... an isolated block of an unnamed city in future Morocco, where drugs are trafficked openly in the streets and prostitution runs rampant. Crime runs the Budayeen. You've undergone high tech surgery to support "moddies", personality and skills modules that can be installed directly upon your skull. (And these are not the only references to William Gibson's Neuromancer fiction in the original book by George Effinger).
Things mostly go from bad to worse as you wake up every day too high and drunk to remember your name or where you're at. And when you're finally about to get a new shady job to make ends meet, your employer dies and one of your friends disappear. Oh wait a minute!
Circuit's edge is a very violent game, but it's overly well-written. The dialogs are somewhat short, but the descriptions of places outshines most other games even nowadays, and there is *a lot* to explore here. I've counted almost 70 locations only on the main map, each being a different shop, temple, booth, bar, brothel or whatever you can imagine in a real city. I have no idea how they fit so much to see and do in roughly less than 1MB. The game is essentially an adventure, where you talk to people and pick objects to unlock sequences, but includes roleplaying elements (in which you have to collect money and can augment skills, even if only with equipment) and action elements (as you fight thugs in your way through the game). Good games that mix these genres are few and far between and usually fall short of expectations, but it's not the case here.
Technically the game is also very well done. It's a bit complex in comparison to other adventure games, but it's intuitive and relatively easy to navigate. Graphics are pretty good for its time, certainly using up the full capabilities of the simple EGA palette, reminding me of Wasteland. The music is quite nice and atmospheric, but there's little or no sound effects to note.
Even if you're not a cyberpunk aficionado, which I am, but enjoy decent challenge and a good story you'll want to try this one someday. Try it even if you're not too much into adventure games.
