If you have been in gaming since the golden age of computers in the 80’s then no doubt you would have heard of MicroProse. They were responsible for a lot of great titles on the 8-bit and 16-bit computers. So when I heard of a game that has been released by them in 2023 my excitement and curiosity was peaked and I had to play it. Drop – System Breach is a game where you must hack your way through the clandestine world of wires and circuitry.
Publisher: MicroProse Games
Developer: Etherfield Studios
Release Date: 28 March 2023
Price: £9.99 Steam Store
CPU: Intel Core i5 / AMD Equivalent
GPU: Geforce GTX 1060 / AMD Equivalent
RAM: 4 GB
HDD: 1 GB
Review code was provided for coverage.
You play as an unnamed hacker who is a rookie trying to learn his hacking skills by doing jobs so that he can get experience and make money. The game is set in a cyberpunk-inspired world and has a story that reflects this. The goal is quite simple; you must get into the network, explore the system to find or do what is required and exit the system in a time window of five minutes. While it sounds simple, I can guarantee it’s not because the network has dozens of computers and you never know what one has the required information.
As you advance and get better you will encounter systems that contain anti-intrusion software. You will find that this attack your nexus which is protected by a firewall and each attack take a point off your defence. Lose the firewall and you be exposed and this will result in the mission being failed. You can repair it, so you need to be mindful of the bar and make sure you can get back to the nexus to build the firewall back up.
Speed is the focus of this game and because of this you find yourself hopping all over the network trying to hack many machines at once. This becomes easier as you progress you get the chance to upgrade your equipment and this involves having multiples cores and CP speed so the process is faster and allows you to complete tasks quicker. Also watch for network logs as every action you do is stored and this raises the security level to try and prevent you hacking the system.
The graphics are in 2D and my first thought was the hacking game that was a part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The monitor has been given an old CRT-feel to it and it has a stylish look to it. While you might be tempted to play with a keyboard and mouse to give a more authentic feel to being a hacker, the mouse does nothing and it better with a joypad as it allows for smoother gameplay.
Final Thoughts
Drop – System Breach is fun hacking game that has more than enough story to keep you entertained. As you complete each job you feel like a hacker that needs their next fix so you keep playing. The Cyberpunk style is nice and the learning curve is gentle and fun so you never get bored or frustrated. Well worth a buy and check out the gameplay video above.
[rating title=”Graphics” value=”8.5″][/review_summary]