8089: The Next Action RPG

About

"8089: The Next Action RPG" is a fully featured, open-world VR game with traditional gameplay support. The game features randomly generated items, customizable weapons, and various skills to focus on. With unique loot properties and specialized armor abilities, players can engage in a vibrant, wacky world filled with bug-like aliens. Additionally, players can customize equipment through programmable module slots for weapons and armor.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 61 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game features a fun core gameplay loop that allows players to progress by completing quests, upgrading gear, and exploring increasingly difficult areas.
Weapon and armor customization is extensive, providing players with a variety of options to tailor their loadouts to their playstyle.
The game runs well on the Steam Deck and has been praised for its smooth VR implementation, making it enjoyable in both VR and desktop modes.

Many players find the game tedious and monotonous, with a lack of meaningful progression and repetitive quests that do not vary significantly.
The movement mechanics feel slow and cumbersome, leading to frustration during gameplay, especially when navigating the environment or engaging in combat.
The procedural generation and quest systems can lead to a grindy experience, with players often struggling to find necessary items or activators to progress.

story
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
82%
9%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for its repetitive and grind-heavy quest system, where players often face the same missions with little variation or meaningful progression. While the core gameplay loop of upgrading and advancing through increasingly difficult zones is enjoyable, many players find the quest mechanics tedious and poorly designed, leading to frustration rather than engagement with the narrative. Overall, the lack of variety in quests and the cumbersome quest-gathering process detracts from the potential richness of the story experience.
- “My favorite part of 8089 is the gameplay loop it provides the player - complete quests for money, use that money to upgrade stats and gear, use your upgraded character to access higher level areas with greater quest rewards, etc.”
- “If you've played 5089, it's a similar format - journey outwards upgrading stats and equipment which get harder the further you go, while progressing the story missions.”
- “The systems in the game are great; I do enjoy picking up quests and looking through the stores.”
- “Would love to find them if this game wasn't such a slog to get through. I never saw one story event.”
- “I progressed maybe 1 level an hour and by the time any semblance of story starts at 6th level, I was pretty much worn out from navigating around walls, doing the same quests, and seeing the same things, just different colors.”
- “Getting quests is a needlessly annoying process with bad quality of life, making you cycle through every quest type in the game to get the type you're after, including those that your build is extremely poorly suited for.”
gameplay
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
60%
9%
The gameplay in this title is characterized by a rewarding core loop of questing, upgrading, and progressing through increasingly challenging areas, which many players find enjoyable and addictive. While the mechanics are praised for their creativity and depth, some users note frustrations with certain aspects, such as slow pacing and random quest structures. Overall, the game offers a complex and varied experience, particularly for fans of RPGs and VR, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its unique style and mechanics.
- “The core gameplay loop of starting off weak in an area, spending time there doing quests and getting stronger weapon and armor parts in order to move forward onto the next area is very fun to do.”
- “Completely original gameplay that is addicting and fun.”
- “My favorite part of 8089 is the gameplay loop it provides the player - complete quests for money, use that money to upgrade stats and gear, use your upgraded character to access higher level areas with greater quest rewards, etc...”
- “The game is really slow, and a lot of the mechanics are frustrating.”
- “It never felt like it was a risk vs. reward mechanic; it was only a hindrance and nuisance.”
- “However, just as you have firmly stated that you don't want to make mobility too easy, I am firmly stating that walking around walls is not my idea of gameplay.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
53%
20%
The graphics in the game have seen significant improvements compared to previous versions, featuring a charming and colorful aesthetic reminiscent of children's shows like Sesame Street. While some players note the simplistic and occasionally "potato-like" appearance of characters, this quirk adds to the game's unique charm, and the visuals are generally clear and pleasing. Overall, the graphics may not compete with AAA titles, but they effectively complement the engaging gameplay and complex mechanics.
- “The graphics are much improved over previous offerings.”
- “A glorious return to the xxx9 series, 8089 feels like a natural progression, modding weapons and gear is greatly expanded, the lifeforms are a lot of fun and the graphics retain that certain charm.”
- “Aesthetically it's all very pleasing.”
- “The overall aesthetic reminds me of Sesame Street or Muppets.”
- “Don't let the graphics keep you from playing this game if it seems interesting to you, because once you get used to it, the potato-looking bad guys' reactions start to give it a certain charm.”
- “The graphics may look simplistic, but the game mechanics at its core are complex enough to rival a strategy guide.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, often leading to frustration due to a lack of quality-of-life improvements and overly long tasks, such as protecting NPCs and navigating toxic gas areas. While some appreciate the grinding as part of the game's appeal, many feel that the repetitive nature of quests and the reliance on RNG for gear progression detracts from the overall experience. Comparisons to the predecessor indicate that some improvements have been made, but significant issues remain.
- “I found this game to just be tedious and monotonous overall.”
- “The biggest issue with this game is a shocking lack of quality of life in many areas and how tedious a lot of things are.”
- “Don't get me wrong, grinding is part of the appeal and game loop, but grinding for the exact same piece of gear every 2-3 levels is not a fun use of RNG.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music in the game is highly praised, with many users noting that the epic soundtrack enhances the overall experience, especially while exploring the open world. The inclusion of combat music also adds to the excitement, making the audio a standout feature.
- “The soundtrack kind of ties everything together.”
- “It legitimately feels awesome running around the open world with that epic soundtrack blasting.”
- “Music is amazing; I really like it a lot.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is described as surreal and immersive, featuring dynamic weather effects such as fog, rain, and meteor storms that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the alien environment, which adds depth to activities like raiding and exploring.
- “Whether you are raiding an enemy stronghold, sheltering from a meteor shower, or simply standing beneath a tree watching the rain, the game has a surreal atmosphere that really appeals to me.”
- “I enjoy the alien atmosphere.”
- “There's weather, atmospheric effects like fog clouds and regular clouds, and meteor storms.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game offers strong replayability thanks to its procedural generation and extensive customization options, making it appealing for players who enjoy varied experiences. While the gameplay is relatively short for those familiar with it, the complexity and unique VR implementation enhance its replay value.
- “If the idea of a replayable, procedural RPG made for VR with near infinite customizability sounds cool, then you shouldn't be disappointed.”
- “The game isn't too long if you know what you are doing, but it's also very replayable due to the procedural generation aspect.”
- “The game isn't too long if you know what you are doing, but it is very replayable due to the procedural generation aspect.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, particularly in VR, with users noting its smooth performance and well-crafted design. While some mention quirky, buggy interactions with enemies and friends, these are generally viewed as endearing rather than detrimental.
- “Good game, runs great in VR, very well made and clearly a passion project from the developers.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the overall experience.”
- “There are numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay, leading to frustrating moments.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and absurd dialogue, reminiscent of other titles like "Vangers," which players find amusing, especially as they engage in the chaotic action of eliminating characters.
- “I first thought of Vangers when I saw the funny characters speak, but it's something you get used to when you blast them out of existence.”