Black Future '88

Even with no shortage of challenging side-scrollers to get into these days, Black Future '88 is more than worthy of your time and does more than enough to stand out in an increasingly populated crowd

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"Black Future '88" is a fast-paced, rogue-like 2D action shooter set in a dystopian future. Players must fight their way to the top of a procedurally generated tower, defeating enemies and bosses to earn upgrades and abilities. With permadeath and a unique synthwave soundtrack, each run offers a fresh challenge in this adrenaline-pumping adventure.

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Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 402 reviews

music75 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

The game features a vibrant cyberpunk aesthetic with stunning pixel art and an engaging synthwave soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Gameplay is fast-paced and fluid, with a variety of weapons and perks that allow for unique playstyles and strategies.
The roguelike mechanics provide a sense of progression and challenge, encouraging players to learn from their mistakes and adapt their strategies.

The game suffers from excessive visual clutter and screen shake, which can make it difficult to see what's happening and may be overwhelming for some players.
Controls can feel unresponsive and lack customization options, leading to frustration during gameplay, especially with the limited dashing directions.
There are significant bugs and stability issues that can disrupt gameplay, including crashes and glitches that hinder progress.

music
162 mentions
46 % positive mentions
52 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in "Black Future '88" is widely praised for its engaging synthwave and electronic soundtrack, which enhances the game's immersive atmosphere and complements the intense gameplay. Many players find the soundtrack to be the standout feature, describing it as catchy, upbeat, and perfectly suited to the game's retro aesthetic. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's appeal, making it a must-play for fans of the genre.
- “The soundtrack of 'black future '88' is one of its great attractions.”
- “With a mix of synthwave and electronic sounds, the music not only complements the action, but also increases the immersion in the game.”
- “The soundtrack is absolutely banging and really enhances the experience.”
- “It's a good game but the soundtrack isn't that great.”
- “Music and visually it's trying, but it's a very boring game that offers no real challenge.”
- “Only pros are the artstyle and soundtracks.”
gameplay
155 mentions
30 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "black future '88" is characterized by its fluid movement and intense combat mechanics, offering a blend of engaging visuals and a captivating soundtrack. While the game features a variety of unique mechanics and a rewarding gameplay loop, some players find the lack of clear explanations for certain systems and the repetitiveness of gameplay to be drawbacks. Overall, it presents a stylish roguelike experience that encourages perseverance despite its initial challenges.
- “The gameplay of 'Black Future '88' is intense and captivating.”
- “The gameplay is tight and the different weapons and power-ups make for great combinations.”
- “Fantastic, fast-paced gameplay, amazing lighting and coloring, sprites (animation and art) and backgrounds are beautiful, shooting and melee feels good and you can get broken as hell with the right mixes.”
- “It's unfortunate that the first impressions of this game will undoubtedly be very rough, but if you bother to keep playing, more mechanics (some that should have been there at the start) will be added that makes a lot of sense in hindsight.”
- “Overall the game is a nice concept but it feels that it is lacking in gameplay variety to keep someone hooked for longer than a few hours, causing it to become pretty stale and boring fairly quickly.”
- “Unintuitive controls, repetitive gameplay.”
graphics
92 mentions
57 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of "black future '88" are characterized by a vibrant color palette and retro-futuristic pixel art that effectively captures the 80s cyberpunk aesthetic, making it visually striking and immersive. However, some players noted issues with visual clutter and screen effects that can detract from gameplay clarity, while others praised the art style and lighting as standout features. Overall, the game's visuals are a significant highlight, appealing to fans of the genre despite some technical drawbacks.
- “With a vibrant color palette and pixelated graphics that evoke the aesthetics of the 80s, the game is a true visual delight.”
- “The ambiance and pixel art work really well, the way weapons light up the screen is hypnotic.”
- “Visually, this game is gorgeous; it comes with every color you'd associate with synthwave and cyberpunk aesthetics, as well as great lighting effects to craft a great atmosphere.”
- “For some reason, I was also hitting sub 60 fps on default graphical settings.”
- “The graphics look neat to me, but it is hard to decipher what is going on all the time.”
- “Pixel graphics are ugly; I wish developers would stop using them.”
story
16 mentions
25 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being minimal and underdeveloped, with players feeling thrown into action without sufficient context or character background. While there is a basic premise involving a mad scientist and a post-apocalyptic setting, many reviewers believe the narrative lacks depth and coherence, leaving much to be desired in terms of content and engagement. Overall, the story is seen as a weak point that detracts from the gameplay experience.
- “The story idea and roguelite aspects are great, the inventory seems a little undermatched.”
- “Graphics pixels can say very beautiful, exciting plot with a great combo system.”
- “My biggest gripe is with the story and overall background of the game and its characters.”
- “Of the little story we have, some mad scientist/CEO and his buddies somehow managed to nuke the planet to the point where he even destroyed people's sense of time.”
- “If you thought that the story could use some work, you're probably right.”
replayability
15 mentions
27 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players find it engaging and challenging, others note that mastering the game can lead to a repetitive experience due to sparse content and limited weapon variety. The stunning pixel art and atmosphere contribute positively, but the lack of significant gameplay modifications and character depth may hinder long-term replay value. Despite these criticisms, the game retains a certain cult potential, appealing to those who appreciate its aesthetic and challenge.
- “Little pricey by conventional metrics, but it definitely has cult potential, replayability, and (most importantly for it) heavy atmosphere.”
- “It's pixel art and lighting look stunning, the challenge it provides offers good replayability, and its rich content yet simple gameplay harmonize very well.”
- “The content is sparse, weapons are not different enough, skills are barely modifying gameplay, characters are bland and do not justify the vertical slice built around replayability.”
- “I've definitely found the game pretty replayable, although if you completely master the game, I could see it easily getting repetitive and losing its replayability.”
- “It may be an audio-visual feast, but the tight gameplay, high degree of replayability, and the sterling effort that has gone into overcoming many of the criticisms levelled at the genre mean it’s not just a pretty face.”
atmosphere
14 mentions
43 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and oppressive qualities, enhanced by neon lighting, detailed environments, and a synth-punk soundtrack that effectively captures a dystopian future. While the vibrant visuals contribute to a captivating experience, some players note that excessive visual clutter can distract from gameplay. Overall, the game's heavy atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing to its cult potential and replayability.
- “The neon lighting and detailed environments help to create an immersive and oppressive atmosphere, transporting players to a dystopian future, where each level is a new adventure.”
- “I think this roguelike accomplished what it set out to do with its post-apocalyptic dystopian atmosphere and synth-punk themed music & weapons.”
- “Visually, this game is gorgeous; it comes with every color you'd associate with synthwave and cyberpunk aesthetics, as well as great lighting effects to craft a great atmosphere.”
- “Black Future 88 is an underrated platformer with areas that fall short, clad in a cyberpunk atmosphere that won't quit.”
- “Little pricey by conventional metrics, but it definitely has cult potential, replayability, and (most importantly for it) a heavy atmosphere.”
- “I think this roguelike accomplished what it set out to do with its post-apocalyptic dystopian atmosphere and synth-punk themed music and weapons.”
optimization
12 mentions
25 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting frequent stuttering during gameplay, particularly in combat scenarios, and occasional crashes. While some aspects, like style and soundtrack, are praised, the overall performance issues detract from the experience, making it feel poorly optimized.
- “As you play, you unlock new things that can show up based on your performance.”
- “The game runs smoothly, providing a seamless experience overall.”
- “Style, performance (other than some weird issues with enhanced enemy projectiles), and a banging soundtrack.”
- “One more thing, it is badly optimized (like other reviews have mentioned).”
- “It is not fluid gameplay throughout; only when you are sitting still will the endless stuttering stop.”
- “In fights, the game is constantly stuttering.”
stability
12 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs and glitches that can lead to game-ending scenarios. Players report frequent freezes, particularly when dealing damage to enemies, making the experience frustrating and nearly unplayable. Overall, the game requires extensive polishing and additional features to enhance its stability and gameplay.
- “It's a real shame this game isn't in early access, as it's buggy and it seems like it could do with many additional implementations, concepts, and mechanics to make it more fun.”
- “The problem is that it is buggy beyond fixing.”
- “But there is one grievous exception which makes this game almost unplayable: every time an enemy takes damage from your weapons, the game freezes for a moment.”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, as the short length leads to rapid difficulty spikes, and the rewards for grinding do not feel significant enough to offset the challenges, with tower upgrades quickly outpacing player progress.
- “The game is very short, which leads to a rapid increase in difficulty, and the rewards for grinding don't feel empowering enough to make a significant difference, as the tower upgrades seemingly outscale you.”
- “The game is very short, which leads to a rapid increase in difficulty, and the rewards for grinding don't feel empowering enough to make a significant difference, as the tower upgrades seemingly outscale you.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is initially perceived as simple and amusing, but players soon discover a deeper, more intense experience that adds to its appeal.
- “At first, I thought the game was simple but funny, but then I realized that it is much cooler and more hardcore.”