Cortex Command

Occasionally entertaining, but plagued by AI bugs and hamstrung by a clunky user interface. Less than the sum of its parts.

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Cortex Command is a real-time and turn-based strategy game set in a 2D world. Command your faction's troops, construct buildings, and manage resources to defeat your enemies. The game features destructible environments, customizable units, and a variety of weapons to choose from. Your goal is to conquer your opponent's base and eliminate their cortex, the core of their brain-like neural network.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,533 reviews

gameplay83 positive mentions

stability119 negative mentions

Unique and entertaining gameplay with a mix of strategy and action.
Fully destructible environments and a detailed physics engine enhance the experience.
Strong modding community that adds significant replayability and variety.

Clunky controls and a steep learning curve can frustrate new players.
The game feels unfinished and lacks polish, with many bugs and performance issues.
No online multiplayer, limiting the experience to local co-op only.

gameplay
240 mentions
35 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Cortex Command is a mixed bag, featuring innovative mechanics and a destructible environment that can lead to entertaining experiences, especially with friends or through mods. However, many players find the controls clunky, the tutorial lacking, and the overall gameplay cycle disjointed, resulting in a frustrating experience that can feel more like a tech demo than a fully realized game. While some appreciate the unique blend of strategy and action, others criticize it for being repetitive and buggy, ultimately leaving the game feeling unfinished.
- “Cortex Command's gameplay revolves around brains duking it out against each other by hurling clones, zombies, droids, and other remote controllable soldiers at the enemy brain while also defending your own mass from being blown to smithereens.”
- “The gameplay is probably the most open and captivating that I have seen in a game to date, and offers a lot of possibilities and methods of victory.”
- “This game is totally wild - the movement systems and gun mechanics are a bit wonky and take some getting used to, but very quickly you will find that Cortex Command's gameplay to be immensely satisfying.”
- “This game is a mess of complicated mechanics with no info on how to use them.”
- “Tutorial is extremely limited and gameplay is clunky at best.”
- “The issue however is that the main gameplay mode is broken up into disconnected scenarios that don't fit together and make the game feel unfinished.”
stability
119 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its severe instability, being described as "incredibly buggy" and "a buggy mess" with numerous glitches, crashes, and unresponsive AI. Many users express frustration over the lack of polish and ongoing support from the developer, suggesting that the game feels abandoned. Despite its potential and entertaining aspects, the overwhelming consensus is that the game's stability issues significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “This game is a buggy mess, if you lose a battle under certain conditions, the resource meter actually ticks negative past 0 and defaults to the maximum value, giving you a ludicrous amount of cash.”
- “It's horribly bug-ridden, there are amazingly careless and obvious mistakes and errors, there's huge balance issues and very little depth, and it's stagnated for a ridiculous amount of time.”
- “The escape button still plops you back to the main menu without warning, bugs and glitches in AI behavior and physics are still aplenty and it seems the game has been abandoned by its developer.”
story
105 mentions
17 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional story mode, with many players noting that the campaign feels more like a series of skirmishes than a cohesive narrative. While some appreciate the chaotic gameplay and modding community that allows for custom missions, others express a desire for a more structured story to enhance immersion and engagement. Overall, the absence of a compelling narrative is a common criticism, with many suggesting that a story mode could significantly improve the game's appeal.
- “Cortex Command fits extremely well with its small but understandable backstory.”
- “I think a story mode should be added, because no matter how good or bad the gameplay is, as long as there are characters for whom the player starts to care, the game will be loved.”
- “Dereck the soldier was tasked with the suicide mission of storming the mighty enemy brain bunker with 2 comrades, despite being outgunned and outnumbered.”
- “The tutorial is barebones and there's no 'story mode' to introduce you to the rest.”
- “The campaign, if you could name it so, has no story and no clarified goal other than kill the enemy.”
- “Absolutely no story, nothing to work for, no progression.”
graphics
87 mentions
32 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming 2D pixel art style that evokes nostalgia, though some players find them small and occasionally problematic for visibility. While the visuals are generally praised for their detail and interactive elements, there are reports of performance issues and a dated aesthetic that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the graphics complement the unique gameplay experience, but they may not satisfy those seeking modern, high-definition visuals.
- “Unique and demanding gameplay is backed up by an excellent aesthetic.”
- “The graphics have a Metal Slug feel, and the terrain deformation (and formation from crashed ships and dead bodies) makes everything feel so interactive.”
- “The graphical style is wonderfully done pixel art that isn't too pixelated and is pixelated enough that it doesn't look cheap.”
- “The graphics are mediocre, looking almost as though the whole game and all the assets are developed to play in 640 x 480. Aiming is terrible and unintuitive, sometimes working and sometimes not. Can we have an aim button so we know when we're aiming or otherwise?”
- “I was met with severe graphical issues; I encountered poorly made, buggy gameplay that would make E.T. look good.”
- “Even with a quad-core 4.2 GHz processor and a 1080 graphics card, I'll still end up staring at action frame by frame at times.”
humor
58 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its absurdity and chaotic physics, reminiscent of classic titles like Worms Armageddon, leading to countless hilarious moments during gameplay. Players enjoy the combination of slapstick comedy and unexpected outcomes, such as characters being flung across the map or engaging in absurdly violent antics, which contribute to a fun and entertaining experience. Despite some frustrations with gameplay mechanics, the overall consensus is that the game delivers a consistently funny and engaging experience, especially in multiplayer settings.
- “The fun in this game is similar to the feeling of playing Worms Armageddon for the first time with your friends in primary school and laughing your arse off at all the absurd physics, destruction, and violence.”
- “However, while I'm doing that, I'm generally laughing my ass off because some Fallout power armor guy named Frank just got blown halfway across the map because of a failed attempt at collecting a pile of bombs, only to be left alive with no arms and one leg, hobbling across the rest of the map, which is literally made out of the blood and bones of all of his fallen enemies.”
- “Jetpacking out of control and then smashing into 3 enemy NPCs and watching everyone explode is hilarious.”
replayability
57 mentions
60 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability, primarily due to its extensive modding community, which offers a variety of mods that enhance gameplay and introduce new scenarios. Players appreciate the unique combat mechanics and sandbox elements, allowing for endless ways to play, although some note that the base game may require mods to maintain interest over time. Overall, the combination of community support and mod options significantly contributes to the game's replay value.
- “The community mod support for this game is on another level and makes it insanely replayable.”
- “Just as soon as the base game gets boring, there are many top-tier mods out there and an amazing modding community to keep the game replayable and extremely fun.”
- “Cortex Command is an endlessly replayable action strategy game and now with Workshop Corporation it is much easier to install mods and now even more replayability.”
- “Do not buy this game for the current $19.99 price or any other until the developer shows significant progress in making this thing more playable and dependent on their own content instead of mods.”
- “I had hoped after 2 years the game would be a bit more playable than the reviews stated, but it is still ridiculous.”
- “As for play and replayability, it truly depends on what kind of system specs you have. If you have a lot of RAM opened up, then it should run fairly smoothly. Just don't get mods that'll crash the game, and for replayability, if you download some scenarios it can be very worth it. All in all, it's a good game with a couple of rough edges like not enough maps or slow-moving characters, but the positives outweigh the negatives from my experience.”
optimization
44 mentions
18 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including crashes, lag, and FPS drops, particularly during intense gameplay. While recent updates have improved performance somewhat, a high-performance CPU is still necessary to avoid major slowdowns, and the overall optimization remains mediocre. Despite these challenges, players find the game enjoyable and appreciate its modding capabilities, indicating that it has potential if optimization issues are addressed.
- “While the game doesn't seem perfectly optimized, it's extremely easy to mod, sit back, and land dropships on people.”
- “I was worried for a while that they had given up on it, but now that there's more updates coming out, especially those that help performance, I'm very pleased with it.”
- “The only issue is performance, but it's better now.”
- “The game has flaws, such as shaky fullscreen initialization, poor performance optimization, crashes, and severe slowdown.”
- “Both mediocre optimization and a ton of moving physics parts at once mean that you'll spend a lot of slowdown time if you don't have the computer to be able to handle all the processes at once.”
- “The issue here is performance; on multiple rigs, I have had issues with not only crashing to desktop but crippling lag as soon as a game runs too long or things start to get interesting.”
music
18 mentions
67 % positive mentions
22 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, particularly the intro soundtrack, which is described as memorable and energetic. Reviewers appreciate the fun and simple nature of the music, noting its retro feel despite being modern, and express a desire for more gamemodes to complement the enjoyable soundscapes. However, some users mention issues with the music volume being excessively loud during campaign creation.
- “But fun, and it has one of the best intro soundtracks I've ever heard.”
- “From one of the most memorable theme songs I have ever heard to the unending fun of littering the battlefield with crab shrapnel bombs, there is really something for everyone to enjoy.”
- “The intro music has absolutely no right to go this hard!”
- “Music volume becomes very loud when creating a new campaign, despite it being set to 1.”
grinding
12 mentions
0 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Players consistently express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, describing it as excessively tedious and complicated. The clunky movement, poor AI, and messy user interface contribute to a sense of confusion and annoyance, making the grinding experience feel like a chore rather than an engaging part of gameplay. Overall, many reviewers feel that the game requires an unreasonable time investment to progress effectively.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This can be tedious, especially before you start to learn to do it naturally, and even after.”
- “One of the most tedious and annoying games I've played.”
monetization
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for failing to deliver on advertised promises, with players expressing frustration over a lack of substantial updates and feeling that recent changes primarily serve as promotions for the prequel rather than enhancing the current game.
- “If you want any of the promised things in the advertisements, then I can't recommend this game.”
- “It is funny that the update we received was an advertisement for the prequel, but no major update in years. They only changed the text on the campaign, and it is still not finished.”