March 9, 2018
NoDice

Cycle 28

A fun little momentum shooter with a drab visual style that is perfect for quick bouts of play. The difficulty and repeat play design won’t be for everyone but if you are after a Luftrausers-esque title at a budget price you can’t go wrong.

74%Game Brain Score

story, music

graphics, optimization

79% User Score Based on 62 reviews

Critic Score 66%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

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About

Cycle 28 is a single player arcade shooter game. It was developed by NoDice and was released on March 9, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

You think Cycle 28 is a 2D space shooter in the classic arcade style, where only your score matters. The controls are simple. The action is fast-paced. Insane dogfights lead to epic, screen-filling bosses. But the truth is: You don’t know what Cycle 28 is. Not yet.

Skip User Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 62 reviews

story10 positive mentions

graphics2 negative mentions

The game features addictive gameplay that encourages players to keep trying for higher scores and upgrades.
It has a compelling atmosphere and an engaging story that unfolds over time, appealing to fans of both shooters and mysteries.
The soundtrack is excellent, enhancing the overall experience and making the gameplay feel more immersive.

The controls are frustrating and outdated, making the gameplay feel painful and unplayable for some players.
The graphics are disappointing, lacking color and detail, which detracts from the overall visual experience.
The scoring system is heavily reliant on multipliers that reset upon taking damage, leading to frustrating gameplay and discouraging casual play.

story
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
50%
12%
The game's story is described as intriguing yet frustrating, with a standard time loop premise that unfolds gradually through exploration and backstory pages. While some players appreciate the complex narrative and the way it is revealed, others find the controls hinder their ability to fully engage with the story, leaving them feeling disconnected from its mysteries. Overall, the narrative has potential, but its accessibility and enjoyment are hampered by gameplay issues.
- “The game narrative is also rather good, with bits and pieces of the story passed on to the player in often surprising ways.”
- “I like the idea of the story unfolding across successive runs, and I'm really curious to know how it develops.”
- “Where the game hits its stride is the story.”
- “Only just scratching the surface of the story's mysteries.”
- “Haven't made sense of the story yet.”
- “As a story, it's basically your standard time loop.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
24%
13%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its brilliance and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, particularly during action sequences. However, there are also strong negative sentiments expressed, with a few users stating they despise the music, indicating a polarizing effect. Overall, while many appreciate the soundtrack's cool and spacey vibe, others find it lacking.
- “The music and sound are really cool and spacey.. I like this game.”
- “Brilliant soundtrack too!”
- “Excellent music, especially the way it ramps up with the action.”
- “Few games in my life ever make me despise them; I almost feel the same towards the music.”
- “It is a rare thing for me to harbor misgivings about music.”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
Gameplay is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the quick, engaging runs and tight controls reminiscent of "Luftrausers," while others find the mechanics frustrating, repetitive, and outdated. Despite its compelling atmosphere and narrative elements, the poor control scheme detracts significantly from the overall experience, leading to a sense of boredom for some users.
- “Currently on sale for 77p, seems to run flawlessly on Steam Deck and has the perfect quick couple of runs gameplay for it.”
- “There's something compelling about the atmosphere and the mystery, as well as great enjoyment because of tight controls and gameplay mechanics.”
- “This game definitely carries the essence of Luftrausers in it, but brings its own quirks to that type of gameplay.”
- “However, at the same time, I find the gameplay leans towards frustrating and repetitive.”
- “Boring, not enough mechanics, sub-par bullet hell action.”
- “Boring, not enough mechanics, sub-par bullet hell action.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics have been widely criticized as disappointing, even for an indie game, contributing to an overall negative impression of the visual presentation.
- “The graphics are disappointing even for an indie project.”
- “The graphics are disappointing even for an indie project.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for its minimalist design but offers a high level of fun and deep replayability, making it engaging for multiple playthroughs.
- “While fairly minimalist in design, this game is a lot of fun and has deep replayability.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization is criticized for the limited impact of unlocked abilities on ship performance, with the exception of multishot. Additionally, the zoomed-in view contributes to a challenging experience, as players often navigate without a clear perspective of their surroundings.
- “Unlocked abilities don't change the ship performance and abilities in very significant ways (aside from multishot), and most of the game difficulty comes from the fact that you're flying blind into danger most of the time because the view is zoomed in so far.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its compelling mystery, which enhances the overall experience. Players also appreciate how the tight controls and gameplay mechanics contribute to this engaging ambiance.
- “There's something compelling about the atmosphere and the mystery, as well as great enjoyment because of tight controls and gameplay mechanics.”