Data Hacker: Corruption
- October 22, 2014
- New Reality Games
"Data Hacker: Corruption" is a narrative-driven JRPG set in a virtual realm, continuing the story from the prequel "Initiation." As the SiliCAI army and other factions battle for power, players must decide which side to support. Importing saved files from the previous game keeps decision data, team members, and inventory intact. The game features two storylines and partial voice-acting.
Reviews
- The game features an amazing story concept and character carryover from the previous title, enhancing the overall narrative experience.
- Players have found joy and hope through the game, indicating its positive emotional impact and ability to provide a sense of escape.
- The writing is praised for being good, with decent RPG mechanics and a variety of tilesets that contribute to the game's visual appeal.
- The game suffers from numerous game-breaking bugs and technical issues, including lag, crashes, and poorly optimized performance.
- Navigation is frustrating due to misaligned props and trees, making it difficult to avoid random enemy encounters.
- The crafting system is basic and buggy, leading to tedious gameplay and a lack of engaging loot, which detracts from the overall experience.
- story18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The story features an engaging concept with character continuity from the previous title, emphasizing themes of perseverance and unexpected life challenges. However, while the ability to import saves is appreciated, the narrative for the "good" path feels underdeveloped and concludes abruptly, leaving players wanting more, especially compared to the richer content found in the "bad" or "virtual" path. Additionally, technical issues within the quest lines can disrupt the experience, detracting from the overall storytelling.
“Amazing story concept and character carry over from the previous title.”
“The story continues exactly where it left off and you can import your save, keeping nearly everything, which is fun.”
“Recommend for the story plot.”
“In the 'virtual' quest line, I've found two game-breaking issues (and you can even save in the broken state... and with no exits and teleportation disabled) within the first two hours.”
“There is a blue pole that 'accidentally' teleports you to the 'real' quest line... if you go into the first dungeon and go to the 'corrupted dragons' room... and save... you're screwed. If you finish the dragon (and cut scenes), the game locks up.”
“I worked hard to get the good ending, yet it seems like the most work went into the bad/virtual path; it certainly has a lot more story/dialogue/etc. going on when I checked it out.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with reports of significant stuttering graphics, particularly during movement and in large areas, such as a sprawling city. Users have noted extremely poor default performance, including a broken fullscreen mode, leading to a frustrating experience. While some players managed to optimize their gameplay, the overall consensus is that the game suffers from serious optimization issues.
“Given you import your character from the first game, it's all high-level gameplay, and if you optimized your party pretty well, you can eliminate most of the challenges in the game like I did, at least until the very end. There is one tough optional final dungeon, but the rest can mostly be handled by spamming the same commands.”
“Extremely poor default performance, with a flat-out broken fullscreen mode.”
“Major stuttering in the one way-too-big city, even after my fix.”
“Game is just really poorly optimized.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with frequent freezes and crashes reported, particularly during key gameplay moments like crafting and progressing through levels. Many users feel the game is unpolished and buggy, leading to a frustrating experience that suggests it was released before being fully finished.
“The game freezes when I try to leave after completing a challenging arena, and I lost my progress because I saved right after.”
“Floor 3 in the tower is buggy; I can't progress any further.”
“The crafting system is very basic, tedious, and buggy, and it can easily crash the game if you don't follow a very specific method.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding in this RPG Maker game is described as extreme, with players noting that while importing from the initiation episode alleviates some of the burden, it remains grindy. The crafting system, intended to enhance gameplay, is criticized for being basic, tedious, and prone to bugs that can crash the game if not executed correctly.
“Extreme grinding compared to most RPG Maker games.”
“Importing from the initiation episode lessens a lot of the burden, but that was equally grindy.”
“There is a crafting system to get better items, but it's very basic, tedious, and buggy - it can easily crash the game if you don't do it in a very specific way.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its relaxing qualities, with players noting that it creates a soothing atmosphere that enhances their overall experience. Many find it comforting and enjoyable, contributing positively to their gameplay.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“Great music.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally considered much more appealing, though some users report issues with stuttering during movement, which detracts from the overall visual experience.
“And it's graphically much more appealing.”
“Stuttering graphics during movement.”
“Stuttering graphics during movement.”
“Stuttering graphics during movement.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay features decent RPG mechanics, particularly benefiting from character imports from the first game, which allows for high-level play. Players can easily overcome most challenges with optimized party setups, relying on repetitive commands, though there is a notably difficult optional final dungeon.
“The RPG mechanics are decent, providing a solid foundation for gameplay.”
“Importing your character from the first game leads to high-level gameplay, and if you optimize your party well, you can overcome most challenges easily, except for one tough optional final dungeon.”
“The gameplay allows for strategic party optimization, making it possible to handle most encounters by repeating effective commands.”
“Given you import your character from the first game, it's all high-level gameplay, and if you optimized your party pretty well, you can eliminate all of the challenge of the game like I did, at least until the very end. There is one tough optional final dungeon, but the rest can mostly be handled by spamming the same commands.”
“Given you import your character from the first game, it's all high-level gameplay, and if you optimized your party pretty well, you can eliminate all of the challenge of the game like I did, at least until the very end. There is one tough optional final dungeon, but the rest can mostly be handled by spamming the same commands.”