Dex

About

Dex is a single-player, open world Science Fiction action-RPG with a dense atmosphere and a mature, emotional story, allowing you to customize your character's skills, equipment, and augmentations for real-time combat. Inspired by Blade Runner and Neuromancer, the game features a revolutionary hacking mechanic, stunning graphics, and a good soundtrack, but is weighed down by bugs and requires grinding.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,794 reviews

story597 positive mentions

grinding47 negative mentions

Engaging story with interesting characters and multiple side quests that enhance the world-building.
Beautiful hand-drawn graphics and a captivating cyberpunk atmosphere.
Fully voice-acted with decent performances that add depth to the characters.

Combat mechanics are clunky and can feel repetitive, making encounters frustrating at times.
Hacking mini-game is tedious and lacks depth, often feeling like a chore.
The ending is rushed and unsatisfying, with little payoff for the choices made throughout the game.

story
1,676 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
61%
3%
The story of *Dex* is a central highlight, featuring a classic cyberpunk narrative filled with familiar tropes such as corporate conspiracies and personal quests for identity. While the main storyline is relatively short and somewhat predictable, it is enriched by engaging side quests that offer multiple outcomes and character interactions, enhancing the overall experience. Despite some critiques regarding pacing and execution, many players find the writing, voice acting, and atmospheric world-building compelling enough to keep them invested throughout the game.
- “The best aspect of the game is the story, and it starts with a banger with assassins crashing into your apartment without you knowing why.”
- “The story keeps you wanting to find out what's next, and the actors do a great job; not a single silly dialogue, and I was waiting for it... overall a very enjoyable game.”
- “The story is engaging, the 2D open world is good looking, and the dark futuristic ambiance is there.”
- “Neither the typical cyberpunk dystopia setting nor the uninspired chosen one plot bring anything new to the table, and the characters, while pretty decently voice acted, are all just kind of uninteresting.”
- “The story writing feels forced; many of the characters feel forced.”
- “The main story is weak.”
gameplay
682 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
59%
11%
The gameplay of Dex is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of platforming, combat, and hacking mechanics that evoke a retro feel reminiscent of 90s games. While some players appreciate the variety and RPG elements, many criticize the combat as clunky and unrefined, with issues in controls and balance that can lead to frustration. Overall, the game offers an engaging cyberpunk atmosphere and story, but its gameplay mechanics often feel underdeveloped and lacking polish.
- “The gameplay and platforming are solid, the music and visuals are great, and the story is a classic cyberpunk yarn.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it's a gem, with many opportunities and the possibility to play the way you prefer.”
- “The gameplay is challenging but rewarding - a mishmash of different genres and new ideas.”
- “The gameplay is clunky in nearly every aspect.”
- “The actual gameplay, which is probably the most important factor for a game, is frankly quite boring.”
- “The gameplay is just way too repetitive and rough around all the edges.”
graphics
410 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The graphics of "Dex" are characterized by beautifully hand-drawn, pixel-art visuals that effectively capture the gritty cyberpunk aesthetic, creating an immersive atmosphere. While many players appreciate the art style and detailed environments, some have noted issues with clarity between foreground and background elements, as well as occasional graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are praised for their charm and thematic consistency, though they may not meet the polish of AAA titles.
- “Dex is a great 2D cyberpunk indie RPG game with beautiful hand-painted-like graphics.”
- “The graphics are detailed, very evocative, and far surpass the vast majority of modern-retro pixel-art games that I've seen.”
- “The graphics suit the game amazingly well, with 2D sort of 'pixelated' art.”
- “The graphics are poor.”
- “Honestly just not worth the money, the gameplay is clunky, the combat mechanics are extremely lacking and the visuals seem rushed and half done.”
- “With rudimentary graphics and very little variety in design, it simply lacked any form of depth to feel engaging.”
music
332 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
39%
2%
The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many praising its ability to enhance the cyberpunk atmosphere and fit the game's aesthetic. While some players found the soundtrack to be immersive and memorable, others criticized it for being repetitive or lacking in variety, with occasional issues in audio balancing between music and voice acting. Overall, the soundtrack is generally regarded as a strong point, contributing positively to the game's experience, despite some technical shortcomings.
- “The soundtrack perfectly colors the atmosphere, giving it a sinister, hi-tech, yet emotional tone.”
- “The music is beautiful and it is clear that this game was made with love.”
- “The music adds to the atmosphere and tends to fit in well with what is going on.”
- “The music loops were brief and repetitive, and I still hate to think of the main theme of Harbor Prime beating away in my eardrums.”
- “To be honest, the music sucked so bad that I ended up turning it off halfway through the game and leaving it off for the rest of the game.”
- “The music is repetitive and doesn't loop correctly.”
atmosphere
203 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
35%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and captivating cyberpunk setting, characterized by stunning visuals, a rich soundtrack, and engaging voice acting. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a gritty, dystopian feel reminiscent of classic cyberpunk narratives, with detailed environments that enhance exploration and storytelling. While some gameplay mechanics may fall short, the overall atmosphere is considered the standout feature, drawing players into its vibrant world.
- “The best thing about the game is undoubtedly the atmosphere of the city, which only fails for being short (100% completion in about 12 hours).”
- “Dex is an immersive, atmospheric game that has far more depth than its 2D retro graphics would suggest.”
- “The atmosphere is fantastic, and the soundtrack is okay except with that out of place tribal sounding fighting music.”
- “The game features hand-drawn environments with a neo-noir art style, creating a gritty and dystopian atmosphere.”
- “Gameplay may be less than perfect (AI rather dumb, repetitive fighting patterns, a bit easy for my taste) but this is more than made up for by the coherent and lovingly created cyberpunk atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is definitely what I've wished for when it comes to gloominess and music, but in many ways many elements of the game (such as lockpicking) feel like placeholders for true mechanics - which is okay at this stage.”
grinding
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
98%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly in combat and hacking mechanics, which are often described as repetitive and unengaging. While some appreciate the lack of traditional farming for experience or resources, many feel that the gameplay suffers from clunky controls and unbalanced enemy encounters, leading to a lack of enjoyment. Despite these criticisms, a few players noted that the story and side quests can keep them engaged, though the overall experience is marred by the grindy elements.
- “The grinding in this game feels rewarding, as it seamlessly integrates with the story progression.”
- “I love how the grinding is balanced; it never feels tedious and always leads to meaningful character development.”
- “Grinding in this game is enjoyable because it allows me to explore the world while leveling up my skills.”
- “However, in both cases, combat is an absolutely tedious slog to the point where I did everything I possibly could to avoid it.”
- “The major stumbling blocks lie in the hacking minigame which is dull and tedious and the extremely weak third act that boils down into a Mass Effect 3 switch scenario, all of which could be fixed.”
- “Melee combat is dull, tedious, and controls incredibly poorly.”
stability
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
2%
89%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting a variety of bugs, including graphical glitches, combat issues, and quest malfunctions that can hinder gameplay. While some users noted improvements in recent patches, others still experienced significant problems that affected their overall enjoyment, suggesting that the game may require further refinement. Overall, the stability appears to be a major concern, with many recommending caution before diving in.
- “Runs great on the deck, no controller issues.”
- “I found no glitches in the game to really distract from the enjoyment.”
- “Seems bug free so far.”
- “There's also a myriad of bugs - small graphical glitches like enemy sprites sometimes teleporting about if you choke them from behind, technical glitches like being unable to move during a fight, or quests sometimes not updating properly.”
- “Game is very buggy to the point of making it impossible to progress in the story.”
- “My opinion was that the game was awful, buggy and really not worth our money.”
replayability
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
63%
21%
Overall, the game exhibits low to moderate replayability, with many players noting that while it offers a solid narrative and enjoyable gameplay, the limited branching paths and character builds do not significantly enhance replay value. Some players appreciate the different choices and endings available, but many agree that the game is best experienced once, with minimal incentive to replay. Despite its enjoyable content, the short runtime and lack of substantial variations in gameplay lead to a consensus that replayability is a weak point.
- “The game also offers multiple branching paths and choices that affect the outcome, adding replayability and a sense of player agency.”
- “The variety of side quests, the relevance to dialog and decisions made, plus having multiple endings gives it decent replay value.”
- “Also, the game has a good amount of replayability as there are many ways to augment and level up your character's abilities and often there are different paths to complete a mission, so try them all.”
- “The only downside is the lack of replayability.”
- “There is barely any replay value that is worth the time spent playing.”
- “Sadly the game is rather short and has little replay value as most of the endings are decided in the last chapter and you can easily replay all of the endings.”
humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with many players appreciating the witty dialogue and engaging character interactions that provide genuine laughs. While some found the comedic elements to be well-integrated and enjoyable, others noted that technical glitches added an unintended layer of humor, making the experience both amusing and frustrating. Overall, the game balances humor with its gameplay mechanics, creating a lighthearted atmosphere that resonates with players, especially in its cyberpunk setting.
- “A decent length and difficulty, rewarding leveling, cool powers to unlock, cool mechanics for combat and or stealth, fun, funny, and engaging characters that you love to love or love to hate.”
- “The humor: many of Dex's responses to the other characters in the game will crack you up.”
- “It performs well, it has just the right amount of humor and intrigue, never takes itself entirely seriously, and definitely doesn't overstay its welcome.”
optimization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
46%
33%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance even on low-end PCs, others experience significant stuttering and poor frame rates, particularly with vsync enabled. Graphics and animations are often criticized for being simplistic and lacking fluidity, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite some minor glitches, many users appreciate the art style and find the game playable, though optimization issues remain a concern.
- “Another good point is this game can run on full graphics on a low-performance PC without lag.”
- “The art style is quite good, the performance is decent, and the world itself is interesting.”
- “Everything controls fine and plays well with a controller here, feeling smooth as can be, whether kicking & punching or shooting in this 2D-style game - especially when running the game at modern settings such as 4K with 60fps and never taking any performance hits.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is very poorly optimized.”
- “It is hard to enjoy it with the constant stuttering.”
- “This game is poorly optimized: without vsync, the screen tearing is unbearable (up to a third of the screen width on a 1920x1200 monitor), and vsync is very performance-demanding (16-20 fps on a GTX 970 is unacceptable for a 2D game).”
character development
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
59%
18%
Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and variety, allowing players to explore different play styles through skill specialization and meaningful dialogue choices. However, some reviewers feel that the lack of significant "true choices" can limit the overall impact of character progression. While the character design is noted as appealing, the standout nature of the cast varies, with some players appreciating the rich storytelling and immersive mechanics that enhance character growth.
- “I just started this game but it really surprised me how rich and complex it is, especially when it comes to dialogues, character development, movement mechanics, and fighting.”
- “The character development is split between different skills like endurance, melee, ranged, hacking, etc., and acquiring different implants (this is a cyberpunk game after all!), but you get enough skill points to max out nearly everything.”
- “The game offers a lot in terms of story and character development, giving you choices regarding the outcomes of many quests and the ending.”
- “Even if you toss your personal ethos out of the window for some more experience and cash or take the moral high ground, the feeling that dex is just being tossed around without many 'true choices' per se can be limiting in terms of character development.”
- “Character design isn’t unappealing, but none of the cast really stand out either.”
- “The character development is split between different skills like endurance, melee, ranged, hacking, etc. and acquiring different implants (this is a cyberpunk game after all!) but you get enough skill points to max out nearly everything.”
emotional
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed feedback; while the soundtrack and some character dialogues evoke a human touch, many players feel that the emotional impact is inconsistent, with some endings lacking depth and payoff. Although certain moments resonate, the overall emotional engagement could be enhanced by deeper character development and more meaningful consequences for player choices. Despite these critiques, some players still found moments that moved them, indicating a potential for emotional connection within the narrative.
- “The soundtrack perfectly colors the atmosphere, giving it a sinister, hi-tech, yet emotional tone.”
- “Voices performed well, and help a lot to give emotional weight to the story.”
- “There was some emotional range and dialogue that was beautifully human and just damn good.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for misleading advertising, particularly regarding full controller support and Linux compatibility, which users feel are not adequately delivered. Additionally, the presence of intrusive ads and a slow-paced gameplay experience detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to frustration among players who expected a more polished product for their investment.
- “If they were in early access still this would have been fine, but I paid for this because it was advertising Linux support.”
- “Sometimes you feel you just have to stop and inspect the ads or the graffiti on the walls.”
- “I'm not talking merely about the aesthetic either, but it is part of the package with its gloomy and despairing locales contrasted with neon advertisements and jacked up people who think nothing about augmenting themselves with implants.”