System Crash

About

System Crash is a single player turn-based strategy game. It was developed by roguemoonstudios and was released on August 1, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"System Crash" is a story-driven cyberpunk collectible card game set in a world dominated by corporations. As a runner, build your deck and challenge Megacorps with the help of agents, black market weapons, and cybernetics. Play through an exciting campaign while interacting with a variety of characters and uncovering powerful card combos. Note: the game's description may be truncated for character limitations.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 269 reviews

story62 positive mentions

grinding29 negative mentions

Engaging cyberpunk theme with a well-written story that enhances the gameplay experience.
Solid card mechanics that allow for various strategies and deck-building options, making it enjoyable for both casual and experienced players.
No microtransactions, allowing players to earn cards through gameplay rather than spending extra money.

The game can become repetitive, with some missions feeling overly long and drawn out.
AI opponents can sometimes make illogical decisions, leading to frustrating encounters.
Limited card pool and deck-building options may lead to a lack of variety in strategies as players progress.

story
246 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
72%
3%
The story in *System Crash* is set in a cyberpunk universe, featuring a narrative filled with intrigue, corporate espionage, and familiar genre tropes. While the writing is generally well-executed and engaging, many players find the plot to be somewhat formulaic and predictable, with pacing issues due to repetitive gameplay. Overall, the story enhances the card game experience, providing a cohesive backdrop that ties together the missions and character interactions, though it may not stand out as groundbreaking within the genre.
- “The cyberpunk theme is great and the well-written story really brings the world to life.”
- “Engrossing story - instead of railroading you, there are a bunch of different missions available to you, as the game continues you'll get maybe 2 'main' missions advancing a (sort of) main story being on screen at the same time, with possibly 3 other side missions going on.”
- “The synergy between the storyline, the game mechanics, and the evocative art & music elevate this game above most others in the genre.”
- “The story is quite shallow, and most of the cards are unappealing.”
- “The story and dialogue are just as forgettable.”
- “The gameplay and the story are also a little at odds, and sometimes it's difficult to understand how the actions you take in the matches mesh at all with what is happening in the story.”
gameplay
133 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The gameplay of this cyberpunk-themed card game is characterized by its simplicity and accessibility, making it easy for newcomers to grasp the mechanics quickly. While the core mechanics are reminiscent of traditional card games like Magic: The Gathering, many players find them lacking in depth and originality, leading to a somewhat repetitive experience. However, the engaging storyline, attractive art, and the potential for deck customization add layers of enjoyment, particularly as players progress and unlock new cards and strategies.
- “The gameplay is addictive, the story is good, and the graphics are stylized in an interesting way.”
- “The mechanics are easy to learn with a surprising number of interesting deck types to build.”
- “The core mechanics and gameplay are fantastic, and the deck-building aspect has quite a bit of depth.”
- “The most basic possible mechanics, four lanes that autoattack with mana that scales automatically each turn, draw 1 per turn.”
- “But at the moment, it's too generic on gameplay to stand out more than for its nuances, the balancing flow is problematic, the game's unpolished in places, and the game's lacking in depth.”
- “And the gameplay is pretty weak, a dumbed-down knockoff like so many others, so there's no reason to stick with it.”
music
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
49%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and fitting cyberpunk vibe, featuring a mix of electronic and ambient tracks that enhance the overall experience. While many players appreciate the soundtrack's quality and thematic relevance, some note a lack of variety, with a few tracks becoming repetitive over time. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's immersive atmosphere, making it a highlight for fans of the genre.
- “The soundtrack, art, and overall aura this game drips is breathtaking, and I highly recommend it to anybody who loves TCGs and cyberpunk as a genre, or both.”
- “The game offers an atmospheric cyberpunk setting with great writing, gorgeous art, and a soundtrack that sets the mood perfectly.”
- “The soundtrack is really good, and it might stay in your playlist long after you leave the game itself behind.”
- “Instead what you'll get is one or two songs played on repeat, which are sort of catchy at the start but then really grate on your nerves after a while.”
- “The music's a bit repetitive and the art styles on the cards are sort of all over the place, but I've enjoyed my time with it thus far.”
- “BGM is mediocre, and it changes when the music ends.”
graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
57%
7%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their strong cyberpunk aesthetic, featuring beautiful artwork on cards and environments that effectively capture the theme. However, opinions vary on the consistency of the art styles, with some finding it a bit hit-and-miss, while others appreciate the variety. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some critiques regarding gameplay and sound design.
- “Fantastic aesthetics, the card art in particular is glorious, engaging storyline and interesting mechanics.”
- “The illustrations for both the various locales of the city and the portrait artwork of the many characters in the game are stunningly beautiful while also sticking heavily to the aforementioned cyberpunk theme of the game which is lots of cool haircuts, awesome outfits and augmentations.”
- “Good graphics, authentic cyberpunk vibe, pretty nice artwork, and some tight sound effects/soundtrack.”
- “Graphics of cards unacceptable.”
- “Regarding the presentation, the game's graphics are made by several different artists and a bit hit-and-miss.”
- “Graphics are pretty run of the mill cyber-punk.”
grinding
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The reviews indicate that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, with many players finding it tedious and not particularly rewarding. While some appreciate the ability to earn cards and currency through tournament play and arena matches, others criticize the excessive grind required to build effective decks and progress, often feeling that it detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the grinding experience varies, with some players finding it manageable and others deeming it overly burdensome.
- “+ no grinding (you can play in an arena but it is optional), which is kind of rare for a card game.”
- “So it's incredibly grindy, but not in the fun way.”
- “The downsides... the game is a bit grindy and not all that satisfying.”
- “But this game is too grindy to be good.”
atmosphere
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
81%
9%
10%
The game is praised for its immersive cyberpunk atmosphere, characterized by stunning art, atmospheric sound design, and engaging writing that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the game's ability to evoke classic cyberpunk themes while providing a strategic card game format, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre. The combination of visual and auditory elements creates a cohesive and captivating environment that resonates well with players.
- “The game offers an atmospheric cyberpunk setting with great writing, gorgeous art, and a soundtrack that sets the mood perfectly.”
- “Great atmosphere, surprisingly good story writing, decent AI, and the outcome doesn't depend so much on your initial card draws as on the long-game strategy.”
- “An enjoyable card game with a wonderful cyberpunk atmosphere.”
- “Nicely made strategic card game, with a punky atmosphere.”
- “I also love the atmosphere and art of the cards along with their readability.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The monetization model of the game is praised for its lack of intrusive microtransactions, allowing players to earn in-game credits to purchase new cards instead. While there are optional DLCs available for additional content, the absence of grindy mechanics or daily login incentives is appreciated, making it a refreshing experience in the digital card game genre. Overall, players feel they receive good value for the price without being pressured into spending more.
- “There's DLC to buy if you'd like more story and missions set in this universe, but there are no real in-game purchases (you earn 'credits' in-game and use those to buy new cards).”
- “It doesn't try to lure you in with 'daily login' gimmicks or shove microtransactions in your face; it's just a good game.”
- “Combined with an enjoyable story, mechanics that are familiar yet still fun, and a notable lack of microtransactions, you get a solid return on only $15.”
- “Need a difficulty slider, or microtransactions, or something for people who don't enjoy card games that just smash your head into a wall of defeat over and over and over.”
- “Unfortunately, most digital collectible card games out now are intentionally grindy in order to encourage microtransactions.”
- “No microtransactions?”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some users reporting frequent bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, particularly affecting the user interface and card play. While there are achievements to earn and a variety of cards available, the overall experience is marred by these technical issues, leading to frustration among players. Some users noted a lack of support for reporting bugs, which further complicates the situation.
- “The game is extremely buggy.”
- “You lose rounds because the UI glitches and you can no longer play cards, among other obvious bugs. I looked for a bug report subforum to post my issues, but there isn't one.”
- “The current expansion seems to be buggy according to reviews.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its dynamic combat and the ability to build different decks, allowing players to master various strategies. However, some users noted a lack of replay value, suggesting that while there are options for challenge, the overall experience may not encourage repeated play for everyone.
- “Replayability is very high because of the dynamic combat and different decks that you can build.”
- “Good replay value: master different strategies or just learn to be a jerk.”
- “Replay value is there changing card decks to challenge yourself, hell yeah.”
- “Only drawback is the non-existent replay value.”
- “[b]Replay value:[/b] some.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by sharp writing and witty dialogues that capture a classic cyberpunk atmosphere, though some players find the humor hit-or-miss, particularly regarding the mechanics of deckbuilding and perceived AI cheating. While there are clever meta jokes, not all players resonate with them, leading to mixed reactions overall.
- “The writing is spot-on, dialogues are often quite funny, and the overall atmosphere is very classic old-school cyberpunk.”
- “Deckbuilding is a laughing matter because cards sell 10 times less than they are bought.”
- “It's funny because I also hated that one due to the AI cheating.”