System Crash
- March 9, 2016
- roguemoonstudios
- 43h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging cyberpunk theme with a well-written story that immerses players in a dystopian world.
- Simple yet strategic gameplay mechanics that allow for various deck-building options and tactics.
- No microtransactions, allowing players to earn cards and progress through gameplay without additional costs.
- Game can become repetitive, with some missions feeling overly similar and lacking variety.
- AI can be inconsistent, sometimes making poor decisions or being overly reliant on luck.
- Limited card pool and deck customization options may leave experienced players wanting more depth.
- story180 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is set in a dystopian cyberpunk world, featuring a narrative rich in intrigue, corporate espionage, and classic noir elements. While the writing is generally well-executed and engaging, many players find the plot to be somewhat formulaic and predictable, with some expressing a desire for more impactful choices and a shorter campaign. Overall, the story effectively complements the card-based gameplay, providing a compelling backdrop that enhances the gaming experience, despite some criticisms regarding pacing and depth.
“The cyberpunk theme is great and the well-written story really brings the world to life.”
“The story is full of good reasoning behind everything that happens.”
“An engaging cyberpunk theme ties your missions together and interacts with the gameplay in gratifying ways, such as when the victory condition changes to 'survive x turns' when you're tasked to hold an enemy until an ally can escape.”
“My main complaint after wrapping it all up is that the story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and leaves me longing for a follow-up.”
“The story is quite shallow, and most of the cards are uncompelling.”
“There are story and dialogue choices, but they ultimately lack any meaningful impact and don’t change how things pan out for the most part.”
- gameplay98 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this cyberpunk-themed card game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its solid mechanics, engaging deck-building options, and a captivating story that enhances the experience. While some find the gameplay repetitive or simplistic compared to other card games, many enjoy its addictive nature and the balance between ease of learning and depth of strategy. Overall, the game offers a satisfying blend of familiar mechanics and unique thematic elements, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.
“The bladerunner/shadowrun style is what attracted me to the game, but the gameplay and deck building is what kept me coming back.”
“Juicy card brawler with infectious gameplay and an awesome cyberpunk soundtrack.”
“The core mechanics and gameplay are fantastic, and the deckbuilding aspect has quite a bit of depth.”
“Graphics are ok but the sound is as bland and dull as the gameplay.”
“And the gameplay is pretty weak, a dumbed-down knockoff like so many others, so there's no reason to stick with it.”
“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.”
- music43 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive cyberpunk vibe, featuring a mix of heavy beats and subtle tracks that enhance the overall experience. While many players appreciate the soundtrack's quality and its ability to set the mood, some note that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the music is considered a strong asset, complementing the game's visuals and narrative effectively.
“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.”
“BGM is mediocre, and it changes when the music ends.”
“- could have a more varied soundtrack.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their stunning cyberpunk aesthetic, featuring beautiful artwork and well-designed card illustrations that enhance the overall experience. While some users note that the graphics may be average or run-of-the-mill, the strong visual style and thematic consistency contribute positively to the game's appeal. Overall, the visuals are considered a significant strength, complementing the engaging gameplay and story.
“The aesthetic of the UI system is on point, as is the music, plus the 90s looking card art.”
“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 features lots of cool haircuts, awesome outfits, and augmentations.”
“Good graphics, authentic cyberpunk vibe, pretty nice artwork, and some tight sound effects/soundtrack.”
“Graphics are pretty run of the mill cyberpunk.”
“Graphics are ok but the sound is as bland and dull as the gameplay.”
“The art styles on the cards are sort of all over the place.”
- atmosphere19 mentions
- 79 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive cyberpunk setting, enhanced by atmospheric sounds, well-crafted art, and fitting music that captures the genre's essence. Reviewers appreciate the combination of engaging writing and humor, which complements the overall experience, making it feel both classic and fresh. The game's visual and auditory elements work together to create a captivating environment that resonates with fans of the cyberpunk genre.
“The game offers an atmospheric cyberpunk setting with great writing, gorgeous art, and a soundtrack that sets the mood perfectly.”
“Writing is spot-on, dialogues are often quite funny and the overall atmosphere is very classic old-school cyberpunk.”
“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.”
- grinding17 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed bag; while some appreciate the optional nature of grinding for cards and resources, others feel it can become tedious, especially in the context of repetitive gameplay and limited story segments. Many reviews highlight that grinding is often necessary to achieve specific goals or to enhance deck-building options, but some players also note that the game allows for smooth progression without excessive grinding in difficult encounters. The cyberpunk theme and artwork help maintain interest, but the grind can detract from the overall experience for those seeking a more streamlined gameplay.
“+ no grinding (you can play in an arena but it is optional), which is kind of rare for a card game.”
“One complaint that I do have is a somewhat grindy component (mentioned in other reviews) where you must play in an arena to make money on occasion.”
“The only flaw that I can see is that it can be a bit tedious to play the card game over and over again because there aren't enough story segments to give you a break from the back-to-back card games.”
“The problem is that I figured out what deck I wanted about an hour into the game, and the rest of the gameplay would be me grinding money to get what I wanted.”
- monetization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions, offering a straightforward experience without the pressure of daily login incentives or grindy mechanics designed to encourage spending. Players appreciate the solid value for the price, highlighting that it provides an enjoyable card game experience without the typical monetization pitfalls found in many digital collectible card games.
“It doesn't try to lure you in with 'daily login' gimmicks or shove microtransactions in your face, it's just a good game.”
“I appreciate the no microtransactions style, though.”
“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.”
“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.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant bugs and glitches that affect gameplay, particularly in the current expansion. While a few users noted a lack of visible bugs, the overall sentiment leans towards the game being extremely buggy, leading to frustrating experiences such as losing rounds due to UI issues. Additionally, the absence of a dedicated bug report forum has been a point of concern for players seeking to address these issues.
“It's 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.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its dynamic combat and the ability to build different decks, allowing players to explore 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.”
“Only drawback is the non-existent replay value.”
“[b]Replay value:[/b] some.”
“Replay value is there changing card decks to challenge yourself, hell yeah.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by sharp writing and witty dialogues that evoke a classic cyberpunk vibe. However, some players find the deckbuilding mechanics to be a source of frustration rather than amusement, suggesting that while there are clever jokes, not all aspects land effectively.
“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 ten times less than they are bought.”
“I'm sure there's a meta joke somewhere here, but I'm not laughing...”
