There has been a heap of cool games to check out as part of this year’s PAX Online. One title that stands out for its gritty cyber pixel art and slick RPG stylings is developer So Romantic’s Jack Move. You can check out a free demo for this turn-based cyberpunk adventure over on Steam.
Jack Move puts you in the role of Noa Solares, a kickass hacker turned vigilante. She strives to rescue her father from the cruel Monomind corporation after they kidnap him to steal his research into digital necromancy. Noa is thrown into a world of corruption, murder, and intrigue, and must use her hacking skills to beat the everliving stuffing out of waves of digitally enhanced minions. It’s a fun virtual world with sprawling “dungeons” that take you through abandoned research labs and dilapidated neo-rustic villages.
Battles take place in cyberspace. With random encounters triggering while you’re walking through threatening locations, Noa fights turn-based battles against digital street gangs and corporate lackeys. Mechanically, it’s your standard RPG fare but with a bunch of hacker flair. You can simply “hack” the enemy, which deals physical damage, or execute a variety of special commands that deal “elemental” damage (for example, some attacks deal more damage to ElectroWare typed enemies). Attacking and receiving damage also builds up your Jack Move meter, which allows you to unleash a devastating assault when fully charged.
It’s such a fun approach to take with the classic turn-based battle format, and the beautifully pixelated cyberpunk art style makes you feel like Jack Move could be the Bladerunner game we always wanted. I felt so wonderfully nostalgic after playing through the demo that I had to check if HackerTyper still exists (spoiler: it does). I also love that you augment your abilities by installing custom software into Noa’s combat arsenal, and you can gain extra skill slots by literally adding more RAM. It keeps so delightfully to the technomancy theme.
Jack Move is coming to Steam and Switch in 2021. I’m hyped for this fresh take on old-school RPG gameplay! Check out the rest of our PAX Online coverage for more news on sick new titles coming our way.
About the Author
David McNamara
he/him or they/them
David is a proudly queer performing artist and software developer. He spends most of his downtime with a controller in his hands and a lazy beagle on his lap.
