#Loopmancer release date upgrade

You can somewhat rush through these areas, but it feels like one-stop too many when I’m itching to leap right back into the action. Resetting the loop requires a trip through your apartment and the police station.

The experience does feel rough around some edges, though. Loopmancer’s challenging combat has legs, and the Asian-influenced cyberpunk world looks exceptional (though familiar) from an artistic standpoint. Spending rare cores stores their healing capacity, providing another incentive to explore thoroughly and keep an eye out. Special terminals restore health but lose their potency upon completing a stage. Levels randomly change their layouts every so often to keep players on their toes, and exploration rewards hidden stashes of currency, an important resource for investing in new unlockable weapons, as well as a unique checkpoint system. Platforming boasts the usual features such as a double jump and a handy grapple hook to reach elevated platforms.

#Loopmancer release date upgrade

Death came swiftly and often, which is why it’s good to upgrade abilities, weapons, and stats with permanent enhancements between runs. Enemies hit hard and can regularly throw players off by activating damage-absorbing defensive states or executing uninterruptable attacks. Loopmancer encourages skillful use of your moveset. If that's not enough, Xiang sports a cybernetic arm capable of unleashing assaults such as bolts of electricity or a stream of flame. You can also use extra equipment such as proximity mines and grenades to clear mobs. As a sucker for stylish action, Loopmancer is hitting the right notes. I wailed on enemies up close, dashed to avoid retaliation or close gaps, and unloaded bullets from afar. Xiang is armed with an arsenal of melee weapons, ranging from swords to bar stools, and firearms. You may decide choices differently based on events from a prior loop. It was hard to see the scope of that vision during this small slice of the game I only saw incidental examples such as Xiang attempting to warn his superiors of upcoming events and them gradually taking him seriously (or at least humoring him) with each loop. For example, there are multiple outcomes based on your actions. That’s right, our officer is trapped in a mysterious loop, but he retains memories of his past “lives.” Figuring out the cause of this loop will be one of the core plot points, and eBrain promises that players' accumulation of knowledge plays an essential role in shaping Loopmancer’s storytelling. However, he awakens back in his apartment earlier that morning. The story centers on a detective named Xiang Zixu, who gets killed during a mission tracking an underground crime lord. The game looks promising, and I got to test my mettle against a demo to see how well it’s shaping up. Loopmancer is an upcoming cyberpunk time-looping action roguelite by eBrain Studio poised to slash its way to your living room this year.