Burnstation

I really liked the game—it's great—and I'll keep playing it!

Spent a few hours with Burn Station, and honestly, it’s a great find. It feels like a mix of games from the 90s and 2000s that somehow traveled forward in time. The DA looks gorgeous, and the soundtrack is an absolute banger.The gameplay is super original, bringing a fun, playful twist to the usual cyberpunk vibe. Under the hood, it’s a really successful mix of RNG and strategy, almost like a deck-building card game, and it just works.There’s definitely a bit of a learning curve at first, and figuring out how everything functions might test your patience. But once it clicks, the loop gets incredibly satisfying. It’s absolutely worth pushing through the initial confusion to get into the groove.

Over the years many, many games have attempted to use the cyberpunk/retrowave aesthetic to add appeal. I have tried a lot of these games, and found almost all to be unimpressive, because slick & trendy visuals can't improve a game whose actual mechanics are unoriginal and unremarkable. But I've been having a lot of fun playing BurnStation, because the retro visuals are supported by an interesting underlying structure. Adding the risk of burnout while you're building synergies adds tension without making success seem hopeless. With each run, you learn what works and what doesn't, and the metaprogression as new cartridges are unlocked will have you saying "Just one more run" every time you lose. Also, although it is entirely aesthetic, I do enjoy seeing all the fun names and visuals for the "off-brand" cartridges, from "Ping" to "You Died." Who doesn't like to have a chuckle at a nerdy reference?

gg

What a blast! A true hidden gem!

Very nice game. I did enjoy my first run.