NIGHTFALL HACKER Review for Steam

Growing up, I always was in awe while watching Hollywood interpretations of computer hacking- a digital battle of experience and wits. NIGHTFALL HACKER encourages players to use their brains to outsmart other malicious programs in order to obtain different information or accesses which clients are willing to pay for.

NIGHTFALL HACKER is a surprisingly addictive turn-based strategy game that plays like a combination of chess and Mega Man Battle Network. Developed and published by Teradile, NIGHTFALL HACKER lets players learn, strategize, and collect dozens of different programs to hack their way through a campaign full of different odd hacking jobs.

NIGHTFALL HACKER is actually inspired by and pays homage to an online LEGO game published in 2002 called, SPYBOTICS: The Nightfall Incident, which plays nearly the same. The core gameplay consists of utilizing your programs in unexpected ways to wipe out all enemy programs or solve the level. 

Each program has a different maximum level of health, mobility speed, attack range, damage output, or utility support function to create your own way of outsmarting the enemy. In this game, health equates to size. The more health a program has the more space it takes up, which can be strategically used to block enemy programs from moving but can also accidentally trap your other programs from moving as well. Health is regenerated by moving to empty spaces, so you can regain as much health as your program’s mobility speed and max size (health) allows for.

The first half of the campaign is very quick and easy, this allows for players to get a feel for the game and learn how the game is played as they progress through it. The second half of the campaign is where levels start to get complicated and your brain will need to start strategizing; it will take some time to master the game. Another great feature about this game is that as long as you have not ended your turn, you have the option of undoing your actions up until the beginning of your turn. The undo feature can save you if you accidentally hurt yourself, misclick, or think of a better strategy halfway through your turn. 

Besides the main campaign which has a decent plot, there is a second campaign with no plot that features the battles from The Nightfall Incident, which fans of the original might really appreciate and doubles as even more levels to complete. Alongside that, there is also a custom map creation mode which is perfect for testing out programs as well as strategies. You can even import/export levels to share around online or with friends.

The game has over 13 different electronic, dark ambient soundtracks which perfectly fit the style and aesthetic of this game. It was ambient, droning, and suspenseful at times- like the internet! The graphics are clean but much older looking, this being a game about hacking and battling programs, I found it quite charming. However, it would be an improvement to see some more animations and more interesting looking user interfaces. 

NIGHTFALL HACKER is a simple yet addictive strategy game that offers more than 100 levels to get through. One can easily spend hours getting wrapped up into the game once you start understanding how to play. For what it is, this is a decent single player game that fans of strategy games would have a great time playing and mastering. One huge aspect that could make this game better is the inclusion of online player-vs-player gameplay. If you have ever wanted to feel like a romanticized hacker busting malicious programs online, NIGHTFALL HACKER has you covered.

Rate: 7/10

Check Out the Nightfall Hacker Launch Trailer:

Nightfall Hacker is available for Windows PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam. For more information, please visit: https://teradile.com/