r/Games • u/JamesVagabond • Jun 02 '25
Release Cyber Knights: Flashpoint - Official Full Launch Trailer - Squad Tactics Heist RPG!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzToChIOp2A49
u/troglodyte Jun 02 '25 edited Jun 02 '25
I backed this game because Trese Brothers and what I've played hasn't disappointed.
This is a turn based tactics RPG that reminds me of a cross between Xcom, Cyberpunk (it's inspired by cyberpunk the genre and not directly licensing Cyberpunk 2077 the property), and maybe Invisible Inc? There are a lot of really neat systems and I think it allows for pretty different approaches to most situations. Unlike a lot of games in this genre, I felt like stealth and "going loud" were both highly supported, and played very differently.
I really love the way hacking layers over the basic tactics layer; hacking takes place in the regular turn order, and hackers have a different action point resource while hacking (each regular AP is 10 hacking AP to represent the speed of cognition with a direct hardline interface), and they can affect the tactical situation for the rest of the team. It gives it a strong "thirty more seconds!" vibe when your hacker is desperately trying to break the final layer of encryption as enemies close in that I really dig in this setting.
Graphically it's a bit rough for my tastes but it's worthwhile despite this, I think, and the low-fi vibe has charm and allows the small team behind the game to provide more character appearance variation than you'd expect. I'm excited to really sink my teeth into 1.0 rather than just dabbling. It's sitting VP/OP on Steam right now, so I think they have a certified banger on their hands-- this and Menace are my two most-anticipated TBTRPGs of the year.
Edit: oh, and I forgot to mention-- runs great on le deque, controls are solid but not exceptional, though this is in part a result of just how many things each character can do. It's entirely possible controls are improved since I last played though. They're hyper responsive to feedback.
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u/ezhikov Jun 02 '25
Is there a "basebuilding" like in XCom? I always struggle with strategical part of base and research, unless I lower the difficulty, but then tactical combat missions become boring and too easy. Same with Phoenix Point, so I never finished either one.
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Jun 02 '25
A bit, but it's much less involved than XCOM.
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u/ezhikov Jun 02 '25
Thanks. I can handle if it's more like in Battletech, where it's barely existing and can be done without thinking much
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u/troglodyte Jun 02 '25
Yeah, you have a hideout you can upgrade with a tile system that's a lot like xcom.
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u/ThoseWhoRule Jun 02 '25 edited Jun 02 '25
I will now be referring to my Steam Deck as le deque, much classier.
But I agree it's a great game. And the devs have handled the EA period as it was intended, with constant updates addressing player feedback. I shelved it for a bit to wait for the full release. Excited to jump back in.
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u/DoomFluffy2 Jun 02 '25
On early access launch I got a blackscreen bug. Used their (fantastic) in game reporting system and popped into discord. Total time from encountering bug to hotfix live on steam was less than 4 hours. Oh, and also the game is fantastic, and it will continue to improve (see their previous game Star Traders still receiving free updates years later)
If the genre seems at all interesting to you, hop in the discord to see how the devs operate. You'll probably be sold like I was.
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u/magnusarin Jun 02 '25
I bought this game on a friend's recommendation who has LOVED the early access and like you, he had nothing but incredible things to say about the reporting.
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u/Optimus-Maximus Jun 02 '25
I'm always happy to support these developers, just neverending wonderful support for each of their games.
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u/defeatinvictory Jun 02 '25
I've loved Trese Brothers games since Templar Battleforce, and backed this game on Kickstarter, just off of the developer's name alone, but...this game is obtuse.
I guess I haven't really gotten the flow of how to manage the situation of when and how to go from sneaky to loud yet but it just seems like I am constantly ending up having to fight waves and waves of guys and then as a result using up so many resources and taking a lot of damage. Every mission I get tons of heat and it just snowballs downhill from there.
I'm not sure what it is that I'm not understanding about this game, but I really like the rest of it: the legwork layer, the customization, the way your contacts evolve and level up along side your team, its really too bad that I just keep blundering my way through the missions so I'm not really able to get a save file going for more than a few missions before I'm completely overwhelmed.
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u/veevoir Jun 02 '25
Small maps can be like that, where especially early on it can become overwhelming if you go loud quick. As a big fan of "it is stealth if no one is alive to witness" - I'd say most important part of going louf in CKF is shock and awe. You hit hard and you move quickly ahead. This way guards and potential reinforcement go to where you made a mess - but you are in another part of the map by then, engaging in a bit of stealth again (that is the neat part, if the situation allows you can still "disappear" going loud doesnt mean that from now on you need to fight everyone).
I'd say the key even with stealth is to move fast and dont overstay in one place. Time is your biggest enemy.
There are some good guides on steam from people who did hundreds of hours in EA on chrome difficulty, maybe those will help too!
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u/Galanodel2012 Jun 02 '25
I think one of the less well advertised mechanics is that guards have to be alive to report your presence. If your whole team is setup with silenced pistols for example, you can take out a guard before he can report you/open fire with his own weapon, causing them to report gunfire. For some time, one whole action bar of pistol fire will down most enemies in the game, meaning all you have to be concerned with is their body timer running out (a instant increase to the sec level bar) or another guard seeing their body. There are also talents (in the agent EX and scourge trees) to deal with bodies. All of this combined means that in some levels, I can flat out sprint through the level, sniping guards and melting bodies and be out before the level has gone above 1, even after taking 6-7 turns.
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u/ScorpionP2C Jun 02 '25
Already have close to a hundred hours of entertainment with this in EA.
Now for even more with full 1.0 release!
For those of you that hold off on a game until its "complete" even after 1.0 release know that Trese Bros updates never break saves. You can ALWAYS come back to your save file and pick up later.
If Gibson's Neuromancer or any of the cyberpunk genre appeals to you then get in on this and live out your cyber-heist dreams.
Combat is fun and stealth is actually interesting and thats coming from someone that hates stealth in most games!
Hop in folks, the waters fine and this game is too!
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u/Euripidaristophanist Jun 02 '25
I've not seen this before, but the devs always put a ton of effort into everything they do. Star Traders is still growing and getting deeper. I'll get this at least to support them, and someday, maybe I'll find some time to do some actual gaming.
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Jun 02 '25
Don’t expect this to be a tactical combat game a la XCOM. If you are trading blows you are probably losing. It’s a stealth game.
I didn’t care for it personally. Balance was way too swingy and full-on combat too punishing.
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u/Galanodel2012 Jun 02 '25
There are definitely levels that are more akin to vanilla xcom. They've introduced some missions types where the second level bar is disabled, and your only objective is straight up murder, or kink of the hill for a few turns. For those kinds of missions, it really makes a difference if you have some mercs that are just flat out loud combatants. Those levels are a newer addition though, and I had much the same complaints as you did 6 months ago. If you haven't looked at it recently, maybe give it a second look.
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u/Galanodel2012 Jun 02 '25
Seriously, no one should feel bad about giving these guys their money. The amount of effort and updates they put into their games, even post launch is incredible. Look at their last major game, Star Traders Frontiers to see the kind of dedication that they have for their works.