I’ve mentioned this a million times before but I absolutely love a bit of nostalgia. Anything that jogs memories of something from a better time when I didn’t have to do annoying things like act like an adult really cheers me up. I know I’m not the only one, but absolutely in the case of developer Teradile, I have a kindred spirit. The game we’ll be looking at today is Nightfall Hacker, which released on Steam yesterday; March 10th.
So why is this brand spanking new game nostalgic then? Well, on its own it probably isn’t. If we look at the footsteps it’s walking in though, there’s definitely a bit of history here. Any of you that might remember a browser game on the LEGO website back in the early 2000s called The Nightfall Incident will soon see where I’m coming from.
Nightfall Hacker turns white-hat hacking into no-holds-barred, turn-based strategy game skirmishes against malicious software and dangerous payloads. As a free-lance hacker, you’ll hone your skills by accepting missions and getting the job done. If you’re as good as you think you are, you’ll win new clients and of course make more of that ever-important cash. Money buys a lot of things but in your world it buys upgrades and, of course, gives you the ability to complete those more difficult tasks. As you progress in your career you’ll learn that black-hat hackers are up to something nefarious and it will be down to you to discover what.
“Back in the day, I was heavily into LEGO’s The Nightfall Incident – a turn-based browser game about hacking on a 2D grid,” says James Harvey, founder, and programmer at Teradile. “Although the game was simple, some of the levels required a lot of thought – and the openness allowed you to approach each level in different ways. Years later after learning to use Godot and looking for a game to make, the answer was obvious: a 2D hacking game with similar mechanics to the Nightfall Incident but improved in every way. The rest, as they say, is history.“
At $7.99 until March 17th this title is hardly breaking the bank. Even after that the full price of $9.99 isn’t really going to set fire to your pockets but with over 100 levels and two single-player campaigns to play through, you’re definitely getting bang for your buck. There’s a level editor included with all of this as well for those of you that like to get creative.
If you like the idea of having a bit of a hack without the risk of spending a lengthy amount of time behind bars, Nightfall Hacker might be just the game for you. Equally, those of us that remember that browser-based original may well want to get on board and see what all of the fuss is about. Either way, fans of the strategy genre can head over to Steam and get involved whenever they’re ready.
