Dead Cyborg Episode 1: The Beginning of the Death

Gaming Genres: Graphical Adventure
Story Genres: Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Comedic
Graphical Styles: 3D, Cartoon, Punk
Series/World: Dead Cyborg
Platforms: Windows, Browser, Linux
Pricing Model: Pay if you Like
Developer(s): Endre Barath
Publisher(s): Endre Barath
Initial Release Date: July 14, 2011
Website(s): Homepage
Description:
Dedicated to the great text adventures and sci-fi stories of the past, Dead Cyborg Episode 1: The Beginning of the Death is a Pay if you Like title that requires a certain amount of donations to get the subsequent games released.

In this first game you wake up with no memory in a room filled with empty cryotanks and on a post apocalyptic sci-fi world filled with humour. (show spoilers)

Soon you start discovering disturbing messages and even the bodies of past residents of those cryotanks; Apparently they were once full and someone, the first person out of stasis, has been freeing the others simply for the purpose of taking their body parts to replace his own, which are quickly degenerating because of all of the radiation. Soon fed up with the feebleness and diminishing supply of human body parts he turns to robotic body parts in his quest for survival.

Opinion:
Dead Cyborg is an independent, mostly freeware, episodic, adventure game. It is set in a wonderful, cyberpunk, post nuclear apocalypse universe, with undertones of comedy. The first episode was released last year by the single developer Endre Barath and he is only waiting to get enough donations to release the other episodes, which is what I meant by "mostly freeware".

Inspired by old-school text adventures, FPSs, and classic sci-fi literature, Dead Cyborg, at its core, is a serious game about life, death, and human existence. It uses a level password system to save your position and has about 2-3 hours of play per episode. The story is separated into three episodes, the first of which I am reviewing here. No other episodes are released yet, but a little over half of the required amount for episode 2 has already been donated (with something around $3000 being the total amount necessary).

In the beginning of the game you wake up in a cryotank with no memories. The place is a mess, with rusting metal, deteriorating machines, garbage strewn everywhere, malfunctioning robots, and small messages everywhere. The world you are on, most likely Earth, appears to be in the middle of a post-apocalyptical nuclear winter. This place does not look like it has not seen any humans in a long time, and longer still for any type of human civilization. But long bereft of their fleshy masters, the robots seem to have almost developed a culture themselves, though a quirky insanity might be closer to the mark. This world is realised in fantastic 3D animated style graphics, with both the animation and the plot being very cyberpunk.

There are three other cryotanks in the room you wake up in, but they are empty, their inhabitants long gone. You feel sick, it is likely the radiation of this toxic place. You must explore this facility, uncover its mysteries, figure out how to stay alive, and find out who or what woke you from cryosleep.

The gameplay is pretty standard adventure fare. A lot of exploration, much item use, and a few light logic puzzles. they are not bad in any way, but the puzzles are the least appealing aspect of the game in my opinion. It really could use more brain teasers.

Dead Cyborg is an extremely stylish adventure. The story, the location, the graphics, are all unique and very enjoyable and while the puzzles are not as good as they could be, they do not take away from the achievements of the other elements of the game. All in all, it is a good game, and I personally adore it.

Images (+):

Related Media (+):

• Debut Trailer

Hints/Tips/Walkthrough (+):

• Indie Elitist Hints (+):
  
  • I think the hint you get from the robot with good eyes in level one is wrong in the original version of the game. It says: "[robot] I see everything. I have good eyes, I do. I saw a man walk along row 1.", but it should say: "... row 2."
  • In level two only one of the oil puddles will work with the oiler to fill it and only one sparking wire will work with the rechargeable energy cell to charge it. Both are located in the starting section of this level; The oil puddle beside the pressurised tank and next to the wall, and the sparking wires are hanging from the ceiling right before the intersection.
  • In level two the small ignition key is hidden in the barrel of the gauss tank.
• Dead Cyborg Official Walkthrough
• Indie Elitist Walkthrough (+):
  
  Level 1: Cryotanks (+):
  

  • Pick up acid spray from behind cryotank "Test 2".
  • Pick up iron bolt from atop cryotank "Test 3".
  • Spray the metal spider-webs blocking the door with acid spray.
  • Walk down the corridor and pick up the the acid spray at the corner behind the tires.
  • Continue walking down the corridor and use the grates blocking your path twice to get rid of them.
  • Continue walking down the corridor and use the acid spray on the metal spider-webs which again block your path.
  • Continue walking down the corridor and use the iron bolt on the robot guard.
  • With the guard gone enter the room and take the acid spray hidden behind the barrels in the centre of the room.
  • Go through the next room and use the acid spray on the web blocking the door.
  • Upon entering the room travel to the far back left wall and next to the barrel there is a loose floor panel, use it to reveal a hidden compartment.
  • Take the magnetic card from this compartment.
  • Travel down the stairs in the centre of  this upon reaching the bottom turn right about 125 degrees and see a metal panel proper up against some machinery (you will have to move closer to use this panel).
  • At the top of the stairs there is a barrel with a dead metal spider on it, pick up the magnetic card behind this barrel.
  • Use the panel to make it fall out of the way and take the second magnetic card.
  • Leave this room, and the one past that all the way to the corner of the corridor directly past the guard robot.
  • Use the door on the right, causing it to fall down, and then move along this newly open corridor until you get to a energy field.
  • Use the magnetic card No. ******-01 on the reader directly to the right of the field to lower the energy field.
  • Directly in front of you is another energy field, use the magnetic card No. ******-02 on the card reader.
  • For the third energy field use the final magnetic card with the reader directly above the energy field.

  Level 2: Corridors (+):
  

  Password: WAR
  

  • Walk forwards, around the pillar at the intersection, past the robot, and beside the blocked off stairway is a door, use it twice to open it.
  • Take the oiler from behind the barrel directly in front and to the right of you.
  • Press the big red button to the left of the entrance doorway.
  • Exit the room and walk towards the active robot that you passed on the way here, and press the other big red button beside it.
  • Turn right at the intersection and travel down the corridor until you reach the corner and then turn around and press the third big red button.
  • Turn to the right and go into the newly open room, take the automatic crowbar directly in-front of you and the robot eye on the barrel behind the door.
  • Go back to where the level began, there is a shaking pressurised tank, beside this tank and up against the wall is the only oil puddle that you can use with the oiler to fill it with oil; Do this now.
  • Turn right at the intersection and grab the rechargeable energy cell at the end of the corridor next to the open door.
  • Travel back to the beginning corridor again but right after the intersection look up and see some sparking wires, use the rechargeable energy cell on the wires to recharge it (there are other sparking wires on this level but non of them work to refill the cell).
  • Turn around and go down the corridor with the talking robot and up to the blocked doorway, turn right and use the charged cell and then the robot eye on the deactivated robot head.
  • Take the large ignition key from its left hand.
  • Go back out of this corridor and turn left and walk into the room with the gauss tank.
  • Take the small ignition key form within the barrel of tank's bug gun.
  • Use the large ignition key on the control panel on the back of the tank, then use the small ignition key.
  • Go right and walk beside the tank, take the anti-radiation pill behind the box (automatically eat it).
  • Leave the room and go down the coridor with the talking robot and use the automatic crowbar on the grate blocking the stairs.
  • Walk up the stairs (impossible without first using the one working anti-radiation pill).

  Level 3: Catacombs (+):
  

  Password: INDIAN
  

  • Take the large screwdriver from on top of the barrel in front of you.
  • Edit the room using the opening at the far end and walk until you meet a deactivated robot head on a barrel, turn left and press the big reg button.
  • Go to the other side of the compact nuclear reactor that is right next to you and use the screwdriver on the working fan.
  • Go back into the room with the robot head and turn left and walk into the little alcove, use the screwdriver on the second wall panel on your left.
  • Press the big red button number 2.
  • Leave the alcove and head left again, use the stack of tires 3 times to knock it down.
  • Enter the newly accessible area and use the screwdriver on the far left wall.
  • Walk forwards and use the screwdriver on the far wall.
  • Turn right and press the big red button number 3.
  • Go to the end of the corridor and take the acid spray from behind the active fan.
  • Edit this area and go back to the room with the robot head, turn left and go the the end of the alcove and finally use the screwdriver on the wall panel to the left.
  • Press the big red button number 1.
  • Go all the way back to the starting room and use the acid spray on the metal web.
  • Take the iron hook.
  • Go back to the robot head and use the screwdriver on the third wall panel to the right before the robot head.
  • Walk down this newly open corridor and use the screwdriver on the balloon.
  • Pick up the deflated balloon.
  • Continue down this corridor and use the screwdriver on another balloon.
  • You dropped the screwdriver, fish it out of the water directly below you with the iron hook (lose the hook).
  • Go back the way you came and go to the room with the robot head, turn right and use the balloon in the clean water in the tank with the robot body.
  • Travel back to the corridor you just left and head to the end with the green smoking barrel, throw the balloon filled with water on the barrel.
  • Use the screwdriver on the sparking wall panel
  • Go through the door.

  Level 4: Death Room (+):
  

  Password: CORRIDOR
  

  • Walk forwards until you get to the section missing floor panels, look up and use the grates twice.
  • Continue down this corridor until you reach a room, go to the left of the door and look at the wall and slightly up. Read the binary message.
  •  Leave the room the way you came in and turn right when first possible, Walk to the laser gate and use the brain scanner above it.
  • Continue down this corridor and turn left when forced to (next to the second laser field), keep going until you come to a closed door on your left and open it; Read the binary message at the back right corner of this room.
  • Go back to the active laser field and use the brain scanner, read the binary message on the right wall.
  • Turn around and go down the corridor opening the door in your way. along this corridor after the door their is a pile of cash on the ground and next to it is a empty coffee cup, pick up the cup.
  • Continue down this corridor and turn left when allowed to, walk up to the third laser barrier and use the brain scanner.
  • Continue walking and turn left when allowed to, enter room with the cyborg.
  • Go right and walk along the side of the room, take the stack of bills from behind monitor device beside the door that you cannot open.
  • Leave this room the way you came and travel all the way back to the second laser barrier, enter the room it was guarding and use the coffee cup on the coffee machine.
  • Use the stack of bills on the coffee machine.
  • Take the filled coffee cup.
  • Travel back to the room with the cyborg, walk up to its stand and turn right, use the coffee mug (filled with thick liquid) with the water on the ground.
  • Use the coffee on the pipe coming from the cyborgs stand.
  • Leave the room you came from and go down the corridor, turn left when you come to a slightly open door, use the door.
  • Enter the room and press the big red button beside the massive metal door 7 times (the display should show 070).
  • In the centre of the ceiling there is a second button, press it 2 times (the display should show 270).
  • On the button left corner of the door way you can in from is a third button, press this button 3 times (the display should show 273). The massive door opens.
  • Go though this newly opened doorway and enter a circular room, open the door at the far end of this room and continue down the corridor.

Indieness: Quintessentially Indie
Play?: Should Play