Cyberpunk 2077 - The Board Game DEMO Review - Feels like an arcade game!

[@Spartan536]

Considering the funding they have gotten over the last 3 days, with this being a "preview/demo" build, I really hope they take your feedback into consideration. It's easier to patch a game after it launches than fix a boardgame after your sell it on the market, so getting it right at launch is paramount.

[@polymossimal]

Thank you for calling this a demo! I am so grateful for you being transparent instead of trying to get a jump on the youtube algorhythm for a full review.

[@Shelfside]

Yep, they were very clear with me how the full game is 4x bigger! -Ashton

[@Dstinct]

Man, you're really hung up on this. You really need to post this on every review of the demo game?

[@polymossimal]

@@Dstinct you're hung up on simping for other creators.

[@jareduxr]

Gotta give people the benefit of the doubt man. Life isn’t a conspiracy. People aren’t out to get you (especially people playing board games for a living). Pro tip: just watch the gameplay and think “do I want to play this”. Low trust investment and you can decide for yourself. Thanks for the video!

[@polymossimal]

@@jareduxr thanks.

[@johnh9962]

Thank you for doing what other board game channels couldn't and actually explain the game.

[@mattb6999]

Your review format is awesome and I appreciate your transparentness as well as the amount of time you spend on the good and the bad.

[@Shelfside]

Cheers! The format has served us well :) -Ashton

[@lystic9392]

Great suggestions! I love how you always think about what could be improved but also giving suggestions that you thought of.

[@westleyfarmer669]

Sad a lot of people are going to see 7/10 and think, "bad game." But a 7 is still high. I'm excited for it. It's a type of game that's pretty different from the rest of my collection.

[@AmariLindsey-l5p]

A 7 is not high, it is mid-high. High would be 8, 9, or 10.

[@jhowd78]

As someone who played it...its so surprising how fun this is. I dont like these type of games and I'm not the biggest Cyberpunk fan. It's just intense fun.

[@gaia7240]

Is it because of the time or the mechanics are actually entertaining?

[@jhowd78]

@@gaia7240 it's weird thing where I was sceptic mostly about the mechanics coming in then after like two rounds I was enjoying it. Something about the pacing that works once you understand the rules and the goals. The hacking sounded very interesting with the timer added in. IDK I went from completely not caring to...backing the game...possibly..as I have reduced all backing period

[@salsatheone]

OMG this is the best review ever for someone considering to pledge or not. Great points, great presentation, great transparency!!

[@Wealtharch]

Has the publisher mentioned anything to you about your suggestions for improvement?

[@Xzanos177]

Doubling up on this. I also wanna know.

[@philthephreak]

Agree, this was a super helpful review. I am close to backing, because I love Cyberpunk. But that point about theme feeling abstracted has me pretty concerned. I was wondering about that very thing from following the campaign pre-launch. I hope they address this.

[@yrq_]

@@philthephreak we're listening to the feedback. And I'm the editor for the game and the rulebook, so I marked the areas for improvement. Also the game is still in development and for example, you no longer have to spend RAM to buy new quickacks. Also you start the game with 2 RAM to jumpstart the fun.

[@Pile_of_carbon]

@@yrq_ Will there be space in the box to sleeve the cards? Since the game is real time and a few cards get rotated really fast, the cards tend to take a fair bit more beating than usual.

[@pyryz]

yea, they said on gamefound comments when asked, that critique is going to be addressed during the development process

[@letigidou8660]

I wish the kickstarter was longer, I need time to think before I spend 56 million dollars on cardboard and grey minis...

I think you can back the basic two boxes later and just miss out on a mini?

[@rubes5870]

you can back the basic starter box, still get the V mini AND Go-on-Board said in a video recently that even though the backing period is over, people who have already backed even the starter version will still be able to upgrade.

[@letigidou8660]

@@rubes5870 Yeah I eventually did back it. As the campaign got deeper I was more and more interested.

[@drgnmstr44]

really liked this video on the game. I love that you do a pros and cons segment. getting to see how the gameplay in the real time part looked at two players was nice as well. hopefully they will take the feed back and make adjustments to improve the game.

[@jecabreradc]

Great video, thanks for the details and demonstrating the particular quirks and candid thoughts. Thanks for the disclaimer.

[@RoanLauncher]

Thanks for the video, a very well-put together review! I backed it but cancelled my pledge after what I saw. First pet peeve, the 0-health on the die seems annoying lol. But I don't see much here, just going through the cards quickly for what? The gameplay is simplistic because it needs to go fast, and so it seems its missing depth and doesn't really look like an interesting adventure. Maybe I am wrong, but for now I know this isn't doing it for me. Thanks for the showcase, subscribed!

[@17thknight]

I'm really impressed with this demo, much better than i had thought it might be. This will be a blast with my game group

[@porkopio9468]

I'm now in the fence due to the real time aspect. If I wanted fast paced action, I will be playing the video game instead. Minis are very tempting though

[@jcapo5]

Sounds like this game needs a fail forward mechanism. That way you have branching paths and not frustration of re starting a level

[@walkinginsingapore8548]

Thanks!

[@Shelfside]

Thanks mate!! -Ashton

[@dannyf1168]

Space Alert is the king of Real Time thinky team work games. But the learning curve is quite steep.

[@ChadUrsoMcDaniel]

Yeah, I was going to suggest Space Alert, too. It's fantastic.

[@bossman4799]

This might be up my brother and his friends’ alley. They really got into the refresh of the Dark Souls board game and he likes Cyberpunk. I’ll have to show him this.

[@Biodelic]

Oh hell yes, finally a real review! Thank you! Every other creator so far has delivered only "I like it" in 50 variations and the standard PR BS.

[@boardgameschill3495]

Great demo explanation !

[@dawolvx3098]

Thank you for giving an honest review of the demo. You gave some constructive ideas for the team , I hope they listen. The timer is just such a bad idea, I want to get lost in a Cyberpunk themed world and live there for awhile not a rushed timer feel to hurry through a generic mission

[@GristolCider]

Really appreciate this review. I'm a big fan of the video game, but seeing how this actually plays out, and how light the theme seems to be, I don't think I'd get much out of it. Especially at the price they're asking.

[@young_kdo9877]

Really great in depth video!!

[@JordanMurdockMusician]

I just backed the game. Wasn’t sure I wanted to pay fully yet so I’m doing the payment plan lol my first experience with app driven games was Mansions of Madness recently. I managed to get the base game for half off and it was still in the wrap. Hopefully the concerns will be addressed but I’m hopeful for this game lol

[@WalaStika]

After backing the campaign, the almighty neon god that is the Algorithm placed this vid on my page along with other demo reviews. Enjoyed this one the most because it was entertaining and wasn't just a bland breakdown of the rules! Preem video, chooms.

[@demonicbunny3po]

Thank you for this. Haven’t watched yet, but this will help me decide if I stick with my pledge.

[@daleksec01]

I heard the full game will have an infinite level generator along with bosses 👀

[@LordVampire1985]

2-4 players? Are you mistaken or did they add solo as an afterthought because this game definitely has a solo mode. Btw great video, love watching the insert and addressing some of the issues.

[@hfa_ultima]

Came here seeking the same info.

[@Shelfside]

demo didn't have a solo mode! -Ashton

[@ojb1044]

Thank you for the review

[@M3M3M32]

So how is the solo mode that is what i want to know.

[@Semicolon42]

Great review! I feel I better understand what the game is going for, and whether I will be interested in it. I think I’ll save thsi for a con-game experience rather than owning something this large myself.

[@007scraps]

dunno about this one. Even as just as a collectors item, collecting dust.

[@thisjust10]

Love cyberpunk but I think the real time element and the lack of theme mattering are deal breakers for me

[@saiksaikatai594]

plus the Price point due to the minis submersion.

[@danroberts007]

Agreed. Glad I saw this video before I backed it. LOVE Cyberpunk 2077, though. :-)

[@TonyTylerDraws]

As someone who plays the 2020 TTRPG, it feels like so much is missing, but in a way it distills the game down pretty cleanly. The real-time aspect is awesome, and the cleanness of using just symbols is very welcomed

[@demonicbunny3po]

Watched now. Thank you for this video. I was on the edge of being a backer and now I feel good to drop my pledge. I’m sure I’d have fun playing it, but I would most likely be playing it solo and I don’t think I would like to play this game Solo. If someone brought this to game day, I would be down to play, but don’t need this big box in my life.

[@0The152Cat0]

I have high hopes for this game (As I am a Backer) but after seeing this early playthrough of the demo I'm coming to the conclusion it may require multiple "house rules" to really get it where I want it to be. Still looking forward to it thoigh.

[@walkinginsingapore8548]

Nice demo

[@Wh0isTh3D0ct0r]

I'm really torn, because I really want to try this game because I love the setting, but I am also not a fan of real-time board games. I need time to think and strategize. If I want to play something in real time, I'll just play an actual video game.

[@CodaWasTaken]

Ctrl C+P 4

[@daleksec01]

I feel like there should be a “turn limit” mode rather than timed mode 🤔

Seem pretty simplistic / child-friendly. Like that Escape! or whatever game by Queen Games where you collect crystals and escape a pyramid, also on time. Looks pretty uninteresting to me. Makes me much more skeptical about funding it. 7 seem a bit high for the mechanics and immersion but what do I know.

[@nizmotube]

The game sounds awesome, but really concerned about the disconnected theme… I hope they address it. Great review though!

[@eriksjogren800]

Thanks for the video

[@MrDLYouTube]

Can it be played without a timer? We have handicapped people in our group, having timed pressure will potentially make this game not viable for us. Also, when you mentioned you "lose the game" when you use up your health. Is that everyone loses, or does the game have player elimination?

[@ashtonwu7760]

Everyone loses once you run out of wound cards!

[@ashtonwu7760]

So far I don’t think it can be played WO timer

[@MrDLYouTube]

@@ashtonwu7760 How so? I've watched several videos, and no one has specifically explained why the timer is important. The funding campaign even says you dont have to use the app, a normal stop watch will do. So it kind of sounds like the stop watch is just there to push you to complete the scenario within a time limit.

[@ashtonwu7760]

@@MrDLKZbinyep a stopwatch would do. But by making a real-time game not real time, you’d have to do some big house ruling, like capping the amount of turns you would have every round- which I could see working but you’re playing a completely different game at that point haha

[@caster-]

​@@MrDLKZbinI'd day you could find info like "usually players get 5 turns each in the 2min limit" and play without a timer but limiting to 5 rounds. But then you'd lose some aspects of the game, for example the amount of talking and planning for each turn. If you're okay with that, maybe try to test it before buying. But if say it isn't worth it to modify such a huge aspect of a game mechanisms. In Nemesis, for example, it's such an expensive and intricate game that loses so much when you play it true coop. That said, i hoje you find someway to enjoy the game with your group!

[@PaulMB40]

Old gamer needs heart medication discount as an add on.

[@ChristianR-e5e]

Is the App only in English?

[@synthzee]

It looks dope.

[@FreeFragUK]

I was looking at this from the perspective of solitaire play but I'm seriously thinking about skipping it despite the theme.

[@inoutsoccer11]

As someone who hasn’t played project elite but enjoys the idea of real time, is there one you’d recommend? I’m not invested in the Cyberpunk IP but do enjoy cyberpunk aesthetics.

[@picton101]

The 2 best real-time board games i've played are 6 Siege and Kitchen Rush. The x-com board game was a major real-time game about 10 years ago. Good luck finding any of those though. Failing that "Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza" played to a beat may be the greatest real-time card game ever made 😆

[@RichardArpin]

​@@picton101Incredible Comment! Can't wait to get 6:Siege to the table, heard it's a lot like Infinity but streamlined and to a clock. My buddy has XCOM, but it doesn't come out very often (BSG, which he also owns all of, gets tabled at that number of players typically).

[@tomsule]

@@inoutsoccer11 incredible advertisement Mythic games!! Have you paid your debts already??

[@RichardArpin]

@@tomsule Don't know what happened to my other comment, but yeah, do not buy from Mythic. In the process of disputing my credit card with them right now.

[@RichardArpin]

Regarding game decision space being timed, to me its crucial. Otherwise the game takes ages, and that's disrespectful to the players. I played GF9 Dune in 2021 or something, and it took 9 hours (as opposed to the 3-4 that people say it takes on bgg). I never want to play that game with those people ever again, shorter games only with them. Why? When I'm playing with someone that takes a long time, that's time in my day away from other things, be it at the gym, dancing, cooking, etc. I'm an adult and got adulting to do. I haven't really broken away from groups over AP, but its a factor when I think of how a get together affects my planned attendance and other activities. And then regarding decision space, look at a 0 luck, 100% skill game thats been around forever; chess - it's almost always played to a clock. The best player in the world, Magnusson, said that blitz was the most interesting form of the game, and he's a guy that's done 45 or 50 turns over a few days versus 5 min. A person making the very optimal decision could increase their odds of winning a board game 20% over a decent but less optimal decision, but if that decision takes time out of other peoples day, that could bother others (and people wonder why many detest board games and/or board gamers). Screw that 20%, especially in a multiplayer game, and get on with it. I mean, it doesnt have to be a blitz either, but show some initiative. (You could drive 10 under the speed limit everywhere, and that may decrease the risk of accident, but there's a point of trade offs, it doesnt make sense to go everywhere at 5 mph, even if that's safest, so drive at or about the speed limit and to the conditions - otherwise you become a hazard to other and yourself, and no one wants to ride with you) Life doesnt come with a pause button and neither should board games, even ones without timers (and yes, I did buy the streamlined Dune game, but I still make time for heavy games, but Il'l never play The Campaign for North Africa, and I'm okay with that).

[@RichardArpin]

I'll just follow up my comment with this; Captain Sonar is an example of the brilliance of real-time with pause in the board game world. I guess if that game was or wasn't a hit for your group, you'll know how this game fits in with your group, although that was competitive and collaborative, while this is strictly co-op.

[@AbaiSW]

timed board games? no thanks, without the real time thing could maybe be good, when I play videogame I hate any kind of mission with a time marker, why would I like that in a boardgame then... this game dont even pass to me the feeling of a cyberpunk theme, this feels like superman from nintendo 64 to me... thanks for the video!

[@leandros.5186]

It seems you do the same mission to mission, So it turns out boring after a time as repeting the cards and strategies

[@clanechelon]

My biggest concern is that I wonder if the game scales well at each player count? Is there enough for every player to do if played at 4p ?

[@rinceart]

they lost me at real time. If it was a turn-based combat strategy game, I would be all over it. It is beautiful! But in its current form, I sadly going to pass. :(

[@javyvalentin1766]

What is the name of the timer app?

[@RawrBargle]

You nailed it, this game is just "move to a spot, drop a card, do them all within the timer". What a garbage gameplay loop. Nope nope nope

[@rachelandryan]

Have you played Cyberpunk 2077: Gangs of Night City by Cmon? It's pretty great.

[@Daniel-j2s8w]

Why do people not like real time? A game about death and choices doesnt hit as hard if you have as much time as you want to plan everything.

[@FallenRaven]

So, one round is 1.5-ish minutes.. Got it. 😅

[@ashtonwu7760]

Hah, 2 minutes

[@mr.hufflebottom]

How do I download more RAM?

[@Syko1985]

Thank you for your video. I'm sure this is very cool if it is one of your first games. But there are so many games of this style on the market, that it just looks so boring to me now. It basically comes down to which theme you like, there's slight differences here and there in terms of actions, but I see nothing new, at all.

[@RichardArpin]

Are there that many that are timed? I don't follow crawls that much as I own IA but never get it to the table (hence never reading about them), but I know there's no timer. Genuinely curious if lots of crawls have a real time element.

[@SamBalducci]

The Gamefound page says 1 - 4 players. Is there a solo mode or expansion?

[@Shelfside]

I think solo will be in the full game? -Ashton

[@markwilliamson3043]

it says 1-4 players on the campaign, so why say 2-4 players? i was wondering how this plays solo

[@djfusion2808]

I suspect the demo doesn't include the solo mode so they call it 2-4 instead.

[@amnesiai]

The objectives seem very unexciting

[@storm_blazer-xd983]

I'm sure torn between this. Like I love cyberpunk but this just seems so boring. Like enemies don't fight back in the normal way. Plus I'm just not a fan of real time. Idk I might get it but I'm not sure.

[@DicingWithDeath]

Thanks for such a good review - looks like we'll be adding this to our collection!

[@F.S.P.73]

This game is crazy expensive. Is it worth $200 after shipping and VAT?

[@tomsule]

LUL

[@m.vegeta5868]

Will get more expensive, with the probably All-in. And 200 not really expensive yet, payed now 960 including vat/tax without shipping (prob 120-/+) for Odalin D.o.D. x)

[@RichardArpin]

I mean, value is about benefits gained versus cost paid. So this could be an expensive game if it's a paperweight sitting on the shelf, or it could be a great value whatever the price of it's played everyday for years (not saying this game would be). It's about knowing your group, holes for game types in your collection, and life stage. When a buddy bought all of BSG as it came out, it was pricey at $200 but it's only gone up to about $1000 now, but we did get nearly weekly plays of it for 3 years before kids started coming. Great value. 6:Siege is sitting on my shelf, yet to be played, terrible value for me. Whereas Foundations of Rome hits the table nearly weekly with many different groups and family, so that was great value. So worth and value are subjective and you'll have to evaluate it for yourself and your factors. Edit: I'll add this, I typically don't back without playing, I wait for reviews and then buy at The Game Steward - typically after a TTS module, and I also don't buy games my friends own. Foundations, 6:Siege, and Cyberpunk:GoNC were all buying all in pledges at retail.

[@tomsule]

@@RichardArpin wake up, stop doing walking wallet from yourself. No game is worthy 200 USD period.

[@RichardArpin]

@@tomsule That's cute. Your contribution to this discussion on board game worth using the value engineering model is groundbreaking. Joking aside, if $200 is out of budget that's rough and I hope things improve for you. In the grand scheme of things it's cheap compared to many other hobbies, such as travel, motorsports, pets, even dance or movies. I'm not out here backing things on KS, as mentioned in another post, I buy after reviews once all-ins hit retail. But as for value, my wife and I have probably about 300 plays of Everdell between our first copy, our all in, playing on vercel, and the PC apps. At about 300 usd for all of that, it's about $1 per play, or $0.50 for each of us. Not sure what other entertainment is cheaper. Board games are not fast food to consume and then dispose of - board games are art to engage with over years of repeated contemplation. The more interesting discussion re value would've been an argument regarding worthy games getting cheaper reprints, such as Foundations of Rome becoming Foundations of Metropolis, and how likely that may be in this case, and whether the component quality and/or theme impacts perceived value - but I guess such a discussion is outside your grasp if you're going to so definitely make truth claims regarding worth being tied to price. (If $200 usd is out of your price range, time to switch up your job if you can, tradesmen in Canada on overtime make that in about 4 hours - even after our crazy taxes - and there's as much OT as you want. Either that or it's about what you want to budget for)

[@chriskrajci]

The Android board game is great.

[@picton101]

It sounds remarkably intense. I think we'll stick with the Cyberpunk Red roleplay game - it's pretty good!

[@OrdemDoGraveto]

I'd love so much this game if it wasn't REAL TIME...

[@unfinishedfootsteps1404]

Go fund me says 1-4 players?

[@Arnikoochak]

A bit expensive for what it is; ain't it?

[@tomsule]

Just little bit?? This copy * putthegamenamehere * sh*t is going out of control!!

[@gaia7240]

Yeah I'm not buying it for this reason, ok you have figures and etc but cmon

[@DrCondoz]

Timed board games, no thank you.

[@ChubbyChoncc]

It kinda looks like Nemesis but with Cyberpunk IP and Death May Die dice combat. It's... Ok I guess.

[@warpaint9385]

Waste of the IP. You’re just trying to beat a timer, that’s it. Lame game design sorry to say. Will only get funded based on the IP. 👎 Would’ve preferred Eric Lang design something like this. Would’ve been so much better.

[@RichardArpin]

Ha, you do know he did GoNC? Or were you thinking something else?

[@warpaint9385]

@@RichardArpin yes I know he worked on that. Originally there was supposed to be a card game called Afterlife and it sounded similar to what this game is. Sadly the card game never happened. Eric Lang flat out is just a superior game designer to GOB.

[@RichardArpin]

@@warpaint9385 Wasn't Afterlife just WotC repackaging Netrunner with Cyperpunk2077 art and titles? I think around Netrunner that Lang was doing Star Wars LCG, but I see from his BGG page he also worked on Duelyst (an amazing magic/chess mashup). His designs are pretty amazing. Were there interviews where he talked about afterlife much? Just curious if there's going to be another board game set in this IP. Or do you think it was an idea that resisted being turned into a board game?

[@warpaint9385]

@@RichardArpin he did an interview with Covenant years ago before GoNC was even an idea. It’s on KZbin. I think Netrunner was also a part of the list of games that were going to be made for Cyberpunk 2078. That didn’t eventuate either.

[@RichardArpin]

@@warpaint9385 I'll check it out. Thanks! Team Covenant are awesome!

[@saiksaikatai594]

you play as edge runner and there is no real netrunner path. the game is simply not cyberpunk. that's it issue. as said in the review it can be rethemed as a heist game without changing anything. mechanism are good but narration is forgettable so 6/10

[@Suleymanman]

Good game for ADHD players!

[@Deltium5683]

Big pass for me

[@shines22]

Same

[@Mrappbrain966]

Still waiting for the John Company review, once y'all get done with these sponsored Kickstarter reviews.

[@Sam-monit9]

😑

[@chamamemestre]

Over 6 million now. And the all in box is 400 USD...and people are flipping about the PS5 Pro? This is just a FOMO scam. I was "happy" when the deluxe box was all there was. Now? Multiple boxes and FOMO related content that they guarantee won't sell afterwards? Easy pass. No thanks.

[@iphatbass]

It feels boring af xD But idk that's me, all dungeon crawling games feel same to me

[@Slyfox1775]

Sounds like another half baked ks .. I’ve limited my buys on ks and game found games . You’re better off waiting for a 2nd ks ..

[@TabletopTurtle]

What's an arcade game, boomer?!

[@AxelRavens]

A game with cards. A card game

[@Shoreux]

Funny. However, there are literal arcades in the US and japan today. Right now. If anything, arcades are a gen x to millenials thing, as boomers grew up with pong my dude. Boomers were in their mid to late 30s when pacman came out.

[@RichardArpin]

​@@Shoreuxdon't forget Canada too! We've got an arcade that host tournaments on Sunday night's just around the corner (downtown Winnipeg)!