Dex
Dex

Dreadlocks Ltd, 2015
Windows, Xbox One, PS4 和 Switch

Dreadlocks Ltd, 2015
Windows, Xbox One, PS4 and Switch

对喜欢赛博朋克(Cyperpunk)[1] 题材的游戏玩家来说,2010 到 2020 这十年间真是段难熬的时光。期间虽有《杀出重围》(Deus Ex)的续作发售,但除此之外的作品都只是在隔靴搔痒。然而,来自捷克的独立游戏——《Dex》给粉丝们带来了一份惊喜。

玩家扮演与游戏同名的朋克老姐 Dex,在神秘黑客“镭射(Raycast)”的帮助下,Dex 从企图绑架她的巨型企业手中逃了出来,并找到了一个帮手,开始试图揭露事件背后的真相。

《Dex》骨子里是个类银河恶魔城游戏。游戏内各的道路相互连接,地图种类多样:从潜伏着土匪的下水道到企业高楼林立的城区,不一而足。游戏采用 2D 渲染风格,玩家可以跳上各种平面、躲避敌人的侦查、用撬锁技能打开锁着的门或是别的什么玩意,还有环境伤害等要素。

Being a cyberpunk fan, the 2010s were a weird period. Deus Ex made a comeback but nothing else really scratched that particular itch. The only exception was a Czech indie game, Dex.

You play as the titular character, Dex, a female punk. With the help of Raycast, an infamous hacker, she escapes attempted kidnapping by a megacorp and finds a crew in order to uncover the reasons behind it.

Dex is a metroidvania RPG at heart. It's set in a city composed of a big variety of interconnected maps, ranging from filthy sewers filled with thugs to the corpo buildings of Highrise district. Everything is portrayed in 2D, with ledges that you can jump on, places you can hide to avoid detection, doors you can unlock by using your lock-picking skills, environmental hazards, etc.

原版《Dex》的战斗手感僵硬,初次发售时反响平平。开发商 Dreadlocks 之后发布了优化后的加强版,游玩体验流畅了许多。

Dex first launched to lukewarm reviews, as people had issues with its clunky combat. Dreadlocks then released an Enhanced Version, that smoothed out the gameplay.

NPC 们赋予了这个虚拟城市活力与生机,而他们提供的一个个精彩的故事与任务,赋予了游戏设定上的深度。

The NPCs in Dex succeed in giving life to the city, offering stories and quests that give depth to the game’s setting.

你可以通过游玩射击小游戏来完成骇入,这个过程类似探索迷宫,在骇入完成前必须要存活下去。

Hacking is done via a shooting mini-game, where you must explore maze-like stages and survive long enough to retrieve data.

这样的设计方便游戏设置多种谜题,玩家需要规划好自己的游玩路线(获取能力的优先级)。游戏有两套升级系统:积累经验值升级后能获得技能点,可以用来强化抗性、近战、撬锁、骇入、枪械专精、魅力提升等技能;游戏内还有多种可被装备的植入体[2] ,强度与玩家的抗性等级以及钱包大小成正比。这些机械植入体可以强化角色能力,比如增加跳跃高度或免疫毒气伤害,玩家可以使用这类技能进入新的区域。

虽然武器种类稀少,可用的战斗策略也不多,可这种相当朴素的“跑动射击”(Run and Gun)玩起来也很有趣。潜行系统同样简单粗暴,如果能摸到敌人身后就可以将其秒杀。玩家随时随地都可以启用骇入模式,开启后就能看到周围是否有可骇入的目标:比如摄像头或敌人的脑子。玩家要通过游玩一个迷你弹幕游戏(Bullet-Hell)[3] 来完成骇入,算是主玩法之外的一剂有趣的调味料。在接入网络端口时,角色会被拉进某些独立的空间,达成了特定目标后便可继续推进流程。

在城市内有多个配有全语音的 NPC,他们可能会交给玩家一些任务,这些任务拥有多结局和不同的奖励。尽管《Dex》是一款小成本的独立游戏,可它在玩家中的口碑和对赛博朋克题材的描绘上都不亚于《杀出重围》系列。努力解锁新的技能和义体,以便找到并通过隐藏道路,进而逐渐了解这个世界的过程带来了美妙的游玩体验。精心制作的场景与酷炫的人物造型共同绘制了一幅让人难以忘怀的赛博朋克画作。

2015 年年末,游戏首席设计师、Dreadlocks 核心成员杨· 伊尔科夫斯基(Jan Jirkovský)不幸去世。短时间内我们无法再玩到像《Dex》这样的游戏了,实在遗憾。这使得你更有必要来尝试一下这款淹没在游戏海洋中的小小瑰宝。

This provides the opportunity for several secrets and makes you plan which abilities you will get first. The upgrade system is two-fold: on one hand you have XP you use to level up, which gives you points to spend in skills like endurance, guns, hand-to-hand combat, lock-picking, hacking, charisma, etc. On the other hand, you have access to several types of implants that you can equip, depending on your endurance stat and the size of your wallet. These cybernetics range from stats buffs to abilities like jumping higher or being impervious to gas, which help you reach new areas.

The run and gun element of combat is fun, if pretty basic, with only a few weapons and tactics. The same goes for the stealth system, that allows for instant kills if you sneak up to an enemy. You can also go into hacking mode whenever you want to see if there are hackable things nearby, such as cameras or even enemies. This is done via a bullet-hell mini-game, that provides an entertaining change of pace from the main gameplay loop. When you access networks ports, you are thrown into stages where you have to reach specific goals.

Throughout the city, you'll also find several fully-voiced NPCs that may give you quests that lead to different outcomes and rewards. Despite the obvious difference in budget, Dex manages to successfully evoke similar feelings and reactions as Deus Ex. It's exciting to learn more about this world, look for secret paths and create skill/implant builds that will enable you to traverse them. The beautifully drawn set pieces, along with the cool character models, can create really memorable cyberpunk scenes that will stay with you.

Unfortunately, Jan Jirkovský, the lead designer and main force behind the game, passed away in late 2015, so another similar experience won't be coming soon, if ever. That makes it all the more important for you to try out this hidden little gem.

__________

1 译者注:“赛博朋克”词源上是“控制论”(Cybernetics)与“朋克”(Punk)的结合词,此类科幻故事往往着眼于一个信息技术高度发展,但生活水平却反而下降的后工业化反乌托邦近未来。赛博朋克的世界中人类虽然掌握了先进的科学技术, 但同时又受困于糟糕的社会结构和分崩离析的伦理观念。这使得此类故事中科技不但没有造福人类,反而沦为了寡头企业和巨型财团控制世界的工具,而主角往往会被迫在这种混乱且绝望的环境中进行抗争或是挣扎求生。
2 译者注:赛博朋克题材的经典元素之一,可以给身体植入各种高科技元件提升人体机能,或是获得无法通过自然进化而来的新能力。
3 译者注:一类需要在操控角色闪避大量子弹的同时进行反击的游戏。因敌人发射的子弹通常数量庞大且会在屏幕上长时间停留,故名“弹幕游戏”。

GameDB 相关游戏: Dex

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