I’ve grown to love rogue-like games, especially when they have twin-stick shooter elements. Such is definitely the case with Black Future ’88, which I demoed on the last day of PAX West 2018. The premise of the game is you’re in an alternate version of 1988 where things have gone horribly wrong and a demented despot rules the world with an iron fist. At his command is overpowering technology and a living tower that grows from your mistakes. All you have going for you is your determination to wreak revenge, but there’s one little problem – you only have 18 minutes to live.
That sets the stage for the game, but in execution it’s a lot of fun. The dark, dystopian elements from the plot mesh well with the lush art style, and the whole world is dripping with menace. You run fighting through rooms full of foes as well as massive and intimidating bosses. You can find tons of new guns and gear to use, some of which utilize unusual ammo such as money or your health. There’s a definite risk vs reward aspect to getting more powerful in the game, but it can definitely pay off for the careful gamer.
In the demo I instantly picked up on the controls, and found Black Future ’88 is a lot of fun when playing co-op, though I tend to prefer playing solo. Besides having great controls and style, the music in the game was also phenomenal. Though it was situated in a hard to reach corner of the Indie Megabooth, I kept finding a crowd, which tells me this game is doing something right. If you love hardcore games and are a fan of rogue, stay tuned for when Black Future ’88 releases later this year.
