Just like PPI, I have been mis-sold.
CORE.SYS arrived in TheXboxHub inbox, with a launch trailer getting me all excited. I was expecting a puzzle game similar to the likes of Blockchain in Arcade Paradise. Instead, after the first dozen or so levels, I was cursing the simplicity and general boring nature of it.
As the levels progressed however, so did the difficulty and my interest. It might not have been what I was expecting, but it managed to at least turn its fortunes around from being awarded a 1/5.
CORE.SYS is a puzzle/rhythm-action-esque hybrid, based around the narrative of hacking into systems. A grid of 5×5 two-digit alphanumeric codes are flashing up on screen, and you need to input the code in order to progress to the next level. However, the code itself is nonsensical, and there is no meaning to what it actually is. Instead, you must follow a trail in the grid, with later levels bringing in ‘firewalls’ and timers to ramp up the difficulty.
Here For a Long Time, Not a Good Time
There are two modes in CORE.SYS: Adventure, which is 64 levels of increasing difficulty (and what all the achievements are tied to), and Arcade mode, which gives you the same gameplay but only a certain amount of time to achieve a high score. The leaderboard is local only, and so you are unable to pit your scores against the rest of the world unfortunately.
Starting at Level 1 in Adventure mode, and you will see how basic the premise can actually be. Your cursor will be shown on the grid, alongside a randomised marker for where to go next. You simply need to press the correct directional button in order to generate the code and move on to the next level. It is incredibly simple, and my concern when playing was that there were 64 levels of this monotonous gameplay to sit through.
The codes get longer as you progress, but in the first few levels there is absolutely no pressure to take your time over them. Level 5 introduces a Key Reset timer bar, which just means that you need to complete the code in a generous timeframe, providing you don’t make any mistakes.
Making a mistake increases the suspicion bar, but even this feels quite forgiving. You are allowed to make four mistakes – by inputting the wrong direction – but on the fifth your access is denied.
Failing a level sends you back to the last checkpoint you passed. You can view your progress on the left-hand side that shows you how deep you are into your hacking, and how far there is to go until the next checkpoint. In later levels, the checkpoints are more spaced out, and it does get quite tense trying to make it just far enough that you can have a breather.
After the Key Reset comes a Scanner. Get caught when this bar is filled and it will increase your suspicion bar by two.
The Firewall Changes Everything
Up until this point, there is virtually no difficulty in CORE.SYS. And this continues for the first 20 levels, when really it could have been half as many. At level 21 however, things finally get a bit more interesting, and the rhythm-action section comes to the party.
A big DANGER sign fills the screen, warning you that the Firewall is coming. What this is starts off simple enough, as a wave of red crosses filter across the screen that you need to dodge. Patiently wait until it gets near to you and then move to the other side of it before being detected. Spend too long under a red cross and you will fail the level before you can even start to hack the code.
These Firewall patterns start off easily enough, but by the latter levels, you will be required to dodge all manner of patterns. And they speed up too, giving you less time to react. At this point we’ve gone from Blockchain in Arcade Paradise to the dancing minigame in Yakuza 0, but sadly with nowhere near as good a soundtrack. CORE.SYS’s one musical track does dynamically change every now and again, but it won’t be leaving a lasting memory.
A Slow Burn That Eventually Catches Fire
And that’s really all there is to CORE.SYS. The opening levels are far too easy and don’t change anything up nearly as quickly as they should. Things do get interesting when the Firewall rolls in, but you just need to sit through 20 or so levels before anything really happens.
When CORE.SYS is firing on all cylinders, you are dodging Firewalls left, right and centre, praying that the next checkpoint hurries itself up. At that point, it just about becomes good enough to warrant a purchase. But until you get that far…
Important Links
Hack the System as Retro Puzzler CORE.SYS Boots Up on Consoles – https://www.thexboxhub.com/hack-the-system-as-retro-puzzler-core-sys-boots-up-on-consoles/
Buy CORE.SYS on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/coresys/9NNHJ26W8X0B
