Michael Brough has a bit of a legendary reputation in thinky game design circles. His work is a huge inspiration to me personally, and in terms of influence I'd put him right up alongside the creators of some of the best-known puzzle games ever made. Brough's games have flown a bit under-the-radar of mainstream indie success, being a little avant-garde both aesthetically and mechanically; I've come to think of him as "your favorite game designer's favorite game designer."
So it's kind of a big deal to see his name on a big new game announcement: 868-Back is crowdfunding on BackerKit now, a new sequel to Brough's 2013 release 868-Hack. Both games are compact, thinky roguelikes about hacking your way through a virus-filled computer system, extracting data and credits while using stolen program abilities to maneuver and manipulate your surroundings. Here's the pitch video for the new game:
Taking a look at the original game, you can immediately get a sense of the lo-fi, unconventional visual style that Brough's games favor. 868-Hack looks like a neon pixel-art circuit board, and from the brief glimpses we have of 868-Back so far, the new one seems to be leaning even further in his trademark direction of bucking traditional aesthetic conventions.
The experience of playing his games tends to be just as unique as the art suggests: they don't quite feel like anything else. His area of expertise is turn-based roguelikes that take place on grids of minimal size, turning each level into a manageable yet fascinating puzzle. Mechanically there are always twists that bend my mind in new directions, and always layers of cryptic secrets to unravel, slowly building on the strategic complexity.
In 868-Hack you're carefully avoiding enemies and choosing when to fight, while simultaneously judging where you can most efficiently extract resources from the environment, and additionally paying attention to the programs (potential player abilities) and points that are up for grabs all over each level. The credits and energy you siphon let you use your progs, which should give you all sorts of new ways to overcome obstacles. And all of this layered, risk-vs-reward equation is happening on a crowded little 6x6 board.
You can "back" the new sequel 868-Back now, which is slated for a 2025 release on Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS and Android. If you've never played Hack or any of Brough's other games before, most of them are available on a similar range of platforms, and you're in for a treat. His roguelikes work great on mobile, and personally I think 868-Hack, P1 Select and Cinco Paus are among the best games available on a phone full stop.
(If my praise and recommendations weren't clear enough already, these are some of my favorite games of all time: go play them.)
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