Cybercon III

You've got a futuristic weapon in your hands that behaves like an explosive, laser, or freeze ray depending on the situation. But Cybercon III from 1991 isn't just a shooter — it's a weird mix where logic puzzles and sneaky robots are waiting for you too. You picked it up because it promised something a little different.

You move through several levels filled with cyberpunk scenery, shooting your way through bunkers and scientific complexes. The goal is to destroy all enemies and reach the end of the map. Sounds standard, but between the action sequences you'll find spaces where you actually have to think first — figure out where to direct the energy flow, activate panels, move obstacles. So the game alternates between adrenaline rushes and then leaves you in a rather unflattering limbo.

The controls are simple, the graphics colorful and pleasantly sharp for the time — things move smoothly, sounds are fitting (sometimes a bit much). That's the good stuff. But the logic puzzles aren't particularly clever — they're just boring. The action, on the other hand, isn't polished enough to grab you by the throat. The game drags along somewhere in the middle and can't decide what it wants to be when it grows up.

We remember Cybercon III more as a curiosity from the era when developers tried to throw everything they could think of into one game. Experimentation was the norm in programming back then — when you didn't know what would sell, you just grabbed everything. Today it looks like a student project with enthusiasm but lacking maturity.

When I play it now in a browser, what surprises me is mostly its pointlessness. It's not bad, but it's not good enough for you to take it with you and keep playing. Too bad, because in the right hands — with a single focus — it could have been interesting.