Cypher

The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

Not too long ago I wrote about how cyberpunk was occupying my current mindspace, and it continues to do so. Strangely enough, on the day I wrote that post I found out about Cypher, a new text adventure game with a cyberpunk setting.

Imagine my joy.

I’ve been gaming all my life, and some of the fondest memories I have of early electronic entertainment is the series of text adventures released by Infocom. Zork, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I was all over these games, and I loved them as much for the incredible world I would access through simple text commands, as I did for the fantastic packaging, filled with “feelies.”

Who could forget H2G2‘s Peril Sensitive Sunglasses.

Cypher — an independently produced PC/Mac text adventure game by The Cabrera Brothers — not only plays like a pure text-based game, it does so through a lovely interface that incorporate the “terminal” in which you write, and graphic representations of the items that you collect in the game. On top of this, the various editions of the games that you can buy all include a terrific set of digital“feelies.”

The game can be purchased directly from the Cabrera Brothers’ website, and I recommend you do so.

Also, for the first time in what feels like forever, I’m avidly following a currently airing anime series — some of you may remember that I used to write a monthly column on anime for the now defunct Tokyo Q, which was in fact my first paid writing gig. Recommended by my friend Jon Swanson, Psycho-Passis set in a Blade Runner/cyberpunk-ish world, in which cops chase down people who show the “probability” of committing crimes. I’m three episodes in, and loving it so far.

He never saw Molly again.