The best way I can describe this game is like a combination of a classic TCG/CCG like Yu-Gi-Oh, Chess, a puzzle game, and a tower defense game and it nails every aspect of it with flying colors. There's so much thought put into the mechanics, so much strategy in the placement and usage of cards, let alone the deckbuilding aspect that is so common with these types of games. It's very challenging but very fair and rewarding. Every time I messed up, I felt like it was due to my own failures rather than the game's. In addition to all of that, there is a ton of variety in the decks and playstyles available and all of them are fun and have a high skill ceiling. There's truly something for everyone here.


The deckbuilding aspect itself is really unique since you can edit your deck mid combat, whereas other deckbuilders only allow you to edit your deck after each battle, leading to even more strategy and picking what cards you need for a given scenario and saving others for later.

The story and characters, while fun and charming in their own right, mostly take a backseat to the gameplay. It leaves a lot up to interpretation, which is perfectly fine for this type of game.

The pixel art on the cards is beautifully done and the sound/visual effects are immensely satisfying, making the game not only strategically appealing but aesthetically and musically appealing as well. The hacking theme permeates through the entire game and its ideas, everything from facing literal bugs and programs to playing your own programs such as repgraming your deck as a hacker and how archetype names are categorized with a dot before the name of the deck. This makes the experience very uniform and sensible.

I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a unique strategy game, even more-so if you love deckbuilders like me and have played their fare share in the past and want something similar yet different.