POV: Cytus 2: Electric Boogaloo
Hey all! This week I have been doing something a bit different: I have been religiously playing a mobile game! Now before you pull out the torches and pitch-forks, hear me out!
Cytus 2, released January 2018, is a rhythm game developed by Rayark Inc. This game did not seem like much to me at first but once I started playing I was instantly hooked. It is relatively simple but quickly ramps up in difficulty until you are playing at speeds you didn’t even think were possible. The gameplay involves a line which rises and falls on the screen in time with the music. When the line goes over a circle, you press the circle. There are notes that you hold, notes you drag and on the hardest difficulty some notes that you swipe (surprisingly hard at a fast pace). The feeling is extremely fluid, once you get into the rhythm it becomes second nature and is so satisfying. It can be frustrating playing very high difficulty songs but with the difficulty ranging from 1 to 15, there is a lot of option to choose exactly what pace is good for you. I am now up to the stage of playing level 14 songs and I still have not got bored.
The game is packed full of original music, with each playable character having a distinct style, from Dubstep to Heavy Metal to Jazz. You start the game with 5 characters and must pay £10 to unlock each new character. This seems a bit obscene but I have nearly 100 hours in the game and have not spent a single penny yet. That’s right, the game is free!
Cytus 2 shines in its gameplay, but the story and art style compliments it so well that it must be mentioned too. The story is told through a fictional social media where people not only message and post different stories but also perform virtual reality concerts. It starts harmless enough but quickly devolves into a very dark and twisted futuristic psychological mystery. The character designs are also top-notch with the beautiful pastel shades complimenting play by not being too hard on the eyes. Anyone that likes rhythm games such as Osu or TapTap Revenge should check this out. Enjoy your week and I will see you all next Friday!
