Mega Bad Code being written in new cyberpunk dramedy
It’s been said that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Each new age and civilization, no matter the amount of technological progress available to them, seems to suffer from the same set of challenges. That cycle certainly holds true for the inhabitants of Wax Lyrical Games’ upcoming cyberpunk dramedy, Mega Bad Code, in which advanced technology, classism, and crime set the stage for a futuristic, darkly funny murder mystery.
The story takes place in the year 2095, in a Western-Europe city-state known as BlueBan (short for Blue Banana) Metropolis, ruled by a megacorporation known as the Tribunal. The city has been overrun with crime ever since the Cybernetics Revolution twenty years ago, when hordes of its citizens were made redundant by the lucky few able to afford cybernetic improvements for their bodies. In typical fashion the “cultural and business elites” are able to escape from the chaos via the Tribunal’s own Mind-Uploading technology, sending them permanently into the digital reality known as Cyberspace. This leaves the lower orders of BlueBan to fend for themselves, quickly grouping into “criminal fraternities” in the city’s Anarchy Zone, the southernmost tip of the metropolis. The middle classes are left to inhabit the remainder of the city, hoping that one day they will be able to afford their transfer into Cyberspace.
Players will explore the bizarre world of Mega Bad Code as Lucas McCreebie, a Tribunal Cyberspace programmer and consummate nerd, right down to his very stylish red suspenders and crisp black bow tie. Recently, a serial killer has been terrorizing the streets of the city, claiming 31 lives so far, including one of Lucas’ friends. When no motive can be uncovered for these brutal crimes, Lucas quits his job to lend his skills to the confused and overwhelmed BlueBan police department, befriending a couple of officers—a slacker named Pendragon, and cyborg Vega Carlson—in the course of his investigation. Soon he discovers a heavily-encrypted clue left behind by the killer, and he realizes that the murders are part of something larger, something that threatens “the future for everybody in BlueBan.”
Players will assist Lucas in his quest to unravel the mystery, and the developers promise “varied locations, challenging puzzles, bizarre characters, sinister goings-on and touches of weirdness throughout,” but say the game will also feature “comic-style surrealism,” lending a humorous touch to the proceedings. Several control options will be available, including the classic point-and-click mouse setup, a keyboard, or touch-screen, depending on the platform. Mega Bad Code will feature hand-drawn, high-definition 2.5D graphics, voice-acting, and a full soundtrack.
You can expect to get your hands on Mega Bad Code sometime in late 2014, with release planned for a multitude of platforms and devices, including PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. In the meantime, more information can be found on the game’s official website.
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