Hi, I’m Daniel Thurman

Daniel reviews cyberpunk books, games, and more.

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  • Anon is an Upcoming Film About How Privacy and Anonymity Is a Criminal Offense

    Anon is an upcoming science fiction thriller directed by Gattaca director Andrew Niccol in which personal privacy is in fact a criminal offense. In a world where there is no crime, because there is no way to hide from government surveillance, a murder is committed by someone who can’t be identified.

    Police detective Sal Frieland, played by Clive Owen is commissioned to solve the crime but things take an unexpected turn when he encounters a woman (Amanda Seyfried) who is seemingly able to hide from the surveillance technology he is equipped with.

    For those familiar with cyberpunk and future-dystopian fiction, the core concept of Anon is not exactly new. But it seems to be very timely given the very real concerns over government surveillance and online privacy in the present day.

    While not new, it looks like a potentially very fresh, and unsettling take on the idea.

    Anon hits theaters in the UK on May 11th. In the US the film is going to be distributed via Netflix with an unknown release date.

  • Tales of the Neon Sea Is an Upcoming Chinese Cyberpunk Adventure Game and It’s Beautiful

    If there are two things I am a sucker for, they are pixel art and cyberpunk. Combine them in a game and I’m pretty much guaranteed to fork over the requested amount of cash for it. The upcoming game Tales of the Neon Sea from Chinese indie developer Palm Pioneer has that. It has a lot of that. And it looks beautiful. But there is actually a lot more to Tales of the Neon Sea than that.

    VentureBeat’s Stephanie Chan discusses the small studio’s love of cyberpunk and how they have found inspiration from classic works of the genre as well as modern-day urban China during the country’s economic boom. The article also discusses the growing indie game development scene in China and the rapid proliferation of gaming services like Steam there.

    As for the game itself, it’s looking fantastic. It’s a point-and-click style adventure game set in a futuristic China cityscape with tons of neon lights juxtaposed against ancient Chinese architecture. It definitely has the potential to scratch that cyberpunk point-and-click itch. The game follows a recent upsurge of fantastic titles in this vein, such as Technobabylon and The Red Strings Club.

    The addition of a futuristic Chinese aesthetic definitely adds a unique flavor and I’m really looking forward to embarking in its world. The game is slated to be released sometime this summer. It’s being published by Zodiac Interactive. Look for a review on this site sometime after it’s release!

    Source: VentureBeat

  • Narita Boy Looks 80’s in Every Good Possible Way

    I keep my eyes open for new Kickstarters with potential. There are quite a lot of interesting ones that pop up but it’s rare nowadays to see one that not only catches my attention but also makes me genuinely excited. Narita Boy is one such Kickstarter. The studio behind this game—Barcelona-based Studio Koba—describes the game as a “retro futuristic pixel game.” Before I go on, take a look at the game’s trailer:

    The game is an ode to everything “cyber 80’s” and I love it. While nothing is really revealed about the story, the trailer seems to suggest that there is a pretty deep one that we can look forward to. Even if there isn’t, that doesn’t matter. You get a weapon called the “Techno Sword.” The “TECHNO SWORD!” Come on!

    The aesthetic of the game is inspired by retro pixel adventures (Castlevania, Another World, Double Dragon) with a modern touch (Superbrothers, Sword and Sorcery) and an 80s plot homage (Ready Player One, He-Man, The Last Starfighter),  accompanied by the retro synth touch of the old glory days.

    I definitely see an Another World influence in this. That was the first thing I picked out of the trailer. Which is great because that game is phenomenal. If you haven’t played it yet, please get it. The 20th anniversary edition was just released in the last couple of years on just about every platform.

    But I see this as more of a fusion of Another World, Heart Machine’s excellent Hyper Light Drifter, and the over-the-top-80’s action film Kung Fury. I do see a bit of NES-era stuff but just as much late 80’s/early 90’s PC adventure game stuff. Which is fantastic, of course.

    You can back the game on Kickstarter here.

    I plan to keep my eyes on Narita Boy. It definitely seems well worth backing if you want a great cyberpunk 80’s adventure game. And really, who doesn’t?