Developed by Yager, to whom we owe Spec Ops: The Line, The Cycle is presented as a survival game over short sessions, mixing PvP gameplay phases with elements of crafting and PvE harvesting. This PvEvP multiplayer fps game was initially released on August 19, 2019. The Cycle is only available on PC in early access in the Epic Games Store. This version is still getting tweaked but the players’ feedbacks are very positive. Let’s review The Cycle and learn more about this innovative F2P Competitive Quest Shooter.
Synopsis
The Cycle is a multiplayer first-person shooter, in the form of quests, involving about 20 players and alien creatures. The accomplishment of each quest will require the respect of the objectives which will be given to you.
The Cycle gameplay
When you land on Fortuna III, the world in which the game evolves, as a Prospector you have the opportunity to go prospecting for resources. There are many of them, but most importantly, you’re not alone on the trail. Indeed, the title also benefits from a competitive aspect, but which is not fundamentally mandatory. Nevertheless, to hope to be able to leave the zone with your resources, it will be necessary to be the player (or players, if you play in a squad) to reach the evacuation ship and escape the storm cycle.
Weapons, vehicles, and abilities are available to help you win the game. But beware, don’t trust the other prospectors, don’t trust anyone, because the planet itself is in turmoil.
A marvelous but very hostile planet
Beneath its false air of a rich and lush planet, Fortuna III is a doomed world. Like a Battle Royale, The Cycle has a devastating storm that can make your life a living hell. If you stay too long inside it, its radiation will wipe you out.
The harvesting of resources also affects wildlife. The alien wildlife does not like to be disturbed and can appear at any time during your exploration and attack you. As if that wasn’t enough, as the storm progresses, the monsters evolve and become more and more powerful.
The Cycle game modes
As a competitive multiplayer fps game, yet with PvE survival aspects, The Cycle has several game modes to vary the fun.
Solo
If you’re a loner and the competitive aspect is of paramount importance when it comes to PvE features, the Solo/Lone Wolf mode is made for you. The contracts to be completed for the faction of your choice are still there, but there are also more players, and the tension is at its peak.
Duo
With a friend or with a player you don’t know in matchmaking, this mode offers a good compromise between PvP and PvE cooperation. So if you want to jump into the arena and still finish your contracts, this is the mode you’ll need to opt for.
Squad
Like Fortnite, the Squad mode allows four players (friends or strangers, through matchmaking) to play on Fortuna III together. Note that you will meet other teams of four players. This mode is to be preferred if you are a PvE fan and you want to succeed in your contracts more easily.
Note that you can always team up with other players. No matter how you play the game, you may decide to team up with a player you come across on your way. Fighting is not necessarily the easiest solution and you have to be able to cooperate to recover a resource for a short time or to face another group of prospectors.
Note also that you can betray a teammate and he too can betray you, everyone is untrustworthy and murderous, so being a wolf among wolves is the optimal way to succeed in the Cycle. But that does not mean that you can’t make reliable squad-mates. You just need to be cautious and choose your allies carefully.
Is the Cycle just another battle royale?
Winning a Battle Royale game is all about staying alive; to win you must be the last man standing. This is not the case for the Cycle! In this PvEvP shooter, as we said above, the prospector who finishes the most contracts during the game and manages to evacuate the planet in time wins.
Theoretically, it is possible to play this game without PvP, unless you have an unfortunate encounter with player hunters. There is no reason to engage in PvP combat, the only exception is when you need to obtain certain objectives or stop a prospector who has completed more contracts than you!
In short, the Cycle is not a battle royale, it is more than that! It’s a competitive quest game and a PvEvP shooter offering a different experience. The game borrows as much from the flagship genre of recent years as it does from FPS, and even manages to mix elements of light RPG. The result is surprising, to say the least, and undeniably innovative for those who have already been around the current offering. More importantly, the coherence of all these styles is respected which gives a certain harmony that makes it very pleasant to play, and quite addictive it must be acknowledged.
More concretely, the goal of the game is to do the dirty work of a prospector. A rather ungrateful job that consists of exploring a wilderness to fulfill various missions, called here contracts, for the benefit of large companies. Usually, it’s about exploiting the natural resources of Fortuna III, the planet you work on, but luckily, your objectives are a bit varied to avoid the monotony of drilling for minerals. The interesting twist in The Cycle is that you’re not the only one doing your job. There are 19 other prospectors on the lookout, not to mention the wild creatures roaming around.
Over the past few days, the development team has been working on improving enemy AI, which should make it easier for enemies to spot you and aim much more accurately. This will make them even more powerful. At the same time, Brutes will appear on the map much more frequently. In addition, many bugs have been fixed. So the game is getting better and better and the competition is becoming more intense.
The cycle offers a unique gaming experience that goes beyond the Battle Royale thanks to its successful combination of PVP and PVE in an outstanding survival fps, paving the way for innovative multiplayer battles. We remind you that the Cycle, still in early access, is available in the Epic Games Store.
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