Bionic Dues

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 62
  3. Negative: 10 out of 62

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  1. Castruccio
    Oct 10, 2013
    10
    One of the best and most creative games I have played in a long time. If you like rogue-likes or turn based strategy games you will love this. The mission variation is fantastic and and the meta game of trying to choose which mission to do next and trying to decide when to fight the final battle adds tension to the already tense and fun dungeon crawls. Add to that a great sound track andOne of the best and most creative games I have played in a long time. If you like rogue-likes or turn based strategy games you will love this. The mission variation is fantastic and and the meta game of trying to choose which mission to do next and trying to decide when to fight the final battle adds tension to the already tense and fun dungeon crawls. Add to that a great sound track and tons of customization options with procedurally generated loot and you have a very very good game.… Expand
  2. ASHY
    Oct 12, 2013
    10
    I've played a lot of games like Diablo, XCOM etc etc but this game... THIS GAME keeps me coming back for more! I have not played a game this fun in a LONG LONG time! Kudos to Arcen Games for a brilliantly realized game
  3. Matseb2611
    Dec 4, 2015
    9
    On first impressions when I started playing this game, I wasn't too impressed. The difficulty seemed all over the place, there were a lot of numbers and stats everywhere, and things were confusing. But, if you stay on and keep playing, you eventually start to get a hang of it. There is a bit of a learning curve here, but the game has a very nice tactical depth to it and can be loads ofOn first impressions when I started playing this game, I wasn't too impressed. The difficulty seemed all over the place, there were a lot of numbers and stats everywhere, and things were confusing. But, if you stay on and keep playing, you eventually start to get a hang of it. There is a bit of a learning curve here, but the game has a very nice tactical depth to it and can be loads of fun.

    Upon starting a new game, you get to select your preferred pilot and 4 mechs/exosuits. Each pilot has a bonus perk of some sort, and each mech has its own strengths and weaknesses, some being more offensively based, others more to do with support stuff, like hacking and stealth. So it's up to you to pick your preferred team.

    The campaign itself has a simple concept - a robot army is going to attack your HQ in 50 days. Do whatever you can to prepare yourself for this attack. Each mission you do in the city counts as a day. You can go for missions where you find shiny new gear for your mechs to make them stronger, or you can go for missions which weaken the enemy and slow their expansion. The best thing is, you can see on a side of a screen the details of what units currently comprise the enemy army, so you can see how it is affected after every mission you do.

    The missions themselves take a form of a randomly-generated dungeon with tile-based movement. You can swap between your mechs at will, but doing so counts as a turn, so you have to be very careful in your advance. It is very easy to make a wrong move and to have several enemies on you at once. Both, your units and enemy units, might feel like glass cannons. You could kill an enemy in 1-2 shots, but so can they! So you have to utilise tactics to outsmart them - use range or perhaps area of effect weapons, or even just pull back and surprise them around the corner. You can even deploy sentry turrets to help you in firefights if you've got any available.

    And in between missions you can customize your mechs with the loot found. The customization is very rich and detailed. Each mech has several slots where gear can fit in, ranging from weapons, to shields, to propulsion systems. It can feel overwhelming at first because there are a lot of things on the screen, but you do get used to it, and everything in the game has a description if you're unsure what something is.

    Speaking of descriptions, they're fantastic. Everything has an edge of humour in it. When you hover over an enemy, an object, or anything else in-game, you see a bit of funny flavour text about it.

    The music is also amazing. I first got interested in the game when I've heard its main theme, which is very beautiful with great vocals, but even the tracks that play during missions are also great.

    I've been enjoying the game so far and started a new campaign already. I would highly suggest to play the first game on an Easy or Casual difficulty level to get familiar with the game. After that, the higher difficulty levels don't seem as bad anymore.

    Great game. Highly recommended for fans of tactics-based games.    … Expand
  4. MrHanMan
    Oct 10, 2013
    9
    It's been quite a while since I've enjoyed a game this much. I'm consistently passing up the chance to play Dishonored, Saints Row 4, GTA 5, Castlevania: LOS, and many other "must play" games for this. It's the perfect combination of strategy and roguelike.

    There are several types of missions, and which one you choose can have a significant impact on how the game progresses. During    It's been quite a while since I've enjoyed a game this much. I'm consistently passing up the chance to play Dishonored, Saints Row 4, GTA 5, Castlevania: LOS, and many other "must play" games for this. It's the perfect combination of strategy and roguelike.

    There are several types of missions, and which one you choose can have a significant impact on how the game progresses. During the missions, you only control one mech (called "exos" in game) at a time, but you have 4 in you stable. You can swap your exo for another at any time, though it will cost you an action. You lose the mission if all 4 exos are destroyed. There are 6 different exo classes, with an epic variation of each. there are also six different pilots to choose from, each with a unique ability. A new game starts on the city map where you choose from a web of different mission types. As you complete or fail missions, more are revealed. You win the game by either surviving the inevitable final bot onslaught, or lose when your headquarters are destroyed. There is a ton of procedurally generated loot you can use to improve your exos with, which you get from completing missions, find in chests, or buy from the shop.

    The game is highly polished, with excellent visuals, and an astounding soundtrack. Game of the Year, as far as I'm concerned.    … Expand
  5. Billick
    Oct 11, 2013
    9
    Bionic dues is a turn-based tactics strategy game, that mixes in some roguelike elements. You play as a robot pilot controlling the last 4 remaining friendly bots defending a cyberpunk city from an invasion of hostile robots. The game's individual missions play out similar to a floor in a roguelike.

    Each mission is a randomly generated grid that includes enemy robots, loot, and    Bionic dues is a turn-based tactics strategy game, that mixes in some roguelike elements. You play as a robot pilot controlling the last 4 remaining friendly bots defending a cyberpunk city from an invasion of hostile robots. The game's individual missions play out similar to a floor in a roguelike.

    Each mission is a randomly generated grid that includes enemy robots, loot, and various types of terrain that you can interact with. The player can switch freely between each bot (at the cost of an action). Each bot class has it's own unique set of weapons and abilities. The assault bot excels at tanking, the ninja bot is stealthy, the sniper is good at taking out single targets at long range, etc. Meanwhile, each enemy bots have their own unique abilities as well as bugs that can be exploited. For instance, the TigerBot has a large amount of health, but loses 2 turns every time it takes damage, and the Blunder Bot has a strong attack, but frequently misses badly. The variety of abilities and enemies makes for a wide range of interesting tactical situation, which require careful thought on the higher difficulties (and lots of blasting on the lower ones). Also, you have only a limited supply of ammo for each weapon, so you have to manage how you use your most powerful ones.

    In between missions, the player has the option of choosing which mission to do next from a city map. There is a decent variety of mission types, and each one offers it's own challenges and rewards. Additionally, beating a mission unlocks any adjacent mission on the map. Some mission types offer specific types of loot when completed, others allow you to weaken your enemy directly by attacking factories or assassinating "boss" robots. There's even a mission type that will unlock a special "epic" variation of one of your bots, which upgrades it's base stats and gives you an additional powerful weapon.

    Also between missions, you have the opportunity to upgrade your bots with the loot that you collected in the previous mission. The loot gives a large variety of bonuses, such as increasing weapon range and damage, shield strength, and adding special abilities such as stealth, and hacking enemy robots to join your side. Most parts consume power to use, while others generate power. This gives you a lot of interesting choices about which parts to equip where.

    The different phases of the game are all fun individually, and work together nicely. The soundtrack is excellent, and the voice acting is surprisingly decent. The only negative things I can see about this game are that the inventory management can be a bit cumbersome at times, and that the graphics are pretty basic.    … Expand
  6. procyon4
    May 23, 2014
    9
    A fun and addictive little game. The interface is easy and straightforward as long as the option for mouse movement is NOT selected (If it is, then placing mines and turrets at a specific location is a nightmare). The game is eminently feasible at normal even on the first try. No cheat required. The ability to save when ever you wish is a big plus. There is a lot of replay ability value asA fun and addictive little game. The interface is easy and straightforward as long as the option for mouse movement is NOT selected (If it is, then placing mines and turrets at a specific location is a nightmare). The game is eminently feasible at normal even on the first try. No cheat required. The ability to save when ever you wish is a big plus. There is a lot of replay ability value as your strategy will need to change depending on the lead character you select and the robot team you select. So why nine and not ten? Well, some missions are somewhat repetitious and, once you found the right tactic, there is much less challenge. Anyway, highly recommended specially when, like me, you can get the game at a discount ($5 on GOG!).… Expand
  7. MetaMick
    Oct 11, 2013
    9
    This game is like a blend of Mechwarrior, Diablo and X-COM, with an interesting strategic meta-game for choosing each mission. Lots of enemy variety, with each of the enemy bots having different mechanics which encourages the player to use a variety of tactics throughout each mission.
  8. benexclaimed
    Oct 10, 2013
    9
    Fun roguelike/strategy/action rpg hybrid. First mission is easy everything after that requires careful thought and planning. The game does quite a bit that I haven't seen with other roguelikes a large, board-game esque metagame (almost like Valley 2) where you decide which missions to undertake (finishing those will usually unlock other missions in turn), a mission structure withinFun roguelike/strategy/action rpg hybrid. First mission is easy everything after that requires careful thought and planning. The game does quite a bit that I haven't seen with other roguelikes a large, board-game esque metagame (almost like Valley 2) where you decide which missions to undertake (finishing those will usually unlock other missions in turn), a mission structure within levels (as opposed to the usual roguelike goal of "get to the next floor a few times and then die"), Diablo-esque 'paper doll' loot system, etc. Fun stuff.… Expand
  9. GrimerX
    Oct 12, 2013
    9
    I've really enjoyed this game. I'm a fan of TBS and roguelikes in general, and this has a good mixture of the two for me.
    There are two parts to the game the strategic map, where you choose what objectives to tackle. You can't tackle all of them, and you can't see much past where you have already fought you way through, so you have to choose carefully. Different missions give    I've really enjoyed this game. I'm a fan of TBS and roguelikes in general, and this has a good mixture of the two for me.
    There are two parts to the game the strategic map, where you choose what objectives to tackle. You can't tackle all of them, and you can't see much past where you have already fought you way through, so you have to choose carefully. Different missions give different rewards.

    The battle that occurs each day is essentially the TBS/Roguelike part. You have a set of robots you can choose four of six available called "Exos". You build these up as you collect loot and mission rewards. Each "Exo" has it's own flavor (sniper, ninja, siege, science, etc.), and you have good flexibility to tune them to your liking as the game progresses and you gather equipment.

    The gameplay is fast, except when you don't want it to be. It doesn't have a lot of micromanaging and the battles don't get tedious, but at the same time you can find yourself in situations where you stop and think a bit between actions, especially at the higher difficulty levels.

    The game scales well across the different difficulty levels, and throughout the days of the game itself. It is well polished, runs smoothly, has good graphics and good music. All and all thoroughly enjoyable.

    9 out of 10. I ding it only for the equipment management set of screens. You get a lot of equipment in the game and between battles it can be a bit tedious to really tune your exo. This isn't needed so much at the normal or lower difficulty level though.    … Expand
  10. Galvnayr
    Oct 17, 2013
    9
    Wonderful unique turn based roguelite game. The gameplay is fun and the robots are funny. The music is cool. There are plenty of ways to customize what you do and a whole level of difficulties suiting the most casual to the most hardcore players.

    My only gripe with this great game is that it can be tedious and often difficult to go through all of your spoils after a mission and    Wonderful unique turn based roguelite game. The gameplay is fun and the robots are funny. The music is cool. There are plenty of ways to customize what you do and a whole level of difficulties suiting the most casual to the most hardcore players.

    My only gripe with this great game is that it can be tedious and often difficult to go through all of your spoils after a mission and determine what is the best gear for your exos.

    Would recommend this game for sure.    … Expand
  11. Tridus
    Oct 10, 2013
    8
    Great little strategy game. Take your team against an army of enemy bots. The enemies have a lot of personality, with quirks ranging from being lonely to targeting system bugs to hating cover (and reacting violently to it), to being deadly aggressive. You get loot from each mission which is used to customize your bots, letting you increase weapon range/damage/aoe, or add special abilitiesGreat little strategy game. Take your team against an army of enemy bots. The enemies have a lot of personality, with quirks ranging from being lonely to targeting system bugs to hating cover (and reacting violently to it), to being deadly aggressive. You get loot from each mission which is used to customize your bots, letting you increase weapon range/damage/aoe, or add special abilities like mines & viruses. Definitely worth picking up for $10.… Expand
  12. zharmad
    Oct 10, 2013
    8
    I can nitpick at this game. There's never enough buggy robots around the corner. For each hilarious wisecrack, there's one that's... oddball Arcen humour. Normal mode is a bit of a cake-walk (as a rogue-lite, one should set it at hard or more). Interface at launch is smooth, but the execution is not quite perfect/transparent (where's right click to un-equip? Keyboard-shortcuts navigationI can nitpick at this game. There's never enough buggy robots around the corner. For each hilarious wisecrack, there's one that's... oddball Arcen humour. Normal mode is a bit of a cake-walk (as a rogue-lite, one should set it at hard or more). Interface at launch is smooth, but the execution is not quite perfect/transparent (where's right click to un-equip? Keyboard-shortcuts navigation to every menu? I'm certain they exist in the settings, but it's not in my face.)
    Such things are likely to be fixed given the devs' track-record (except for your sense of humour, as they're not trained in brain surgery). The replay value is as much as you want to put into exploring the different possible approaches (and there are several clearly unique paths), and your willingness to go ironman.

    This is an indie gem that is worth checking out. Pick up a demo from the Arcen forums and play for a few turns a broad set of difficulty levels allows both light-hearted play-throughs and more faithful rogue-like experiences.    … Expand
  13. Leej
    Oct 27, 2013
    8
    The gameplay is quite good, rewarding good planning and punishing mistakes enough that each action feels meaningful. The granularity of the difficulty levels are well done, it was easy to find a level I was comfortable at without feeling too overwhelmed.

    Like all Arcen games the graphics are... not great, but they get the point across. The soundtrack is nice, Pablo Vega does a good job.    The gameplay is quite good, rewarding good planning and punishing mistakes enough that each action feels meaningful. The granularity of the difficulty levels are well done, it was easy to find a level I was comfortable at without feeling too overwhelmed.

    Like all Arcen games the graphics are... not great, but they get the point across. The soundtrack is nice, Pablo Vega does a good job. The $10 price point is just right, and will be a real deal when it goes on sale.    … Expand
  14. LD9000
    Oct 24, 2013
    6
    For all its RPG elements, I never finished this game got bored after 15 missions or so. The main problem with this game is horrible AI. There's only so many rooms of dumb robots I can blow up before starting to look elsewhere.
  15. TharosTheDragon
    Apr 24, 2018
    4
    It feels like there might have been good ideas behind this game but they really weren't executed well. I wouldn't even want to play it for free.
  16. 60mm
    Feb 19, 2014
    2
    Overall game idea? Excellent. AI? ABYSMAL. Music/Art? Bargain bin anime level. If you're a fan of tactical games like X-Com, FFT, FTL, etc. or mech games like Armored Core, this game will have appeal to you off the bat. DO NOT TAKE THE BAIT. Got bored after 10-15 missions.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. PCGamesN
    Feb 6, 2014
    60
    At its best, with its dystopian future and haphazard revolution, Bionic Dues feels like a Games Workshop game that never was. At its worst it’s like being submerged in a swimming pool of dice and calculator printouts.
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  2. Riot Pixels
    Jan 15, 2014
    65
    This tactical puzzle is fun at first, but quickly outstays its welcome.
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  3. IGN Italia
    Nov 5, 2013
    75
    A solid game, that gives you an engaging and deep tactical experience. There's not a ton of replayability, though, unless you're deeply into grinding and you tolerate some repetitiveness.
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