Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Feb 14, 2020
    70
    Despite the absurdity of the narrative and the disappointing anticlimax of its ending (not spoiled here!) Black Future ’88 is an impressive title with interesting weapons, spot-on controls, creative unlocks, and entertaining action. I wish the visual accessibility was as robust as the rest, but fans of 2D action will enjoy it as a single-player experience, or with a buddy in local co-op mode.
  2. 70
    There's nothing wrong with how Black Future '88 plays. It's actually quite exceptional. But there are a lot of exceptional roguelikes and hardcore 2D platformers, and Black Future '88 lacks the narrative or context that it really needed to stand out against its many competitors.
  3. Nov 26, 2019
    70
    Black Future '88 is a stylish, stunningly fast roguelite that has a unique setting and world to mess around in. If you love to get your head smashed in by games, then you'll undoubtedly fall in love with this one, but if you need a bit more than that to commit, then you might not find anything here for you. It's a lot of fun, but it does feel a bit cookie-cutter in some places, and the world of roguelites is very competitive nowadays.
  4. Nov 25, 2019
    70
    Despite its technical issues, Black Future ’88 is everything you would want from a good roguelike shooter. Dedicating myself towards certain layouts and advantages while learning the deceitful risks that accompany them never seems to get old. I’ve managed to beat the game once-over several times but not yet looped a playthrough twice – giving me the realisation that I’ve only just scratched the surface. After looping the game, there then becomes the conundrum of looking how to keep that precious time topped up for it doesn’t reset even after beating the final boss. It looks like I’ll just have to have another go then, and maybe one more after that…
  5. Nov 21, 2019
    70
    With the eShop seemingly overrun with roguelike titles, Black Future ‘88 doesn’t overuse the idea. It does a good job of giving options for exploration to the player.
  6. 70
    Overall, Black Future ‘88 is stylish and fun, but the experience feels fleeting. Once you’ve played a few runs or tried the assist mode, it’s possible that you’ve seen most of what’s on offer. Unlocking new characters, weapons, and perks adds replay value, as do the daily challenges, but it’s more the cool visuals and action gameplay that make this one worth picking up. Two-player co-op is another nice feature. If your first impression of Black Future ‘88 is positive, I would say give it shot, but a lack of depth and variety keep it from reaching greater heights.
  7. Nov 21, 2019
    70
    Black Future 88 is an exciting roguelite shooter with a synthwave soundtrack that is just begging for more content to help round out the experience.
  8. Feb 29, 2020
    65
    Black Future '88 is a fast paced, dynamic and accurate Run & Gun but truly lacks of content and gets sometimes too challenging and repetitive due to the timed runs.
  9. Nov 22, 2019
    60
    Every aspect of this game feels like it was made by a sadistic Dungeon Master who just never gives their friends a break. Of course I expect to die hundreds of times when playing this kind of game, but there’s gotta be something that keeps me coming back for more, that makes the challenge enticing, and I just never felt that here.
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Negative: 2 out of 11
  1. Apr 3, 2023
    6
    Cool concept, below average execution, which makes for a pretty average game in an extremely crowded rogue lite space. The biggest sellingCool concept, below average execution, which makes for a pretty average game in an extremely crowded rogue lite space. The biggest selling point of the game is the art design. It captures an aesthetic and theme of something that really reminds me of Canabalt. The music is good, the graphics are solid, the setting and aesthetics are nice, which is the only thing that stands out from the other games in the genre. The only issue I have is the font is small and sometimes tough to read. The gameplay is fine, it really feels like a side scrolling Enter the Gungeon in many ways, but something about it just feels uninspired. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it just doesn’t feel really well executed. It really makes it feel unremarkable knowing there are other similar and better options out there. To it’s credit, it does have a couple unique mechanics, but nothing to really write home about. I got the game for $2 and I felt that it was a steal at this price. But even at the heavily discounted price, I couldn’t help but want to play some of the other games in the genre. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. Full Review »