Ahead of the release of EndCycle VS for PC and Android on April 20, I got the opportunity to preview the game, as well as sit down with the developers over at 12B3 for a playtest. It’s the debut game from the studio, with developer duo Daniel Dorner and Gal Axis having poured over nine years into the production of their card-based fighter. Without spoiling too much, I think it’s nine years well spent.
EndCycle VS is hard to explain in simple terms, but think of it as a tactical fighter for the Smash Bros generation, with a chaotic battle system that relies on quick thinking and considered combos. For those who have played Megaman: Battle Network, you might notice some similarities in design between the two titles, thanks to both Gal and Daniel having cut their coding teeth as part of the team behind the Megaman battler.
Still, there’s more than enough to differentiate between EndCycle VS and the Battle Network series. As well as the carefully crafted and idiosyncratic card-based battle system, the imaginative game-world that 12B3 has brought to life is full of exciting original characters, from the wide-reaching roster of protagonists, to the various common enemies referred to collectively as ‘the Noise’.
