Hacking game Recompile has some serious Tron vibes

Ever wondered what’s going on inside your computer?

Earlier this week hacking adventure Recompile was announced with a snazzy trailer giving players a glimpse into the mainframe – a sprawling digital landscape. The trailer details a vibrant 3D world full of colourful, glitchy structures you can explore. Much like the classic moivie Tron, Recompile aims to relay the story of the unseen digital world around us.

Your avatar in this machine land is a humanoid, semi-sentient malicious piece of code known as, The Program. That kind of makes you sound like the bad guy but, in truth, the imminent threat of deletion is the driving force behind your defection. The game promises a dark, interwoven narrative that explores the nature of machines and the idea of meaning in a virtual world.

Which is an interesting question, especially as we propel ever closer to the idea of a sentient AI and the moral implications that brings with it. The low-poly art style and glitchy, eclectic soundtrack give off the impression you’re exploring an alien world – one that’s right under your nose. Fascinatingly as well, the whole game takes place over a single second of real (human) time. Rest assured though, the game is from The Program’s point of view, so will be a little longer.

On your path to survival, you’ll need to traverse this computerised environment using abilities to reach new locations. On top that, you’ll be able to actively change the world around you through dynamic hacking, turning the hostile environment you traverse against itself. And, in the end, possibly escape the computer prison you have found yourself locked in. Let’s just hope you don’t go all agent Smith.

Recompile is set to upload sometime in 2020, which sounds suitably futuristic given the nature of the game, and is currently available to wishlist on Steam.