Background

This game was originally developed as a text adventure. The main idea behind it was to learn how to code in ARexx (the Amiga implementation of the Rexx language) and, specifically, how to code a parser using the powerful string-management instructions of that language. Development took place between 2010 and 2011, and resulted in a text-only game playable on any Amiga equipped with at least with AOS v2.0.

The core idea was then used to develop the present game, where the original story was enhanced and expanded by three times. The initial prototyping of the game started in 2018. At the end of this phase, graphics and musicians were enlisted in the project, which was completed in July, 2021.

Although the story is heavily inspired by works of fiction and real-life events such as:

Neuromancer (novel by William Gibson);
Max Headroom (1980s TV show);
Ghost in the Shell (manga by Masamune Shirow);
The history of Amiga computers;
The history of 1980s microcomputing;

the game's story is original; the author considers it a tribute to the aforementioned works and regards it as falling within the scope of "fair use."

All rights remain with the respective authors.

Introduction

You are a hacker living in Chiba City, home of your online rides in cyberspace and a land of smugglers, fixers, and data thieves.

One day you wake up in your apartment with an abnormal and pounding headache. Your vision is blurred, you keep staggering, and it's difficult to walk.

Apparently, you have been out of business at least for a few days now, but you don't remember what happened since your memories are quite confused.

From the fog, fragments of the recent past seem to emerge, yet words like "Blipvert" and "Family Project" bear no meaning to you.

What lurks behind them?

Aim of the game

Explore a cyberpunk-themed world that spans a fictional town, its underground, and the outer space above it to uncover its secrets.

Traverse the voxel-based environment using icon-based controls instead of typing.

Enter the local arcade in Chiba City and play a full-fledged retro game for additional fun.

How to play

CyberSphere is an icon-driven adventure that mimics the mechanics of the old text adventures. As such, icons replace verbs and objects, so, for example, pressing "N" on the HUD means "Go North" and, if an object is present, selecting the "Take" icon will collect the object (e.g., "Take newspaper"). Pressing on the relevant object (once collected in your inventory) is equivalent to "Examine object". You control your avatar (Henry Case) in his search for the truth. Unveiling the mystery means opening your way through all of Chiba City, its underground system, and, toward the end, into outer Space.

The game assumes that you are always facing North, so your movements are always referred to the actual cardinal points. If a direction is accessible, it will be shown in CAPITAL letters (e.g., "The only exit is NORTH"). If, after selecting such a suggested destination, you receive a message like "Direction not available", it means that you are still missing something and that such direction will be opened later on.

In the same way, objects that can be picked up or that you can interact with are shown in CAPITAL letters (e.g.: "There's a NEWSPAPER on the ground." or "A JACK is available.").

Features

Developed with Hollywood M.A.L., a multimedia application layer born on the Amiga and now sporting a full load of cross-platform applications;
Loads of locations to visit, divided into three main areas: city streets, city undergrounds, and space station;
Voxel-based futuristic graphics;
Easy icon-driven mechanics that mimic text-adventure ones;
Full range of sound effects and inspiring music;
Features an in-game retro game;
Localized in English, French, and Italian.

Minimum system requirements

Windows OS: XP
Amiga OS: 4.1
MorphOS:
Aros(x86):
MacOS:
Linux:
CPU: Intel Pentium 1.4GHz (Windows, Linux, Aros), G3 or PPC440 (AmigaOS), G3 (MorphOS), Intel CPU (MacOS)
Ram: 2Gb (Windows,Mac and Aros); 512Mb (AmigaOS 4.1 and MorphOS)
Gfx Card: on-board graphics card
Sound: on-board audio card
Requires 100MB of free space on the hard drive.

Please consult the game manual (free download link below) before buying the game to see if it matches your system.