The Perfect Post-Apocalyptic Cyberpunk 2077 Replacement Is On Its Way

Today's New Game+ Showcase hosted plenty of exciting upcoming games from indie to triple-A studios alike, but one title from a smaller studio stands out thanks to its unique style and inspirations from games like Cyberpunk 2077​. Although Cyberpunk fans had a great year with several updates, merch drops, and a sequel to Edgerunners on the horizon, Paradark Studios' ExeKiller is offering another fantastic new world to jump into through

Revealing a brand-new gameplay overview trailer during the show and on Paradark Studios' YouTube channel, the upcoming cyberpunk RPG ExeKiller seems to have come a long way since its initial reveal back in 2023. The trailer highlights its unique cyber western atmosphere alongside a more in-depth look at several gameplay aspects like combat, exploration, and investigation, all of which have gotten even closer to living up to ExeKiller's ambitious premise.

Exekiller's Latest Update Looks Incredibly Promising

Taking place in a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk version of the 1970s, ExeKiller sees you playing a western-style bounty hunter named Denzel Fenix, tasked with tracking down wanted fugitives and extracting key tech on behalf of the powerful and controlling megacorp Helion.

Offering a variety of futuristic gadgets, weaponry, and cybernetic abilities, each mission in ExeKiller's semi-open world doesn't have a strict linear structure. You can tackle missions naturally through stealth, combat, or simply talking your way through an encounter.

With the trailer emphasizing player choice as a key element of its story, your actions in ExeKiller will affect the world just as much as the characters you deal with.

While ExeKiller features plenty of variety in terms of how you want to complete your missions and interact with the game world, its survival mechanics force you to balance inventory space and essential supplies that don't come cheap in its futuristic wasteland. With even the environment out to get you through apocalyptic radiation zones, sandstorms, and deadly temperatures, you'll need to use more than just your cybernetic implants to survive.

The Perfect Indie Game To Fill Your Cyberpunk-Western Niche

While I've previously talked about ExeKiller's ambitious reveal trailer, it's great to see how far the project has already come along on PC, although there's no estimated release date just yet for the upcoming indie game. The investigation mechanics are definitely a personal highlight, even if they're far from the flashiest element of ExeKiller's latest gameplay trailer.

Rather than simply being guided to the next objective with a few linear choices on how to solve a mission, you'll have to utilize your unique cybernetics to analyze environments for clues and different routes. Slowly piecing together each narrative or finding alternative routes into an enemy hideout, it's up to you to decide how you want to traverse its environments and various quest outcomes.

ExeKiller is also unique in that your character grows from the use of body augments and weapon tech mods, rather than relying on RPG mechanics for leveling and progression. These mods are granted from quests and exploration, so you won't have to rely on grinding to expand your options in future encounters.

While there's no telling when ExeKiller will eventually release, it's more than worth keeping on your radar, especially while you wait for other projects like Cyberpunk 2 or Blade Runner's latest television series.

Systems

Released December 10, 2020

ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

Engine REDengine 4