Even as I write this I still find myself checking my tabs to make sure I am not supposed to be writing about Nethack; the 1987 roguelike game that is still receiving updates to this very day. But no, this is not that that. This is Hacknet, a game about hacking on the net. Before I get confused again let's head straight into the review.
Hacknet is a puzzle game about hacking that makes great efforts to create a feeling of being real. In that it provides you with a computer screen to work on, kind of like a virtual machine on your actual PC. One day, while using this machine, you receive an email from a guy called "Bit" who claims he is in big trouble and passing the torch unto you. He was a hacker and remarks that by the time you receive the mail, he will most likely be dead.
Through this mail you are thought the ropes of breaking into other computers. Soon after you find yourself becoming part of a collective of hacktivists that seek to improve the public image of hackers worldwide. As you improve your skills further and further, picking up new software along the way, the contracts become more dangerous and bigger organizations become involved. After a while, you begin to worry if maybe you are going down the same path that led Bit to his untimely demise.
It's a thrilling story and what I adore about it is that all of it is told through small .txt files and email conversations with your employers. You can even go the extra mile and read through all sorts of files once you break into a computer to give a better idea what your victim is like or read through fun chat sessions they saved. While I wasn't fond of the attempted comedy in these stored chat logs, the rest of the storytelling is excellently done.
As mentioned before, the game presents itself as taking place entirely on a computer, so you control it through user interfaces and entering simple commands. There is a variety of basic inputs the game understands and which help you throughout your hacking adventures. You must connect to other machines, scan for connections they have, then use the software at your disposal to create an opening for your Porthack technology to enter through. While early on you have plenty of time for this, later down the line you'll be faced with obstacles and time constraints. As well as some other... unpleasant surprises.
Going into this game was always going to be strange for me since I actually work in IT, but even ignoring that I found the puzzles in the game to be way too easy. You pick up software as you go, probe the computer to see what defenses it has, then apply the corresponding software. The same solution works each time and once you're inside it's just a matter of finding the right file, which are generally easy to spot in-between all the comedic entries. You download that, upload it to your contractor and BAM! You are a master hacker.
Granted the game does have its spicy moments and I appreciate that it doesn't coddle you. Multiple contracts will feature immense difficulty spikes that force you to deal with a new situation or under a tense time limit. These I really liked, but I worry how many people might be turned off by them. One of them felt distinctly like a game over and another one will shut down the game entirely if you are too slow.
And so this leads me to questioning who the game appeals to. People outside of IT may find the premise intriguing and the low difficulty certainly makes it accessible to them. Then you have these sudden peaks that demand you to figure out mechanics the game never thought you, suggesting it's meant for computer enthusiasts or skilled puzzlers. Except people like that will find the majority of the experience too unchallenging.
A personal gripe of mine is the small amount of commands you can actually use. Many times I had a solution to the puzzle in my head that would work on a real computer, only to find out it wasn't possible with the limited tools you are provided—damaging that sense of immersion I praised earlier.
Hacknet's greatest weakness is that it's a well-presented game with a great story, whose gameplay is difficult to recommend. Its premise is intriguing, but doesn't work well enough and struggles to stay consistently challenging. It left me bored on quite a few occasions. Worth playing for the story and the few meaty puzzles, but I kinda wish I could have done all the side-missions in one playthrough so I could be completely done with the game.
I will say that I recommend using Hacknet early on if you are trying to learn how to use Linux. It teaches you to apply some basic commands and you can see the difficulty spikes as an exam sorts. If you don't care about learning this stuff or are already skilled at it, then the game will lose its charm over time.
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