The one shining hidden gem in the CD-i library.
Type: FMV/Puzzle/Adventure
Platforms: Phillips CD-i
Developer: TripMedia (written and directed by Eitan Arrusi)
Overview: So here it is, the one and only game CD-i owners dare to brag about. According to many, it is the one and only reason to even own the system. Is it really that good? Nope, but it's a nice play nonetheless, which can't be said for too many CD-i titles.
The story of Burn: Cycle, a mix of Bladerunner and Johnny Mnemonic, isn't totally original, but is still intriguing with a great Cyberpunk theme.
The game's star, Sol Cutter, is a small-time data thief whose latest steal at the beginning of the game comes with a nasty sting. The Burn:Cycle virus has been implanted in his head and has given him a two-hour realtime deadline to find a cure before his brain deteriorates completely. The player must guide Sol out of Softech and into the Televerse (a cyberspace) in order to find his cure. Various obstacles and games stand in his way, and there is the overarching realisation that Burn:Cycle has been planted by someone with malicious intent. Finding this within the time limit completes the game.
As an adventure puzzle game, the styles of skill tests in the game vary from rearranging wiring circuits to games of chance (such as Psychic Roulette) and games within games, as with the pac man styled final level. Outside these puzzles, Sol is moved around in point and click style within certain direction constraints. There is one instance where this is coupled with a shooting gallery in the first level, but generally gameplay events only happen when Sol is not travelling. Items such as timers and keys can be collected at various points either to directly affect the levels or to barter. Overall, the game is played within the 2-hour limit, but it can be saved at anytime should the player want a break. Which is good, because you're back at the beginning once time is up, Burn:Cycle is not a very long game however.
Graphics/Fx: Before you go to play Burn: Cycle you must realize that the video quality haven't aged well - especially when compared to the latest Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 (or even PS One or Saturn) game, this one looks very shallow. But at the time of release, at the beginning of the CD-ROM era, Burn: Cycle actually was quite impressive. The video quality is decent, but you can easily see why some lament that the game should have been realeased 2-3 years later for the PSone. The game was originally released for the CD-i, but a PC and Mac version followed suit. And boy were those versions awful, if you ever look for this game, do not be tempted by the computer versions!
First off, the atmosphere created in the game is really good. The design of the environments makes up for the aged video quality, and a lot of thought and ideas are put to good use in each scene, as well as every cyberpunk clique they can dream up.
Sound/Music: The music (that is also included on a separate audio CD) is suitable and the dark, but enigmatic surroundings recall other excellent cyberpunk thrillers (like Sega CD's Snatcher) . Secondly, another aspect that contributes to the outstanding ambiance is the acting of the characters. It is really good, no matter how ridiculous some of them look, especially compared to a lot of other games based on full-motion video.
I won't say Burn:Cyle is perfect. The game can be annoying as hell. Luckily the game can be saved anywhere. In some of the mini-games it was totally unclear what I was supposed to do, but I managed to win a few of them by just randomly clicking. The parts in which you have to shoot meteorites also worked my very last nerve since it's difficult to hit them. You can't skip the cut-scenes though, so be prepared to see some of them quite a few times. We're lucky the acting has been done as well as it has.
The atmosphere easily makes up for Burn: Cyle's shortcomings. It was one of the few CD-i games I actually enjoyed for more than 10 minutes and I genuinely wanted to finish it, mostly because of the intriguing storyline. If someone tells you this is the best CD-i game released, he or she is right. I, at least, consider Burn: Cycle one of the highlights of early CD gaming and a worthy addition to the sci-fi genre.