Throughout my life, I’ve always felt the computer to be my domain, in part, due to the lack of physical motor skills required to operate one. So, enter Wardialer, a game that is centered around hacking and computer culture. The game feels like a cheap knockoff of the hacking skin it’s trying to portray. None of the typical DOS commands are in place. The hacking is all one-word phrases that people use in day to day like “boring” or “lame”. Oh wait, those are just adjectives for this game.
My biggest complaint is the lack of evolution in the game. You spend five minutes writing down codes at the start and you never need to critically think again. Even though I’m going back to school, ill still only settle for half brain dead.
The story plays out more like a walk down a boring history museum than a coherent game story. On top of that, its present in walls and walls of lifeless text. You know when your parents wag their finger at you and you feel like your being talked at, not to? That’s how the presentation of Wardialer comes across.
Another disappointment is the game’s titular feature of war dialing, is that it doesn’t seem to be an in-depth mechanic or focus. Instead, gameplay doesn’t change, the game plays the same near the end as it does in the beginning. The game, as a result, has no identity of what it wants to hone in on. Nothing keeps the players engaged.
I commend the developers for trying to revive a game style that isn’t common. For a free game, it’s fun to spend a few minutes checking out. However, as a game that has commercial ambitions, it’s a flop.
Wardialer was developed by Nervous Testpilot.
Point of Download: Itch.io
Price: Free
The game was run for free from its itch.io page.
Djf1107 has not awarded Wardialer the Indie Gamer Team seal of approval.
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