The Collection Chamber: CIRCUIT'S EDGE

Another Murder in the Budayeen

And everybody wants to talk to me about it...

Every hustler and freak in the Budayeen, the crime ghetto of this great city. You know, my friends.

My best buddy, Lt. Hajjar of the city police, who's no better than he should be.

And Papa Friedlander Bey, the "godfather" of the Budayeen - and my most benevolent employer.

See, it was Papa who "persuaded" me to get my brain wired. So now, with these little plugs sticking out of my skull, I can pop in personality modules ("moddies") that let me be someone else. And software add-ons ("daddies") that give me knowledge of what I need to know.

Except maybe who's leaving fresh corpses all over the Budayeen. And who's trying to make me the next one...
You are Marîd Audran in this 1st-person mystery adventure based on George Alec Effinger's award-winning world.
Sinister futuristic setting creates the entire world of the Budayeen, a district of vice and corruption in a decadent 23rd-century Arabic culture.
Over 60 locales, 10 major characters with a large cast of supporting characters, multiple musical themes.
Includes "Guide to the Budayeen" - its dangerous places, colorful characters, customs and lingo.

~ from the back of the box

If the pantheon of famed developer Westwood Studio's back catalogue, Circuit's Edge from 1990 is something of a progenitor of all that would come. It was their first adventure game, paving the way for the Kyrandia series. Graphically speaking, it was way ahead of their previous years Hillsfar but would build on both to create the Eye of the Beholder trilogy. Like Dune II, it displays an incredible understanding its source material and the well-realised cyberpunk world it creates made them the perfect choice for Blade Runner. It's based on George Alec Effinger's When Gravity Fails, a science fiction novel that helped cement cyberpunk as a subgenre in the mid-80s, and, thanks to the author's involvement with the project, is a direct follow up to it.

The story follows Marîd Audran, a private investigator living in the Budayeen, a district where vice runs rampant, and survival is often a matter of who you know or what you can do with your technical implants called "chips". Marîd is thrust into an investigation after a simple favour for a friend leads him into the tangled web of a complex conspiracy involving murder, betrayal, and lost identities. The plot is driven by the brutal murder of Kenji Carter and Marîd is prime suspect. Influential mogul and Marîd's "Papa" - a mafia acquaintance named Friedlander Bey - pulls some strings to prevent his arrest, but demands he find the true killer himself and clear his name.

The in-game map is simple yet useful, but not as useful as the directory found in the manual (left).
Getting jumped by a punk-ass thug. Thankfully I have my Kung Fu Master chip in (right).

In order to do so, you'll have to fully explore the Budayeen, gather information and solve the mystery one piece at a time. This whole process is not entirely linear. All locations are pretty much accessible from the off, and if you're lucky you could stumble on the right path by simply visiting the local dive bar.

While it shares a lot of DNA with a text adventure, Circuit's Edge leans heavily on its a menu-based interface. While you still have to type a single word as a subject for conversation, this whole interface is much more preferable than a totally typed adventure. It involves using the keyboard or mouse to select from drop-down menus, a system that can feel awkward at first but ultimately becomes intuitive as you get to know how everything is organised. Accompanied with nice graphics reminiscent of a first-person RPG, it's a scheme that fits the game and what it's trying to do well.

Money is everything in Budayeen, and there's always an ATM nearby (left). The access code is in the

manual in case you're wondering, as is Papa's phone number in case you're broke and need bailing out (right).

This visuals aren't the only thing that's reminiscent to role-playing games. You also have combat in the form of random turn-based encounters. These are mostly against street thugs and ruffians, but it's not the main focus of the game. In order to not die, you will need to know King Fu. Like Neo from The Matrix, Marîd doesn't train for years to get good, but implants a knowledge chip into his brain to instantly gain those skills. Attacking with this chip gives you better options in battle, letting you "strike" instead of slap, "Kick" instead of claw or "Lunge" instead of punch. Or you can run away, which is available no matter your skill.

This chip system isn't just for fighting. Get the right "moddie" (personality change) or "daddie" (knowledge add-on) implanted and you could understand a new language or even become a new personality like "Super Spy" or "Muscle Man". Equip the Bio-Scanner and the HUD will now include character stats like health, stamina and hunger (yes, you need to eat!) or the Chrono-2000 gets you an ever-present digital clock letting you free up one of the eleven much-needed spaces in your inventory that would've been taken up by a watch. You are augmented with four "chips" to fill up which are displayed on the top left on the game screen, and it allows for some great experimentation for the curious.

Your unkempt apartment is your safe space in the city. This is the only place you can save (left).
Enter the Gambling Den to bet money on Roulette or Baccarat (right).

What Circuit's Edge primarily excels at is world building. Budayeen is filled with rich, diverse characters from street vendors to corrupt police officers to femme fatale hookers - everyone can be interreacted with. That's the main gameplay loop; talking to people. You need to do so to gather new clues and follow up on leads. Take, for example, the search for a jewel thief named Manny, which epitomizes the game's overall ethos; a jewellery store owner has had his prized sapphire stolen and all he knows is that the thief has a snake tattoo on each arm. So, you go to the tattoo parlour. Here, you'll get two potential names; Marco and Manny. The former, who works in one of the many shops in the city, is ultimately a waste of time but Manny is a grunt for some loan sharks. In the list of businesses detailed in the manual, you'll find the address for AAA Secured Loans. There, a man named Guido gives you a matchbook with the initials "S.P." - a clue that leads to the Silver Palm Nightclub. Here, a stripper named Heidi talks of his unnaturally blue eye color, so we're off to the eye augmentation shop which reveals more NPCs with more clues. Eventually, after speaking to Karim, Fanya, and a landlord with disturbingly low ethics, you eventually find Manny and the compromising position he's found himself in.

It's a slow, investigative process, but this is where the game shines. You have to pay attention and dig in to move the plot forward, and having the manual to hand as a business directory gives it a welcome tactile feel. Characters come with their own motivations, and - along with the time mechanic - the world feels alive and lived in because of it. NPCs aren't just there for exposition, they're people with agendas, even if it's to score a trick or pilfer some money. It also sports a rather progressive portrayal of sex and relationships, for the time at least. Characters' descriptions casually include their sexual preferences if known and are treated without judgment, and while more explicit in the book, Marîd himself is decidedly pan-sexual with a transgender girlfriend named Yasmin. It's a refreshing change for an era where "don't say gay" laws were prevalent, and perhaps the first depiction of such topics in gaming.

While the dated EGA graphics and old-school design may be a barrier for some, Circuit's Edge remains a compelling example of narrative-driven cyberpunk gaming. Its world-building, engaging characters, and unique "chip" mechanic create an immersive experience that's still worth revisiting today, especially for fans of the subgenre. Despite its age, Westwood's opus offers an engaging experience that's a minor classic in my book.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses the DOSBox-X build of DOSBox to bring the game to modern systems. Manual, Reference Card and Walkthrough included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 29.0 Mb. Install Size: 61.0 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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