The Collection Chamber: CYRIL CYBERPUNK

The year is 2444 and earth is about to encounter a violent mutated race with a single bloodthirsty goal...The destruction of mankind! As fate would have it, Cyril Smith intercepts a message from an alien scout-ship detailing the impending invasion of earth.

What could possibly prompt such an invasion? who are the fluffs?... and more importantantly who will save the earth??

Take on the mutant Cyborg Teddy-Bears as Cyril Smith - a.k.a. Cyberboard Kid.

Superb scenery and in-game animation, An illustrated storyline. Tonnes of creatively designed characters. 16 Channels of explosive digital music & sound effects. Smooth, high speed platform action.

~ advertising blurb

PC platformers often leave something to be desired compared to their console counterparts. One that arguably bucks the trend is Cyril Cyberpunk from Reality Studios. Released in 1996, this futuristic scrolling platformer controls rather well, even with its entire gimmick being that Cyril constantly rides a hoverboard.

That could be something of a red flag, with the possibility of slippery physics and imprecise jumping but that couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, Cyril moves at a great speed and he can glide on past if you let him, but he can also stop on a dime and hover mid-air. All thanks to his technologically advanced adaptation of a mode of transport that was hip in the 90s. It alone favourably sets the game apart from its contemporaries.

The levels themselves are large and sprawling, with a maze-like quest for keycards and power-ups. In my mind to does often fall into a design that does give away the system it's running on. I've mentioned this before, but I often found computer platformers to be rather unfocused, having a kitchen-sink approach to game design and a thoughtless attitude to enemy placement. That's not to say the worst console games don't also suffer from it, or that the reverse is true, but it's a distinction nonetheless. It's not as bad here as it can be in some of the worst offenders (like Zool) and that is solely down to how well Cyril controls.

Much like other gimmicky PC platformers like Jazz Jackrabbit or Commander Keen (which I think aren't as good - don't shoot me), Cyril Cyberpunk doesn't stand up to its genre peers on consoles despite its many merits. On computers, however, it stands out in an under-represented genre. Sadly, that wasn't enough for it to escape obscurity in later years - an outcome I think it doesn't deserve in the least.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses DOSBox to bring the game to modern systems. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 24.5 Mb. Install Size: 50.2 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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