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Cortex Command is a side-scrolling action game developed by Data Realms. Cortex Command has received negative reviews from critics and Mixed reviews from users.

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Gameplay

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Cortex Command's gameplay can be.. Confusing at times. Its controls are okay but its mission structure can be all over the place sometimes. However! You will get used to it after a couple of hours of playing. You may even consider it to be quite fun.

The game has certain missions. The one i'll talk about here is Skirmish mode. Skirmish/Scenario mode is a game type where you can choose which level/style a mission can take. There are prison breaks, defense , zombies and more.

Scenario mode is basically a free mode and for newer players I recommend fooling around there as its very very fun! You get to feel the mechanics a little and it can help you out later on!

There is a campaign mode However that consists of guarding or controlling a brain. The brain is you and if the brain dies or is destroyed then the mission is a failure. But thats the short way of explaining it.

The campaign is a turn based type and is really good! You see, First you find the place to want to scan. Scanning will allow you to build your base there. Then you wait for an ingame day and this is where the fun starts. Designing your base in this game is really good and very fun! You get to place soldiers and equip them with weapons! even add vehicles and gas for explosions! maybe even have a weapons locker!

Then to start you simply must have a brain soldier and you're set! On the next day you're able to attack the enemy base. And if you do so successfully then you get the base! And if you failed (like me) then you wont.. Anyway then after you attack the enemy base its time for you to defend your base from attackers! which I successfully did! And it was a blast to do! and whats better is that you can keep going until you have lots of bases captured or if you run out of gold. Which is also another element to the game, money management. During base raids you can call in more weapons or people to help you out if your weapon gets lost or your people die, and in order to do that you must have enough gold to cover the costs of the shipping. This is where the mining element comes in and it really plays out well. During these times you can use your mining gun to mine out gold and other items. Once you do it gets added to your currency amount.

The turn base element along with the sanbox-ish base building system is really great and makes for a unique experience. And I can't talk about gameplay without mentioning the physics engine.

This games physics engine is really in-depth and satisfying to play around with. The gore, mining system, destructible environment all make for a great engine. And best of all is that with the engine each and every game is different. You will never have a similar outcome to another and it is amazing. Especially for a game that has been in development for over a decade! (Started Development in 2001 and was released in 2012) All in all the gameplay can be a bit cluttered at times. But you will get used to and you will have lots of fun!

And theres more, and just the icing on the cake they even added LOCAL MULTIPLAYER! Thats right! you can enjoy PVP or Co-op with your pals! And its really fun! Its compatible with just about every scenario you could think of! Its a blast and wasn't even required but the developers put it in anyway!

When its bad, its pretty bad, but when its good you will have the time of your life!


But wait, that isn't all! Theres a little something that happened. Something great called..



Yes! this game has community content support! And with that always comes amazing things! We get to have new scenario battles, new weapons and soldiers to use! And even new stories! Yes there are custom campaigns here! with dialogue and other things!



The workshop basically breathes so much life! and is impossible to play the game without! (well nearly impossible) you will find hours and hours of enjoyment here especially with all of the community content!

And best of all, there are ingame editors! So you can easily create your own custom content!



So the gameplay is a solid 8/10! It has its fair share of issues but when they are not focused on and all you focus on is the fun then you are set to have fun!

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Sound Design

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This game has some alright sounds, the main menu theme is alright nothing special here.

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Graphics

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The graphics in this game are pretty good in my opinion! The game's pixel style may not seem like much but it fits into the environment pretty well! especially when there is alot going on!





The game can get chaotic and with its destruction you'd think it'd lose its graphical quality. But no! It seemlesly into the game and its environment!

The graphics are pretty good and get a 7/10!

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Story

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The story in this game is pretty forgettable but it is there so here it is!

"In earths final hours the only things Human had were bold descisions and one was made as a last ditch effort, As the earth was fighting the survivors implemented their brains into robots, and soon there were multiple people living inside multiple robots. More spirit than flesh. And so after the escape through this method long rocket ships flying through space were no longer needed for life support with the new bodies. However humanity struggled for a while attempting to settle in with aliens on other planets. However human nature wasn't gone completley, for every city and space station there compounded hunger for resources. This became a huge issue so there was a gold rush for commanders from several rival groups. So we prepare for Cortex Command"

I wrote that in my own words, so the story sounds pretty cool but is ultimately forgettable as the campaign doesn't really shine much light on its lore which is a real shame. So yeah.. Story was pretty great in my opinion but wasn't executed properly...

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Verdict

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Cortex Command is a very fun game but is very troubled aswell, mainly where the story and controls are concerned. But should you buy it?

Yes! But wait for a sale!

The game was free (which is when I got it) for the weekend but when the game goes on sale once its successor comes out (Which isn't confirmed to happed but most likley will) then I'd reccomend picking it up!

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