Debugger 3.16: Hack’n’Run is a unique game where players take control of a debugger in a video game. The aim of the game is to debug the fictional video game and get it ready for release. While there are plenty of hacking style video games currently available, this one seeks to do something relatively unseen before in a video game. It’s a game that teaches players how to code.

Coding

The coding element is the main feature in the game. Players have a variety of coding commands they can access and use. They range from leveling up abilities, providing new ones and manipulating the environment to progress through the game. While this may sound quite complex, it’s actually very simple. Once the coding console has been brought up, the player can access each of the coding commands to see how they need to structure their line of code. This is incredibly useful for people with limited coding knowledge. This system allows all players to progress through the game and learn coding as a result.

Gameplay

Outside of the coding, the game is focused around defeating enemies and progressing through different screens. The aim is to reach and defeat the bosses found across the game in order to free the game from bugs. Enemies are defeated with a simple blast which takes time to recharge however, there’s a way to decrease this recharge time. This is done through the coding mechanics and options in the game. However, the player must first collect different items by killing enemies in order to do this. Not all enemies will drop these however. As a result, the player may find themselves backracking through the game quite a bit to collect enough items to perform upgrades.

No downsides to Death

One of the biggest downsides to the game is the fact that there’s no real downside to death. Dying in the game will cause the developer to come back and give the player full health once again. The player is not removed from where they died and is not forced to start over. As a result, there’s no real need to increase health points as there’s no actual downside to dying constantly. While this is a little frustrating, it’s very useful in boss fights where enemies can deal massive amounts of damage in a single hit.

Debugger 3.16: Hack’n’Run is a very promising game and the developer is determined to improve it. This is certainly one game worth keeping an eye on as a result. Anyone who has a slight interest in coding should be able to appreciate the mechanics in this game while inexperienced gamers should get to grips with it pretty quickly.