Ruiner

So many times I have heard that Ruiner is just one more isometric slasher. I believed in that, and I was wrong.
Or not? When you start Ruiner, you see a slasher/shooter game just all right. Yes, it is visually enhanced, quite fast-paced and challenging, yes, wrapped in cyber "bells and whistles", so to say... But it is a typical slasher "kill them all" game, no doubt!
However, after just a first stage, when you enter the Rengkok hab level, you can feel the difference between Ruiner and a whole bunch of other recent story-driven slashers like Redeemer, Devil's Hunt, Helheim - et cetera. In Ruiner's Rengkok you see sub-quests, you see various activities and characters to make some deals with, and suddenly you're half-way into some RPG ala Shadowrun.
But then you start another action sequence and it's an isometric slasher/shooter once again. So, generally, it's all about that Rengkok hab level and cyberpunk atmosphere without too much glance on it. Beyond those Rengkok breaks between action stages, even with all those plot twists - yes, you can say that Ruiner is one of many other slashers around. One of the best on the market, but yeah, one among others. However, too many details - with Rengkok, with that piercing and trembling soundtrack, with so many cyberpunk-culture allusions... Ruiner is certainly something bigger and better than just one of slashers. It breaks that wall between just a good entertainment product and the art piece. Think of the Transistor game. Sure, Ruiner is not like Transistor by the pace and the level of engagement, and many other details. However, it's just as good - and maybe even better for those players who like straight-forward solutions and a bit of bullet-hell on their screens from time to time.
As for me, Ruiner worth 8.5/10 dog collars, and if you still have any doubts about the game price, just check the Steam market about Ruiner's trading cards, profile backgrounds and all that. I actually made some money on that game, selling 3 "Ruiner backgrounds"... but I got lucky. You may be not, but still, even if you only sell the cards, you'll return some money Plus you'll get a really good cyberpunk action game!

If Ghost in the Shell & Hotline Miami fell in love at first sight and had a beautiful healthy baby.
That baby's name? RUINER ଲ( ⓛ ω ⓛ *)ଲ

I remember when the trailer for this dropped in 2017 and I thought, "This is everything I want in a video game -- cyberpunk aesthetic, dark synthwave soundtrack, unabashed violence," then I promptly forgot about it for the next three years.
Thankfully this year's Steam Summer Sale reminded me of the game, and since it was on sale for only a few bucks I decided to pick it up. If I didn't like it, no big deal. I could get a first impression of it and refund it with a clear conscience. Besides, I only paid $5 for it.
My first impression playing the game was the same thing I felt when I watched the trailer. Everything felt right. The atmosphere was incredible. The music was this strong underline of the entire world, filling the gaps to make everything cohesive.
Then the combat started.
I should preface this part by saying that I'm playing through this with a controller, which to my knowledge is vastly different than KB/M's scheme. I know that KB/M uses a reticle-style form of control while using WASD and the controller adopts a twin stick style where you use RS to rotate your character. If you've played any twin stick shooter game, you know what I'm talking about. The first thing I was reminded of was Super Smash TV for the SNES -- a series of connected rooms each with a series of fights in it. Truth is I had a little bit of trouble getting used to the combat in this game. The frantic pace of combat led to me losing track of the direction I was facing, forcing me to use some abilities to reorient myself and continue.
That being said, the combat is satisfying with a few flaws. It seemed like sometimes I would land a hit or two and the game just wouldn't register it, especially in the more crowded segments. Some of the fights were also straight up bullshit, like a giant cyborg with an instant-kill railgun, but thankfully those instances were very few. The weapon variety wasn't really there either. You have small rapid-fire gun, big rapid-fire gun, shotguns, charge guns, and my personal favorite, the flamethrower. The game tries to add variety by giving you different models and "quality" weapons, but the weapons don't really feel distinct and the quality of the weapon only determines starting ammo.
There is a "Ruiner Kill" system in place where you execute enemies à la Doom's Glory Kill system. When prompted you can kill enemies for a health boost and a few Karma (the game's experience points). They're gory and loud, but overall nothing to really write home about.
As mentioned earlier, the games XP system is called Karma. You get it from defeating enemies and completing the few quests there are in the game. When your Karma Level increases you get a Skill Point which can be allocated to the various skills you can learn. There is a rather wide variety of skills available, from a self-heal, to charming an enemy, to stun/frag grenades, to a time slow, and several more. They add an extra layer of utility into the game that is much needed.
The world feels great but it's very shallow. Your base of operations is this area called Rengkok South, a slum with all the accoutrements -- strip club, fight club, bar, cats. After every mission you go back here to regroup before setting off to the next one. There's not much to it with the exception of two quest givers and an optional area that I think was released as add-on content. I would say it's wide as an ocean and shallow as a puddle, but in reality it's just puddle sized and puddle depth. Really just a space to breathe before diving back in.
It took me about a little over 6 hours to beat. If I had paid full price for the game ($20) I would have been pretty upset. But paying $5 and getting over 5 hours of content is acceptable.
Again, the two saving graces of this game are the art style and music. They do so much to bring the world to life. I just wish here was more. Maybe offer the play some kind of shop where you can buy gear, maybe some armor.
I'd say if you're in the mood for a quick and dirty action game with a great atmosphere and soundtrack, this is worth the buy. I would wait for a sale though.

Ruiner 2 when? Seriously though this game is great and I really do hope we get a sequel some time in the future.

Amazing bloodsoaked Cyberpunk type game!
Ultra fast action & button mashing!
Pretty challenging! (I finished it on hard)
PURE FUN!
10/10

After having already played so many isometric slasher / shooter games recently I was starting to get a bit bored, but RUINER has very intriguing mechanics and abilities. Gameplay wise it's a lot more than just cyberpunk paint and a graphical update compared to Hotline Miami.
Personally I really liked the Rengkok hub area, which gave the game some overarching connectedness instead of just rushing through levels killing anything that moves. The pacing and length of the campaign were nice too. Not too long, not too short.
The skillpoint system allows for quite different builds, most of which are completely viable to play with even on the highest difficulty. Speaking of difficulty, the game starts off mildly challenging and can become balls to the walls hard during bossfights on the hardest two difficulties. If you are easily frustrated by dying, this is definitely not for you.
Storywise this is nothing really interesting, but the cyberpunk setting and art design made this an unique experience, adding to the positive experience of the well fleshed out gameplay.
Do recommend to any and all fans of the genre.

The only thing they fear is You.