Kiborg: Arena Review — Cybernetically Enhanced Violence

Have you seen the movie Real Steel? I haven’t either, but what I do know is that it put one very potent idea into the collective consciousness: Robots smashing heavy metal fists into titanium-molded jaws is the next logical step in sports fighting. The bigger and badder the robots are, the better because I want to see a machine throw a punch with enough power to knock the bolts out of a three-ton murder machine.

Enter KIBORG: Arena, a game that certainly captured this idea and delivered on the fantasy while still keeping some of that lovely, fleshy gore intact for us all to enjoy.

KIBORG: Arena is a rogue-lite fighting game that sees you trapped in the fighting pits of a sadistic prison planet. Starting at the bottom with nothing but your muscles and grit, you fight-fight your way through genetically modified mutant killing machines, cyborg death soldiers, and zombified inmates in an endless game of survival, slowly evolving into a killing machine yourself until you’re hardly recognizable as a human.

The game follows a pretty basic and familiar roguelike formula. After entering the area from the spawn room, you are pitted against endless waves of procedurally spawning enemies, which become progressively difficult the further you get. If and when you die, you return to the spawn room with points used to purchase permanent upgrades, which mostly come in the form of unlocks to be found in your next run.

I have to say, when you first load into KIBORG: Arena, you’re going to be given a bad impression. The first area you see, which is the spawn room, kind of feels like a store-bought Unreal asset, and in this setting, so does our player character. Only when you get out of the tutorial and into the actual game does the charm start to present itself.

When you’re physically in the ring, KIBORG: Arena starts to show its true colors as a violent, gritty cyberpunk dystopia brawler. The grit and ugliness of the characters are seriously charming, with the whole ring looking like it was welded together in someone’s garage and treated with the blood of thousands of unfortunate prisoners to die within its walls.

Spoilers, that’s exactly what it is.

The big selling point in a game called KIBORG: Arena is, in fact, the cybernetic augmentations. At the end of each round in KIBORG: Arena, you’re given a selection of upgrades or equipment, as is par for the course for a roguelike game. Among these options, you are presented with the choice of cybernetic augmentations, powerful pieces of technology that both enhance and change your approach to combat as well as your physical appearance.

When I got my first cybernetic upgrade, I shouted “YES!” at my screen. Upgrading your character with cybernetics allows you to augment and change your chest, legs, arms, spine, heart, and head, giving you a visual change and permanent combat bonuses. If you can survive long enough, your character will quite literally become a killing machine and will hardly resemble a person anymore.

One thing I found disappointing about the cybernetic upgrades was that the legs were a package deal, whereas your arms are independently modified. I like mixing and matching gear, so I wish I had the option to do so with both my legs, not simply gutting myself from the waist down for a new pair of cyber pants.

KIBORG: Arena’s combat style is the sort of group-fighting brawling game popularized by the Batman: Arkham games, and it most certainly works. Hits feel impactful, beating up enemies is satisfying, and a robust combo system is also baked into the upgrades you find. I wish the game had a combo list, however, as I often found myself trying to replicate cool moves I found before to no avail.

The game also includes melee and ranged weapons. I’ve got to say that I’m not a big fan of the game’s gunplay; I found that every time I chose to use my guns, they trivialized the fights and, worse, were simply boring to use.

KIBORG: Arena has some very cinematic moments in its fighting, with badass attacks and brutal executions when defeating stronger enemies. The firearms, however, are simply fired with proper, realistic stances and kill enemies with no flair for the dramatic at all. I think if KIBORG: Arena implemented more of a gun-fu style with these firearms or gave them the same flavor as the rest of the fighting, the game would be much better off for it.

The same cannot be said for melee weapons, which all come with their own movesets and are appropriately gory and fun to use, just like the game’s hand-to-hand combat.

What is probably the most incredible thing about KIBORG: Arena is that the game is completely free, at least according to the stream page, which is up as I’m writing this review.

See, KIBORG: Arena is a prologue to KIBORG, a game with similar mechanics that follows our protagonist as he breaks out of this prison planet.

Personally, I don’t think I love the idea of KIBORG’s direction; I believe the devs hit the nail on the head with KIBORG: Arena, with the setting of a brutalist prison planet coliseum being much more interesting than an escape from the prison itself. However, if KIBORG: Arena is just a taste of what’s to come in KIBORG, then I’ll certainly be playing to see more of the excellent combat, exciting cybernetic upgrades, and brutal gore.

Try Hard Guides received a PC review code for this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! KIBORG: Arena is available on Steam.