868-BACK brings back the classic cyberpunk roguelike with a more accessible port

In 2013, New Zealand indie developer Michael Brough released 868-HACK — a brutally difficult turn-based iPhone game built around cyber attacks and circuit-board navigation. It's now back as 868-BACK, a more accessible port of the classic that keeps the punishing difficulty intact.

The setup is straightforward: a monolithic corporation has monopolized all of cyberspace, and your job is to crack their supposedly impenetrable systems and return the network to the people. You control a one-eyed smiley face, collect siphons, extract resources directly off the circuit board, and weave around anti-virus programs in a careful turn-based dance. It looks simple and manageable at first — that's how most Broughlikes work. Then it isn't. 868-HACK is credited alongside Hack, FTL, and Spelunky as one of the games that kicked off the roguelike boom in the indie space.

868-BACK is available now on Steam, promising the same core gameplay loop that made the original a cult classic, with a slightly gentler on-ramp for newcomers.