Cool music, brutal and dynamic gameplay, shady back alleys and equally suspicious hi-tech suburban works of the Rengkok metropolis, all soaking in the atmosphere of a cyberpunk anime. Ruiner is a dark adventure set in an anti-utopian future where not much has changed and even the most sophisticated technologies haven’t solved human problems.

You’re a perfect example: hacked into killing the boss of Heaven, the leading virtual reality corporation. Your brother was kidnapped to make sure you did the job. You’d be over with if it wasn’t for HER. Now you can finally take the matters in your own hands. As you tear through the underground gang lairs and inhumane, industrial complexes, entranced in the cyber-disco slaughter-party, remember that everything out there wants to kill you. So be prepared.

Don’t Waste Time

The first rule of Ruiner: movement is life. Move fast and think fast. At the core of Ruiner’s gameplay is the Dash ability which gives you the amazing mobility. It has two modes. You can make an instant jump to — or from — a location or enemy. Multidash gives you the tactical opportunity to plan out your sequence. Dash is extremely effective when paired with an aggressive playstyle, especially when using melee weapons.

But that’s just the start. Whether you prefer distanced or close-ranged combat, direct or tactical — you can choose from over a dozen abilities, each with 50 upgrades. And you can make use of more than 20 weapons collected from fallen foes or delivered by a supply drone. Guns and blades, one- and two-handed weapons, single shot or AOE, electrifying, freezing, burning — you name it!

And the best part is: you’re never stuck! You can reconfigure on the fly. When you find yourself in a tight spot, simply switch weapons, reshuffle your skills and try a new way. An easier way — or perhaps a harder way. You can even try and play Ruiner with no gadgets at all, using your basic weapons: pipe and Ruiner gun. I’m not sure you can beat the game without Dash, though. But we’ll be waiting to see your videos!

Choose and Experiment

There’s more. You can further develop your basic Ruiner gun, altering its appearance and properties. Same goes for your melee weapon: the rusty metal pipe you start with can be later exchanged for something more stunning.

If you prefer a tactical approach to combat, you can choose to manage the battlefield with Kinetic Barriers and Ghost Break. The former slows enemies and reflects their projectiles; the latter transforms enemies into tools in the battle. Add Focus Booster to that mix and you can gun down your struggling foes from a comfortable distance. Or do something completely different!

If your combat style is more direct and aggressive, you might want to invest in Shield, explosive and stun grenades, and the Overload ability. With that combo, you can attack swiftly, stun or blow up groups of enemies and finish any stragglers with melee or guns. While Focus Booster slows time and increases your chance of survival, Overload accelerates your perception. The combination of Focus Booster with Overload slows the world down, powering up your relative movement against the enemies. What more do you need?

Well, you could upgrade your passive abilities. With Grid Converter you can optimise and manage your basic resources: life, energy and ammunition. Being able to convert between them at any moment makes you super-tough and indestructible. Enjoy!