Mercury: Cascade Into Madness is an adventure cyberpunk roleplaying game developed by Astronomic Games and published by New Reality Games. One night changed it all. After experiencing a traumatic event at the hands of a terrible gang, Michelle's mental state begins to slip and she soon reemerges as Mercury, a vigilante determined to seek revenge upon the thugs that harmed her and exact vengeance upon any other villains that would try to hurt others in her city. As Mercury you will take to the streets nightly to track down leads, gather evidence and dish out justice to low-life scum as you attempt to complete your mission of vengeance and whether or not you become a dispatcher of justice giving hope to the downtrodden or just a ruthless killer inspiring terror on the streets is completely up to you.

The gameplay consists of strategic turn-based combat which offers you and your party a chance to make attacks before then allowing your enemies to retaliate. The victor, of course, is the group who emerges from battle before losing all of their hit points. Who to attack, what skills or buffs to use, which weapon will be more effective, all of this comes into play as you strategically try to take out your opponents. As Mercury wins fights and completes various tasks she is awarded skill points which can then be used to upgrade a variety of abilities or passive bonuses that can affect gameplay or combat in a number of different ways. Being a street vigilante, there is alot of weapons, armor and items that you can accquire or purchase in order to better outfit Mercury as she takes to the streets fighting crime. It would also be in your best interest to explore the environment, talk to everyone that you encounter or boost certain skillsets or abilities as the gameplay can be non-linear and there is often more than one way of completing a task if you are properly prepared and able to do so. Choice matters because as the story progresses you will have to make a number of decisions that could have far reaching consequences so choose wisely. To summarize, this title retains the core elements that make a great R.P.G. which is exciting combat, excellent character development and a intriguing narrative.

Graphically, Mercury: Cascade Into Madness looks just as good as it's predecessor "City Of Chains". In my opinion, this title easily stands out visually in the RPGMaker category mainly due to it's lack of usage of the "anime" or "manga" inspired artstyle that is so typical of the genre and it looks fantastic doing so. The characters in the cutscenes look phenomenal and the environments in-game look terrific and are well detailed...at least as detailed as an RPGMaker title can be. Also, the color palette is dark and dreary which compliments the bleak narrative quite well. Aurally, the sound is very effective both in combat and during normal gameplay but the stand out here is definitely the wonderful soundtrack.

This titles story is excellent and it was very interesting to witness this young woman's descent into madness. At various points throughout the narrative she would literally curl up into a ball as her fleeting sanity would cause her to have the strangest visions and to hear things that no person in their right state of mind would experience. Seeing spirits, talking to herself, etc...it was all really weird and inriguing yet quite disturbing at the same time but it truly added a wonderful dynamic to the story. The turn-based strategic combat is very fun as well. Also, with a variety of skills to choose from and many decisions to make in addition to two difficulty modes, Mercury: Cascade Into Madness has a high amount of replayability. Option-wise, there are a number of Steam Achievements to accquire but sadly no Steam Trading Cards to collect. However, the terrific soundtrack can be located within the game files so that is indeed a welcome addition. If you enjoyed "City Of Chains", another of Astronomic Games cyberpunk R.P.G.'s, then you will undoubtedly love Mercury: Cascade Into Madness. This title is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to R.P.G., turn-based combat and cyberpunk fans.

'The price of freedom is eternal vigilance' - Desmond Tutu

Mercury: Cascade into Madness is a vigilante game concept by Matthew Ashworth that focuses on the female protagonist, Michelle, who is physically attacked by gang members leaving her mental state at breaking point as she spends months attempting to overcome her fears. We see Michelle develop her fighting skills during this inner turmoil that finally leads to her 'personal demons' challenging her cowardice during a night confrontation that steels her resolve into vowing vigilante revenge upon the gang who ruined her.

The actress, Jodie Foster, describes a movie role where she plays a victim in The Brave One with a quote that perfectly describes this RPGmaker game :-

Originally posted by Jodie Foster:

It's kind of about a vigilante, somebody who has been a victim of a crime and who can't quite get over it and then finds herself mowing people down.

The world in which we see Michelle gradually transforming into Mercury is a futuristic cyberpunk setting where advanced technology is abundantly in use throughout gang-riddled corrupt regions. MIchelle begins to gain allies throughout her early quest for revenge who all share the same purpose as herself, in a sense this plot writing is akin to the fictional DC world of Gotham City in its bleak, dark battles that are layered with twisted uprisings against societies' rules.

The story can be seen as linear but, thanks to the varying ways you can shape Michelle's character with good, neutral or bad choices, there are multi-routes that branch outward adding depth to the story with its many side-quests and decisions on which allies assist you. This was my biggest admiration of this game as it not only allows multiple playthroughs but it also adds a variation to the ending too as well as giving the player complete control over how Michelle acts & fights whether it be through stealth, persuasion through charisma or just outright disregard for rules by killing whoever and stealing/breaking into premises to loot items. These decisions affect how the characters act towards you and guide the story towards a finale that is heavily impacted by Michelle's journey of retribution.

The character's skills are learnt using SP (skill points) ranging from 1-3 as reward for each optional sidequest and main linear chapter completion, there is a variety of skills to choose from whether it be Lockpicking, Stealth and/or Charisma for the choice of what style of approach Michelle can adopt while the regular abilities involve the strengths such as Weapon handling, Focus and many others.
Michelle can also learn Passive skills to use during battle that vary from recovery to boosts or debilitating attacks which are essential as the chapters progress.
The AI of the enemies depends on the 2 settings available (Normal or Challenging) where the harder setting will see the enemy adapt to your tactics while also limiting the use of health 'stations' to 1 throughout the game's regions.
There are 4 types of weapons with differing levels as the chapters progress and multiple armours that offer defence as well as status effect protections, these can be bought at regional Shop 'stations' or from Michelle's main ally - Allen at his store.

The game has multiple game save slots from the [esc] menu that can also be deleted, the settings menu provides for varying screen resolutions alongside the usual sound/effects and it offers a Walk/Run choice as well as colour settings.
There are over 50 Achievements that do require multiple playthroughs to unlock them unless you save each path choice and load each time to uncover all choices in 1 sitting! Some Achievements though do depend on the character choice developments of Mercury and her Good Vs Evil route choices.
The OST is very effective at being reflective of the chapter levels by that I mean they set the mood of the story's action as it develops but it can be muted if players don't enjoy it. The character sprites are very well created giving a realistic look to faces and outfits that fit the cyberpunk world.

For any players who avoid games that have profanity be warned there is a lot throughout this game as well as graphic violence

Matthew Ashworth I feel did a great job in creating a believable story where the characters are immediately causing the player to react in a positive (or negative) way within a futuristic society that is extremely corrupted & heavily influenced by technology. It is a fragile world that has every character (and NPCs) reacting to the changing circumstances of the story and the player's ability to shape and choose which directions the story arcs in as well as what Allies are involved in battles is crucial to the player interest throughout the replays.
I would love to see more adventures beyond Outrage for Mercury and her Allies as I thoroughly enjoyed every moment to this game.

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This is a really nice retro cyberpunk turn-based RPG. The graphics and story really take me back to the SNES and PS1 days of the 90s - the decade that was the heyday of this style of cyberpunk, in fact. As an indy title without a lot of hype, this game's probably not going to get much exposure and that's a shame. If you're looking for a nice bit of 90s cyberpunk nostalgia at a reasonable price (even cheaper if you get the bundle, like I did), this is for you. While RPG Maker games tend to get stygmatized as lazy shovelware, it's clear that a lot of love went into this one - give it some love back :-)

One of the better RPGMaker games out there. Mercury is a gritty game wherein you play as a scorned, psychologically broken woman turned vigilante. (I'm not entirely sure why she breaks as much as she does, but roll with it.) There are no level ups, but you do get money, weapons, free stuff, and skill points to spend on abilities for both in and out of battle. As the page says, all of your choices matter. Who you kill, where you lockpick your way into, things you tell people, and whether or not you choose to talk to a certain few NPCs.

The montages are...a little odd to figure out at first, too. Thankfully there are only two.

I couldn't keep Keler alive until the end. That's about my only regret.

Mercury can be completed in a sitdown or two. All in all, not a bad game.

If you can get over the appearance of this game and the keyboard only controls, you are really in for a treat. It's got a solid story, good gameplay and actual results to your actions. Not sure why there are so few comments on this game, guess most people have just passed it by since it looks like just another cheap game made to turn a buck. I suppose the best way to explain the game is this: It's not a hollywood blockbuster, but a kickass B movie.

Another good small RPG from Astronomic Games, similar to their City of Chains.

I like City of Chains and I liked this one.

Few details:
- The game is made with RPG Maker, but has realistic graphic instead of JRPG-style
- You can invest your skill points in skills like Stealth and Charisma to reduce the amount of fighting.
- No random encounters with enemies. (Huge plus! Can't play standard JRPG games with endless enemies)
- Intersting story.

If you expect something big like Pillars of Eternity or Divinity Original Sin this game won't do.
If you want to spend an evening playing a game with an intersting story and quests you should give this game a try.

I love RPGs, but I'm much prefer sci-fi to fantasy settings, and there are not many sci-fi RPGs compared to fantasy ones.
The gameplay is simple, so it's all about the story, which is rather compelling. I completed this game in two sittings - about 8 hours or so. The dialogue is occasionally dodgy with more swearing than is necessary, but doesn't prevent enjoyment.
Recommended if...
(a) you're happy to play a game for the story (rather than gameplay)
(b) you can get it on sale

An interesting game with a lot of choices and great story. You have different ways to play it, even using stealth methods so it add something new for an old rpg-maker game. if you dont want to do all the adittional quests, an evening its enough to finish it. Thanks a lot and wait for another one))

+1

Good short story, choice and consequences, multiple endings!

Excellent RPG game, even if it is a RPG maker game, it should not be taken lightly, as the story is well written and the gameplay is quite fun. If the developer had the funds and tool to make the story just, you would look at a game up there alongside Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Witcher series. I am impressed by the skill of this person, to make this type of quality in a simple program. I suggest you also try out his others games, not all follow the same combat system, infact some is more like a vidual novel but that in itself is not a bad thing. Overall the Stories told by the developer are good, entertaining and cheaper than most games.

Definatly worth the money and at least this title has replay value and then some. You will not regret buying this title if you are an RPG fan.