When The Cycle was released in 2019, MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus had a lot of fun with the game. But then it was shut down and fundamentally overhauled. He didn’t like the new version at all – until he tried it again now. Now he can’t get enough of it.
My biggest mistake in 2022 was reinstalling the MMORPG The Secret World. The second biggest was the absolutely unnecessary purchase of a gaming tablet. And somewhere in the top 5 is also the fact that I did not play The Cycle: Frontier earlier than now.
Because damn, the game is a lot of fun! I had already played The Cycle earlier when it was still Epic-exclusive. During my gameplay test, I was sure that The Cycle with its unique gameplay could convince anyone.
But in 2021, there was a major rework that placed a significantly higher emphasis on PvE in The Cycle . Back then, I loved hunting other players in a duo with a friend or in a trio with the Community & Player Support Lead Florian Rohde, so the new direction didn’t suit me at all.
I was correspondingly disappointed when I tested The Cycle for the first time in 2022. Somehow everything felt slower and more boring. Now I talked to the developers at gamescom 2022 and tried the game again for research. Luckily.
Because now a round of The Cycle is part of my almost nightly ritual after work. Here is the announcement trailer for The Cycle: Frontier:
The Cycle: From Pseudo-Battle-Royale to ‘Tarkov in Space’
A little excursion into what The Cycle used to be:
- you start solo or in a team at random positions at the edge of a huge map
- like in a battle royale, the playable area gets smaller over time
- the goal is to complete tasks and collect loot to then escape
- certain points and tasks attract players and become “hotspots” with wild fights
In the match, new weapons and vehicles could be purchased for credits earned while playing. Additionally, there were loadouts with suits that had special properties, such as improved jumps and things like that. This created dynamics and exciting PvP battles.
Today, The Cycle: Frontier is a completely different game. There is still a space station from which all heists are planned, and you are still supposed to bring back certain items from the inhospitable planet.
However, the big difference is that there is now a much greater focus on looting. Similar to Escape from Tarkov, it’s about recovering and safely bringing back particularly rare or sought-after items.
Random events that attract players’ attention and promise big rewards are no longer present – or not yet. But more on that later. At its core, it’s about looting the ruins on Fortuna III and gathering materials.
Sounds easy, but it’s not. Because everything and everyone on this godforsaken planet wants to kill you, including the planet itself. Plenty of NPC monsters lurk around, and even the weakest can eat your face if you’re not careful.
Additionally, other players are on the move, who might be looking for the same resources as you. Since they are scarce, there are disputes. And if that weren’t enough, a storm will roll in after some time, making escape temporarily impossible. So time pressure is an additional factor.
A Greater Challenge, Even Though PvP is Almost Completely Absent
What makes The Cycle: Frontier so exciting now is the mix of Tarkov gameplay with a sci-fi setting and elements from the underrated hardcore shooter Hunt: Showdown. Because one of the most important features of the game is the sound.
Like in Hunt: Showdown, gunshots and even footsteps can be heard from miles away. If you fight monsters without a suppressor that are cornering you, it often attracts players who want to finish you off.
At the same time, you stomp and clatter louder when your backpack is heavier and after a sprint, the character has to audibly gasp for air. To top it all off, there are damn birds that get startled and shriek your location when you walk by.
I can no longer play as recklessly as before. There are also no revives – if I die, everything that’s not stored in my secure pouch is gone. And that pouch is tiny.
The gameplay has become significantly slower, less frantic, which is captivating in a different way. There’s always the thrill that someone might be camping around the corner who has heard me. The longer I am on the move, the greater the fear of losing everything.
This constant paranoia keeps my adrenaline level high, which was only intense in combat situations in the earlier versions of The Cycle. And the best part: A round usually lasts about 20-30 minutes. Ideal for a few rounds in the evening.
For the skeptics and experts among you: the TTK, meaning the time it takes to kill enemies, is relatively high. Good players can still fend off an ambush with some luck.
What stuck in my memory especially was how an apparently experienced player waved to me to give me something. He threw loot on the ground and as I reached down to pick it up, he immediately stabbed me with his knife.
Since then, I know no friendship in The Cycle. Anyone who steps in front of my gun gets a load of buckshot. No compromises. And I like this play style much better than the cautious dancing around.
At gamescom 2022, I spoke with the developers of The Cycle. Here are our highlights from the fair:
Developers are Actively Working on the Biggest Problem: Cheaters
Even though I’m enjoying The Cycle again, there’s a major problem that even the community is upset about. The number of cheaters is a significant point of criticism, and I’ve encountered at least one player who suspiciously knew where I was hiding.
At gamescom 2022, I had the opportunity to briefly talk with Creative Director Dan Banefelt and Game Designer Armando Gracia. They confirmed to me that this very cheating problem will be addressed more intensively in the upcoming Season 2:
We are going to bring out the big guns when it comes to cheaters. […] I can’t talk about what software we are currently going to use, for obvious reasons. […] We are ensuring that our auto-detection becomes more reliable. We are making sure that auto-bans become more reliable, hardware bans, and so on.
Besides that, we are starting to collaborate with other software that is specifically designed to make cheating hell for cheaters. Making it simply harder, more annoying, less rewarding, less lucrative, and longer lasting.
Armando Gracia in an interview
The upcoming new map will also play a major role, according to Gracia. It will yield the biggest rewards so far, but it won’t be available immediately. To unlock it, one must first play through the campaign.
Cheaters who create new accounts (“burner accounts”) won’t have an easy time here and won’t be able to access the new map immediately. The fight against cheaters will, however, be an ongoing conflict that will be continuously worked on.
In addition to the measures, the future of The Cycle includes several new features, as explained by the two:
- Perks will come into play to further refine playstyles
- Events will return, where something can randomly happen on the maps
- A new map is coming that revolves around the theme of “alien mystery”
- “Quality of Life” improvements such as a reconnect feature and loadouts
- A new battle pass with new cosmetics will be introduced
Here is the trailer for Season 2:
In Season 3, new weapons will also be coming, but I haven’t learned anything specific about that yet. First, Season 2 will arrive on September 28 with many new features. However, it will also come with a wipe – a double-edged sword, in my opinion.
The Cycle regularly deletes all progress. Only content purchased with real money remains in the game; everything else must be replayed from scratch. On one hand, this ensures that veteran players do not just wipe everyone out. On the other hand, all the work from the past months is gone.
How much I appreciate this, I don’t know yet. For now, though, I find The Cycle: Frontier super enjoyable and I’m glad I gave the game another chance and can only recommend everyone to try it as well. At the latest on September 28, even the pros will have to start over, so it’s definitely worth checking out.
By the way, anyone who enjoys hardcore shooters like Tarkov – and evidently The Cycle – should also take a look at the new project from the studio behind GTFO:
The new game from the Payday creators focuses entirely on multiplayer and aims to be “less hardcore”
