Cycle 28 is a momentum-based arcade space shooter. One ship, one loop, and the certainty that you are going to die and try again.

Simple controls. Relentless enemies. One more run.

There is no break.

Your only controls are rotation and thrust. The only way to stop is to turn around and burn against your own momentum. For the first ten minutes you’ll feel like the game is fighting you. Then it feels natural and satisfying. If you have played Luftrausers or Asteroids you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you are looking for a dual stick shooter this isn’t it.

Your recoil is the fastest engine you have.

Your gun kicks. Beginners manage despite it. The best players use it on purpose to powerslide through bullet storms at speeds the engine alone can only dream of. Upgrades unlock by beating your own personal best, eventually giving you 45 possible configurations and they call change how you’ll fly.

Every death is explainable.

There are no random builds handed to you and no unfair deaths to blame. The camera is controlled by where you point your ship, so if you get hit from behind it’s your fault. You’ll always know the mistake you made and that’s why you’ll keep playing.

The score is by a film composer and it changes everything.

An original orchestral score by Jordan Rees, who writes trailer music for films like The Martian, Jurassic World Dominion and Blade Runner 2049. It isn’t just background music, it is a six minute track that never repeats which means just by listening you know how long you’ve got left and how many bosses have spawned.

Who made this

Cycle 28 was made by Sean and Dave, two developers in Wales who make up Pill Bug Interactive. It was nominated in the Games category at the British Academy Cymru Awards in 2019, one of three games on the shortlist, and it was the first Welsh game on Nintendo Switch. It remains the only game we have made that goes fast.

No Generative AI was used in this game. We pay humans for art and music.