Bionic Dues review and Sweepstakes

Thursday, October 10, 2013


Just two days ago, Arcen Games latest title Bionic Dues launched on Steam and the Arcen Store. The game has made a great deal of progress and changed slightly from the demo I played at PAX earlier this year. The new mechanics they've introduced and the sheer depth of customization and options available to the player should keep anyone playing for a long time. To help celebrate the launch of Bionic Dues, Arcen Games has supplied us with a cache of Steam Keys for many of their other games for our readers.



Before we get too deep into the sweepstakes, I want to take some time to talk about Bionic Dues. I've already written a little bit about the game, based on my brief experience with it at PAX. The full version has made some important changes that deepen the play even more

Stealth is now a real option for players seeking to avoid outright combat. The Tank Exo has ben replaced by the Ninja, an Exo that specializes in silent movement and precision strikes. By activating the stealth ability, the Ninja (or any other Exo equipped with the appropriate module) is rendered invisible for a time. This allows the player to move to a more advantageous position, or simply bypass entire groups of enemies (although shooting them all is sooo much fun).



Bionic Dues is a much deeper game than it initially lets on.  You can play for a few hours, just barely scratching the surface of your options, not even outfitting your Exos. Before long though, you'll pay for your mistakes as the enemy numbers increase and you realize too late that just completing a mission won't guarantee your success in the end. There is a subtle balancing act going on in Bionic Dues.

You are constantly outnumbered, and the enemies are relentless. You will constantly have to adjust your tactics as the battlefield changes constantly. You may round a corner to find yourself staring down the barrel of a hundred enemy weapons, you may stumble on the objective early in the mission and escaape relatively unharmed. There is almost no way to know what to expect going into a mission. A well balanced team of Exo's is crucial to your success.



Bionic Dues strongly appeals to the strategy junkie in me. I love being able to make small tweaks to my Exo's and seeing how it affects the balance. I like the freedom of choosing which missions to undertake, and constantly being under threat of annihilation. I like the challenge Bionic Dues presents me.  Because the enemy is always producing more units at an unbelievable rate, players measure their success in how much less overwhelming the odds are after a mission.



Bionic Dues will punish an inattentive player. If you take care of your Exos, explore your surroundings, and take advantage of strategic opportunities when they arise, you should be able to make do. Bionic dues is a great game, a lot of fun, but certainly not be underestimated.

The best way to prepare yourself for Bionic Dues, is to play some of Arcen Games other titles. And what better way to do that than to win a bunch of them here! As I mentioned above, Arcen Games has supplied us with a number of Steam Keys for their other titles. After the sweepstakes closes, we will select four winners. Those lucky few will each recieve a set of Stem keys for six of Arcen Games other titles (Specifically; Tidalis, A Valley Without Wind 1 & 2, Shattered Haven, AI War, and Skyward Collapse)

How do you enter? Simply send an email entitled "Bionic Dues Sweepstakes Entry" to entries@somnambulant-gamer.com. After the sweepstakes closes, four winners will be chosen randomly and notified via e-mail.

I wish all the entrants the best of luck. The official rules are as follows:

Official Rules

  1. No Purchase Required To Enter.
  2. How To Enter: Entrants must send an email to, entries@somnambulant-gamer.com with “Bionic Dues Sweepstakes Entry” as the title, with entrant’s name and email address in the email body.
  3. Chances Of Winning: Winners will be chosen from email entries by random. The winners will be emailed to confirm their email address. If the winner does not reply back within 48 hours, another entrant will be randomly selected and contacted.
  4. Number Of Entries Allowed: One email entry per person.
  5. Entry Eligibility By Location Of Entrant: This sweepstakes is open to all residents of the United States, void where local laws prohibit.
  6. Contact Information/Privacy: Contact information received will not be shared or sold to any third-parties or used by Somnamabulant-Gamer.com for promotional purposes.
  7. Event Dates And Times: Email entries will be accepted from October 10th 2013 at 5:00pm Pacific Standard Time to October 16th 5:00pm Pacific Standard Time. 
  8. Minimum Age For Entry: You must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
  9. Delivery: After contact is established with the winners, Steam keys will be sent to the email address provided by the individual winners..
  10. Void Where Prohibited By Law: All giveaways, contests, sweepstakes and other events that involve free products are void where prohibited by law. 
  11. Rules Modification: Somnambulant-Gamer.com reserves the right to change these rules at any time without notice.