‘Competitive Quest Shooter’ The Cycle announced as free-to-play, next alpha coming soon

I have great news for you today. As I was reading about YAGER's ‘Competitive Quest Shooter' The Cycle and its next alpha test, I stumbled across the first signs of the business model for this game. So far, it was under completely secrecy, but it is now revealed: The Cycle is going to be free-to-play!

The info was subtly buried somewhere in the official FAQ, and it goes as follows:

“Are you planning to sell the game at the Epic Games Store?

No, the game is a free2play title and will be accessible without any additional payments. All you need is an active Epic Games Store account to play our game.”

So, why all the excitement? Because I have tried this game during one of the previous alphas and I absolutely loved the concept and the execution. Instead of a millionth Battle Royale game, The Cycle is a ‘Quest Shooter' or PvEvP game, where you and other players must explore the planet Fortuna III in a limited time. The twist is that you can win the game without entering into a single fight against other player – you can simply perform the missions that you are required and when the time comes escape in the evac ship. Easier said than done, of course.

The Cycle reminds me of the ill-fated Firefall in several ways, but it's a much better, much more focused game. It has polished first-person shooter mechanics and you can play solo or in a squad of four. You have to complete missions such as drilling a certain amount of minerals, defeating a rare beast, salvaging drones, among other tasks. The better you perform, the more the rewards when you escape the planet. And think before you shoot, as you can make a pact with another player and happily go on cooperating in your missions.

The Cycle is made by YAGER, the talented German studio that created the classic Spec Ops: The Line and the underrated sci-fi strategy game Dreadnought. This is a game with high production values and bright ideas. Can you tell that I really liked my hours with it? If you want to read my detailed impressions on this game, you can read it here.

The alpha 6 is running from March 28 4pm CET until March 31 9am CET, and you can sign up at the official website. The Cycle is currently on Steam but is coming to the Epic Games Store and it looks like it is going to stay there forever, in an exclusivity deal. YAGER plans on running a closed beta for a few weeks before the official launch, which they expect to happen in May 2019. Fingers crossed.