Burn Cycle

The game is generally played in a first-person point and click style, similar to games like Myst and The 7th Guest. This is interspersed with various minigames, puzzles, and skill sequences, which the player must complete to progress. Failing certain minigames or puzzles, like the opening escape from the Softech building, will cause a game over.

At any point, the player can bring up a menu showing the remaining time before the Burn Cycle virus wipes Cutter's mind, which decreases in realtime during gameplay. From this screen, the player can save the game anywhere, and Cutter gives hints and additional information in monologue as to where to go next. When the timer reaches zero, the virus will activate, killing Sol Cutter.

Sol Cutter is a former corporate operative and current small-time data thief in an unnamed metropolis who acts as a courier for stolen data using a hard drive surgically implanted in his brain. As the game opens, Cutter is on a job; breaking and entering into the corporate offices of SoftTech, his former employers, when a shock blasts him across the room. Cutter realizes his mind has been infected with a virus called Burn Cycle which will kill him in two hours. With the help of his girlfriend Kris, who is guiding him from outside the complex, Cutter barely escapes, but Kris is shot in the back and killed.

Cutter makes his way to into the city and withdraws funds from a virtual bank (which doubles as a new age style church). Realizing that his hotel room is being watched, Cutter instead makes his way to the Zero Sum Bar to deal with Zip, his friend and colleague who is strung out on "Rushing", or experiencing digitally augmented highs and adrenaline rushes. Cutter recruits Gala, a former acquaintance who Cutter recognizes from his time infiltrating a revolutionary movement where she was a member. Gala doesn't recognize him as he was undercover and his face had been surgically altered.

The game, written by Eitan Arrusi for TripMedia, London, features live action characters. Arrusi and Darius Fisher were the director and assistant director, respectively. The FMVs and in-game graphics were shot on a blue screen, as backgrounds are composed of 3D renders. The effect is that navigation through Burn Cycle's environments cues a 3D walkthrough, while interaction with characters or the activation of scripted events prompts the loading of overlaid camera footage, sometimes even with complete scene changes.

The game's live action cast are credited as follows:

The CD-i version of Burn Cycle has been viewed as one of the most prominent titles on its system, with Electronic Gaming Monthly awarding it "Best CD-i Game of 1994" in their Buyer's Guide, and GamePro calling it "just what the CD-i needed". The magazines lauded the game's audio and cinematics. GamePro gave it a 5/5 score for three categories (graphics, sound, and fun factor), rating control at 4.5. 1UP.com, impressed by its futuristic setting and storyline, referred to Burn Cycle as "one of the best showcases of the console's strengths."

The PC release received a mixed response from critics. Allgame praised the variety of characters and locations, but stated that the game's graphics were "extremely crude looking and hurtful to the eyes". PC Gamer commented that "the blend of puzzles, arcade action, mysteries and cyberspace won't be too interesting"; the game's cyberpunk atmosphere and music were listed as positive aspects. In contrast, Game Revolution criticized the soundtrack for being "just bad industrial". The website nonetheless considered Burn Cycle "well-balanced" and its environments "carefully planned", giving the game an A− along with Entertainment Weekly.