TV – The Ghost in the Shell Episode 7
This week, the 7th episode of the new animated Ghost in the Shell series released on Prime Video. The new animated series is produced by Science SARU, based on Masamune Shirow’s 1989 manga series. The series began airing on 7th July on a simultaneous global release schedule, with weekly episode drops, giving the worldwide community the chance to discuss the series episode by episode.
In the last few episodes, the series had moved away from the Puppet Master arc introduced early on, and we got a string of self-contained episodes, featuring rampant cyborgs, corrupt government officials, and international terrorists.
Episode 7 brings us back to the Puppet Master story arc. It begins with The Major and Aramaki investigating an incident at a synthetic organ workshop, where the machines seemingly went rogue and created a fully functioning cyborg body, which then escapes. However, a vehicle ploughs into it, damaging the body pretty significantly. At this point, it seems as though it will be another stand-alone episode.
They retrieve the body, and after investigation determine that it may have its own ghost. Some people then arrive from Section 6, demanding to see what is inside the cyborg body. After some analysis, it is announced that the body is, in fact, the Puppet Master! The team have already previously believed they’d apprehended the Puppet Master, so at this point, Aramaki is understandably dubious. The representatives reveal, however, that as part of a plan, they managed to destroy the Puppet Master’s body, and effectively forced it into this one.
The Puppet Master demands asylum, but there is an attack on the facility, and the body disappears in the commotion. Batou gives chase, and it is determined that it is actually Section 6 who are stealing the body. The escaping car is incapacitated, but an explosion damages the body of the Puppet Master even further. They attach a battery to the failing body, and The Major dives into the body’s mind to gain intel.
This is where the episode gets very existential. The series has been very much leading up to this point, with a lot of questions asked about the nature of the ghosts, how they interact with cyborg bodies, and where the line sits between organic and synthetic.
The Puppet Master reveals it is not merely an AI program, but was effectively an immaculate conception of sorts, born out of the matrix of data. This is an evolution of the concept of synthetic intelligence, suggesting a moment of singularity. With its body failing, and no network to jump into, the essence of the Puppet Master finds a new, hitherto unknown option, and effectively ascends to a different plane of existence.
These heavy concepts are difficult to put across visually, but the animators of the series have a damn good try at it. During this sequence the visuals are in turn abstract, beautiful, vague, overwhelming.
The Major weeps as she witnesses all this from within, and it is looking like the beginnings of an existential crisis for the character, someone who had already been questioning the nature of her existence. It is an almost religious moment in a series about technological processing. Has the Puppet Master ascended to a spiritual dimension, or does this new form of existence still sit within the realms of science and technology? What effect will this experience have on The Major going forwards? With only three episodes left now, the series has asked some big questions, and now needs to stick the landing if we’re to be provided with satisfying answers.
What did you think of episode seven? Are you glad to see the series returning to the Puppet Master arc, and the existential questions at the heart of the series? Or were you enjoying the more straightforward, stand-alone episodes? Let us know in the comments.
You can watch the new Ghost in the Shell series on Prime Video with a valid subscription, and episodes will be released every Tuesday. You can enjoy the show’s opening sequence below –
Videogame – Mandated Fate
A demo for alternative history dystopian thriller game Mandated Fate was released on Steam this week. Developed by Thibaut Billerot, and Published by Tetrarchy Studios, the game sees you play an inspector investigating a murder under a totalitarian regime.
From the publisher –
Mandated Fate is a narrative-driven social thriller where loyalty is survival. You play as a weary inspector, a man with a fraught past, out of place in a newly established authoritarian regime.
In 1985, a rising technological empire has seized power, driven by a single ambition: to discover the anti-gravity particle and surpass its global rivals by conquering space. The regime demands absolute unity, framing this race as a matter of national destiny. But one old district continues to resist, no one knows quite how, or why.
Assigned to investigate a strange murder there, you quickly find yourself entangled in a deeper web of political intrigue and ideological tension – balancing your loyalty and your life to save what truly matters before the city closes in.
Your choices will shape your loyalties, and determine your path.
It’s a generous demo, offering around 40 minutes of play. You’ll explore an atmospheric city, without any loading times. There are multiple ways to get around, be it vehicle or public transport, but under the totalitarian regime of the game, you’ll be under constant surveillance. Mandated Fate is a narrative game focused on storytelling. You’ll need to read between the lines, not just take clues at face-value, and you’ll be forced to consider exactly where your loyalties lie.
Choices in the game are made via dialogue-driven encounters, as you investigate the case, and the choices you make will have consequences in the game. As the game progresses, your reputation will evolve, changing the way NPCs respond to you. You’ll need to be wary, though, as the government doesn’t want you to succeed in your task, so a certain level of subtlety will be essential.
Mandated Fate has a very distinctive, noir-ish visual aesthetic, mixing beautifully classic architecture and design with a decidedly cyberpunk atmosphere.
The game does not yet have a release date, but you can wishlist it on Steam, and the demo is available now for free on the Steam page – https://store.steampowered.com/app/5044000/Mandated_Fate_Demo/
You can check out a trailer for the game below –
Film – The Last Assassins
Dystopian post-apocalypse scifi action thriller The Last Assassins was released this week. It is available on video on demand platforms in the US, including Amazon Prime, having already been released in the UK back on July 6th.
Synopsis –
After her father is brutally murdered by a gang of assassins, a young warrior and her guardian set out through a violent dystopian future on a quest for revenge and a search for her family.
Starring Donno Mitoma, Athena Park, Joshua Bainbridge, and Lora Burke, The Last Assassins is an action movie telling the story of Parks ‘The Kid’, escorted across a lawless landscape by Bainbridge’s Nobel, as they fight to survive against hostile bandits and mutants. They must find The Kid’s aunt, who is the key to unlocking vital cybernetic technology developed by The Kid’s father.
The film displays a curious mix of fantasy style swordplay in barren, snow-strewn landscapes, and some technologically advanced equipment and locations, showing a once futuristic world that seems to have experienced some kind of apocalypse. Trading in the usual gunplay for fights with samurai swords certainly gives proceedings a much more brutal and desperate feel. The movie looks to have done a good job of hiding its budgetary limitations, and the score goes pretty hard, so far cyberpunk fans starved of new movie releases, it’s definitely worth considering.
James Anthony Usas directs, as well as co-writing the screenplay with the film’s Producer Ryan Keller, based on a story by its Executive Producer Jonathan Hlibka. Usas won Best Director at the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival for the movie, which is distributed by 4Digital Media in the US, and Jinga Films internationally. Usas has previously worked primarily as a set designer, most notably for a couple of Star Trek projects, and this represents his first feature film.
You can watch the trailer below.
Videogame – Brigador Killers Early Access
The Early Access version of upcoming isometric insurgent simulator, Brigador Killers, released on Steam this week. The sequel to 2016’s Brigador, this story-driven game from Stellar Jockeys sees you take the fight to your oppressors on a brand new planet, in a much more sophisticated game than the original.
From the publisher –
Isometric insurgent simulator. Fight on foot and in vehicles, build and steal a private arsenal and bring the war home to the businessmen who started it all in this continuation of the Brigador saga.
The original Brigador, released ten years ago, saw you piloting a mech in the battle against an oppressive government, in a very cyberpunk setting. This sequel lets you explore missions on foot rather than be confined to the inside of a mech suit. The game’s developers describe the new game as ‘Hitman: Contracts meets GTA2’. It’s a much more story-based, narrative game. From a home base, you can choose to take on a number of different mission types, from resource runs to assassinations, in a game with much more tactical subtlety than the original’s destruction-fest.
There’s a more open world feel to Brigador Killers. Whilst you will spend a lot of time on foot, you can commandeer a wide range of different vehicles, and even salvage them for parts in order to fabricate new equipment. There are over 30 different firearms that you can upgrade, and mount to your new vehicle creations. The games looks very much like a spiritual successor to the excellent Syndictae series, and we’re looking forward to checking it out.
Early Access begins on Steam today, and you can check out a trailer for the game below.
Comic – 19-08-26 Releases
We take a look at this week’s cyberpunk and dystopian comic releases.
IMAGE COMICS
THE LAST DRIVER #1
From the publisher –
AMERICA, THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE—NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE…EXCEPT FOR HIM! As technology in America advanced, cities began creating the GRID—a robotic transportation system that not only made cars obsolete, it made them illegal. But an outlaw named “Clutch” has no choice but to get behind the wheel one more time. What starts out as a race to save his granddaughter’s life quickly turns into a rebellion against technology, fascism, and the future of a divided America.
The Last Driver is a brand new comic series, created by Sean Murphy. It’s a gritty love letter to the classic American road stories, a Mad Max for the cyberpunk genre. High octane, 100 mph, playing like a last hurrah for driving without care before the process is completely sanitised by automation.
IF DESTRUCTION BE OUR LOT #4
From the publisher –
END OF STORY ARC Abe can’t stop seeing her everywhere he looks. Electricity addiction really is no laughing matter. Can he kick the habit before he gets junked? Maybe a trip outside the walls will help Abe clear his circuits…or just clog his gears to a standstill. The breakout hit of the summer is about to enter a whole new world.
If Destruction Be Our Lot is a series set in a world where humanity has died out, and all that remains are the robots that we built continuing on with their programmed tasks. The series follows an Abraham Lincoln animatronic that is experiencing loneliness, and goes out in search of any remaining humanity.
REBELLION
2000 AD #2496
From the publisher –
Call me The Mighty Tharg, for I am the being from Betelgeuse who brings you weekly Thrills!
The convergence is happening, my Squaxx — the plot threads of the Dredd epic The Oubliette are coming together as the Finders in Mega-City One close in on locating Dredd, who himself has battled is way up the levels of the mysterious prison towards escape.
This week, we’ve got two episodes of The Oubliette in the prog, and over in Meg 495 — on sale right now! — there’s the final instalment of The Black Tower. Make sure you read this prog’s episodes before you immerse yourselves in the Meg’s storyline!
Elsewhere, we’ve got the latest instalments of Brink, The Fall of Deadworld and Nightmare New York, while in this month’s Megazine there’s the start of two new arcs for Storm Warning by John Reppion & Lee Carter and Mega-City 2099 by Ken Niemand & Conor Boyle, plus more Lawless, Rogue Trooper and The Angry Planet, as well as chats with creators such as James Lovegrove, Emily Roach, Si Spurrier & Mike Dowling!
Be here in seven, Terrans, for another bumper prog as The Oubliette builds towards its climax!
2000 AD is a British science fiction comic book, which has been publishing for nearly 50 years 1977, famed for its dark British humour, and satirical and subversive stories. The jewel in the crown is Judge Dredd, a dystopian cyberpunk icon, whilst The Fall of Deadworld is a kind of an alternative history prequel series about Judge Dredd enemy Judge Death. Meanwhile Mega-City 2099 stories serve as a more traditional prequel.
JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #495
From the publisher –
The Black Tower concludes in this month’s Megazine, and Judge Dredd and Mega-City One will never be the same again! Who is left standing as we reach the end of the Mega-Epic storyline?
This month also welcomes back “Storm Warning” to the Meg — the story of a psi-judge with the ability to see the dead! When Storm is summoned to a stately home, little does she know that she’s heading straight into a murder-mystery setting — can her powers help her find the culprit?
And this packed Megazine also features the frontier justice of “Lawless”, intense futuristic warfare in “Rogue Trooper”, as well as the return of “Mega-City 2099”, telling new never-seen-before stories from Dredd’s youth!
Sister publication to 2000 AD, offering more Judge Dredd, more Mega-City 2099, as well as Rogue Trooper, a military scifi making its way to cinema screens soon with Duncan Jones’ movie adaptation (release date not yet determined).
Videogame – IAH: Internet War
This week, tactical roguelite IAH: Internet War released on Steam. Developed by Vitali Kirpu Productions, and published by Sinnon.net, the game sees you commanding bots tactically on a 3D battlefield in real-time.
From the publisher –
AH: INTERNET WAR is a tactical roguelite combining turn-based strategy and resource management with real-time squad combat. Explore a labyrinth of website-filled rooms, customize combat bots, and fight ZENDAR CORP solo or in online co-op for 2 to 10 players.
IAH: Internet War is an interesting looking one. It combines a strategic, turn-based game with frantic real-time robot battling. You’ll begin by exploring the internet, travelling through a series of connected rooms, capturing control panels and building up resources. You’ll buy equipment, and build your bots, crafting over 100 different bots and structures.
Then during real-time combat you’ll direct your forces, assign targets, whilst considering cover and line of sight. The battles are frenetic and chaotic, and you’ll need to think quickly as the skirmish unfolds, playing cards and upgrades to get the upper hand.
As you complete contracts, your actions have consequences. There are rival hackers and enemy crews to be aware of, as well as the attention of the police. IAH: Internet War can be played as a single player, or online with up to 10 players.
You can check out the details on the game’s Steam page, and you can see the trailer below. https://store.steampowered.com/app/304770/IAH_INTERNET_WAR/
Film – Hot Spot
Science fiction thriller Hot Spot was released this week in the US. Directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska, from a script by Robert Bolesto, it is set towards the end of the 21st century, in a world controlled by an artificial intelligence.
Synopsis –
In Hot Spot, set in a near future society ruled by sentient A.I., a private eye investigates a murder case only to discover a rebel group capable of undermining the digital overlord. As the detective’s identity slowly unravels, his world enters a state of hypnotic meltdown.
Andrzej Konopka stars as investigator Djonny, who in the course of investigating a murder comes into contact with maybe a cyber witch, maybe just a witch, in the form of Noomi Rapace’s Rana. Once brought together, will they disrupt the system ruled over by the sentient A.I.?
Visually distinct, the aesthetic appears to be a mixture of future tech, earthy locations, and with an almost retro futurism look to some of the technology. Outlandish styles are on display, and the synth score to the trailer is awesome. The movie looks brutal, bloody, and bonkers. So far, the movie only has a 10% score on Rotten Tomatoes at time of writing, but with only 10 reviews on there so far, it is too early to tell what the general critical reaction is.
Agnieszka Smoczynska previously directed The Lure, Fuga, and The Silent Twins, as well as two episodes of Warrior Nun. Writer Robert Bolesto previously worked with Smoczynska as writer of The Lure. Hot Spot is distributed by Focus Features, and released in North America on August 21st. Release dates in other territories have yet to be confirmed.
You can watch the trailer below.
Book – The Neon Null
This week, The Neon Null, a short cyberpunk novella by Nyx Vane, was released on Amazon Kindle. The fast-paced, gritty story follows a data courier on a job that quickly goes south, leaving him with some hard decisions to make.
From the publisher –
One courier. One rogue neural construct. A city ready to burn.
In the rain-soaked neon grid of Neo-Veridia, data runner Jax thought he was taking a standard high-tier delivery job. But the lead-lined case strapped to his arm isn’t holding corporate ledger fragments—it’s a live, terrifyingly sentient consciousness known as The Null. When Astra Corporation black-ops mark him for deletion, Jax is forced to make the ultimate gamble: wipe his own memory to escape a corporate purge, or let the ghost in his head burn out his brain. Trapped in a web of betrayal by his own fixers and hunted by ruthless enforcers, Jax has to weaponize his own mind to crack the sector open and survive the ultimate digital war.
At just 16 pages, The Neon Null is more of a short story than a novella, even. What it very effectively does, though, is work as a calling card for first-time author Nyx Vane. Almost a two chapter introduction to a larger story. It very swiftly puts across the visual aesthetic of the world, and though it gives a lot of world building information very quickly, it is mostly clean and efficient rather than feeling like too much of a data dump.
The story moves along quickly as data courier Jax finds his world crashing down around him, having to think quickly, making an almost unthinkable decision, and we are left to ponder the consequences. Author Nyx Vane tells us this is just the first of a 5 to 6 novel series, and it certainly leaves us wanting more, interested in what’s to come. Whether the subsequent novels will be longer stories, or also just short pieces of the bigger puzzle remains to be seen.
The Neon Null is available now on Amazon Kindle.
Trailer – Barkour
We were undecided whether to cover this or not. We’re still undecided, but here it is anyway, the trailer for upcoming spy dog videogame, Barkour. So it’s a parkour-based game, right? Well, you wouldn’t know it from the trailer, it seems to cut away before showing any actual parkour…
From the publisher –
BARKOUR is a fast-paced action platformer with a stealthy twist, starring Agent T.H.U.N.D.E.R. – a tail-wagging master of parkour, high-tech gadgets and getting into trouble. Jump, sneak and fight your way through a spy adventure packed with action, canine chaos and delightfully absurd surprises.
You play the part of Agent T.H.U.N.D.E.R., a highly trained canine, as you take on a series of evil villains. In order to succeed, you’ll need to use a range of gadgets, a good dose of stealth, along with your, ahem, Barkour skills. There looks to be a wide range of really rather beautiful and atmospheric locations, offering plenty of variety in the wall and roof furniture you’ll have to apply your, ahem, Barkour expertise.
So yes, it is a parkour game. But is it cyberpunk? Well T.H.U.N.D.E.R. has a range of technological augmentations he can use, there are a number of other high-tech gadgets, and your boss appears to be some kind of cyborg dog. We’re sure they won’t turn out to have been the villain all along…
Barkour is developed and published by VARSAV Game Studios, and is scheduled for release in Q4 2026, for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
You can watch the trailer below.
Trailer – April X
Following the trailer release a few weeks ago, the first clip for near-future thriller April X was unveiled this week, by Vertigo Releasing. The movie follows a black market organ trader, who goes in search of his missing twin sister, and ends up losing his grip on his sanity the situation spirals out of control.
Synopsis –
When his twin sister April (Lilly Krug) goes missing, Bax (Connor Storrie) searches every corner of their futuristic, post-Soviet cityscape to find her, ultimately descending into madness.
Considering the proliferation of cybernetic implants and augmentation in cyberpunk media, it’s been quite some time since we last had a movie revolving around the subject of the bionic organ industry, 2010’s Repo Men. April X doesn’t look to focus as directly on the bodypart market, however. Bax has cleared out his bank accounts, owing money to some very dangerous people. His sister has a plan to get the rest of the money he needs to repay his debt, but mysteriously disappears in the process. This sets Bax on his odyssey to find her, but from the looks of it, it doesn’t go well.
Setting the story in an industrial-looking, post-Soviet setting allows the filmmakers to save some budget on the sets. Showing us a beautifully grim, graffiti-covered cityscape contrasted against the more technologically advanced, futuristic affluent locations really hits home the contrast between the haves and have-nots. The movie looks to be an exciting mix of action and thriller, with beautiful visuals in both the decaying urban locations, and the vibrant futuristic areas. Several cyberpunk staples can be seen in the trailer, including futuristic motorbikes and neon-soaked nightclubs, and all in all it looks very promising.
Along with Connor Storrie and Lilly Krug, April X also stars Tudor Chirilă, Șerban Pavlu, and Tourialay Akbari. Michel K Parandi directs his first feature film, having previously directed scifi shorts. He also co-writes, alongside Jack Coulton. The movie releases theatrically in most markets on 18th September.
You can watch the trailer, and the first look clip below.
PODCAST – HOSTS IN THE SHELL EPISODE 65: Streets of Rage
The latest episode of Hosts in the Shell is available now. This week, hosts Jon Richter and Matt Adcock talk about Streets of Rage, a side-scrolling beat-em-up with cyberpunk elements.
The Hosts in the Shell podcast is a cyberpunk podcast where Jon and Matt discuss the genre’s greatest work, often alongside a notable guest, and they have over 50 episodes available. You can find the Hosts in the Shell podcast at the link below, and all good podcast platforms.
As well as being podcasters, Jon and Matt are also authors with cyberpunk related titles amongst their novels.
You can find out more about Jon’s work here –
You can find out more about Matt’s work here –
www.completedarknessnovel.com/
CYBERSTOPIA – Discord
Cyberstopia now has a Discord server! Please join us and build a community for cyberpunk and dystopia discussion. We have sections for all the latest news, channels for discussion of The Ghost in the Shell series, as well as upcoming shows like Edgrerunners 2, Blade Runner 2099, and Neuromancer, as well as an author section with a number of cyberpunk authors talking about their work, giving updates on your current projects, etc… It’s a great place to hang out.
https://discord.gg/ETgkwzHQ5
For more of the latest news on cyberpunk and dystopia media, stay tuned to Cyberstopia here on the website, and across social media. If you have a Cyberstopian project or release, or there’s something you think we should be covering, please let us know here in the comments, on your social media platform of choice, or at our website www.cyberstopia.com
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