Cyber Protocol

Genre: Puzzle

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Splitscreen)

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in the bundle AAA Clock + Cyber Protocol, along with AAA Clock)

Cyber Protocol is a Puzzle game that simulates hacking into a computer system, representing this as a Puzzle game where you are sliding an avatar through various levels with items to collect and hazards to avoid.

The presentation in this game is top-notch. The simple pixel-based graphics have a neon look that’s vaguely reminiscent of games like Pac-Man, with a noise filter that makes the game look like it’s being played on a VHS cassette. On top of that, the game makes use of a fantastic chiptune soundtrack that perfectly meshes with the game’s cyberpunk themes.

As for the gameplay itself, it’s fairly simple and straightforward and you quickly get used to it once you’ve played it for a short while. You can slide in one of four directions, and can only move again once you hit a wall or some other hazard. There’s nothing truly original or inventive here, but it’s done well enough.

The multiplayer mode here, for those who are wondering, amounts to a race for up to four players, with players competing on multiple levels to see who can complete them first. It’s a nice addition, but it does kinda’ just feel like a way for multiple players to play the game at the same time, rather than anything where they’re actively engaging one another.

As for complaints, it’s a bit frustrating when you make a mistake and have to restart a level (or if you’ve hit a checkpoint, at least a section of a level). And I wish the game were more open-ended to allow for creativity in how you approach levels.

Still, for what amounts to a simple sliding Puzzle game, Cyber Protocol does a decent job with the gameplay, and absolutely knocks it out of the park with the presentation. Fans of Puzzle games looking for something a bit slicker to play should give this a try.

tl;dr – Cyber Protocol is a sliding Puzzle game where your movements through levels and avoiding hazards simulates a cyberpunk hacker breaking into a computer system. The gameplay doesn’t do anything especially new or different, but the audiovisual presentation is outstanding. Puzzle fans should certainly give this game a look.

Grade: B-

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