Midnight Protocol

Wow, this was absolutely amazing. Yes, it is a bit hard to categorize -- it's more or less a Turn Based Strategy game with RPG elements and a strong story, completely immersed in the "hacking" theme. Do not expect a hacking sim, this is completely "gamefied", but that is exactly what makes it fun. It starts a bit slow, but once you start to pick up upgrades, you start to think about the choices you must make (what software and hardware to pick for each assignment, for example). It isn't incredibly hard, but it will make you think if you want the best outcomes of all missions. And there are some "secret sidequests" which aren't too hard to find, just make sure you explore the game at your leisure. But the good gameplay is there to support an amazing story; some of the story beats are really memorable, and expertly presented. Now, do know the game is played with keyboard only (not even mouse). This is a stylistic choice which makes complete sense in the context of the game. And it **really** works, helping immensely with the illusion you are hacking something. I run across very few bugs near the end of the game, but they were easily sidestepped. Very recommended, 92/100.

♥♥♥♥ game where you really feel like you're hacking. The choices you make in each mission change the options of programs you can buy and use later and sometimes open up new missions or close others off. Two different MAIN endings that you can chose from by your actions in the final mission (you can go back to the final mission after winning the game and play for the other ending), multiple different smaller changes to the ending based on what you did during the play through

This game is an amazing, one-of-a-kind experience. Its very specific but undeniably cool visual presentation, combined with a gripping story full of intrigue and truly unique gameplay, creates an immersive experience that really drew me in. I also loved how, throughout the game, you constantly feel in control of your experience. From how you build your cyberdeck and choose your program suite to the "color of the hat" your hacker wears, so to speak, and the decisions you make along the way, everything feels meaningful and often has impactful consequences. Even though some missions were a bit rougher around the edges and required either a very specific approach or a bit of help from the RNG, most of them were very well designed and the gameplay never felt stale. All in all, it was an amazing ride that I’d highly recommend to anyone with a soft spot for thrillers with a dash of cyberpunk and sci-fi.

Building out the software and hardware modules for your deck, and then swapping them out to try a completely different approach to a particular puzzle was the highlight of the game for me, it becomes more of an open-ended techno-puzzler than at first glimpse. Also it doesn't pull any moral punches nor railroad or signpost what the "correct" choices should be during your adventure, you are on your own and have to own the consequences of whatever you choose. Pretty refreshing.

Given its a hacking strategy game I super do not agree or enjoy: - You never see your enemy, you trip into them or guess where they might be (and suffer if your wrong) - You cannot re-plan missions - You are not provided enough information ahead of time to know which programs to take along If these terrible design decisions had been mitigated or provided as optional, we'd have a great game here. I guess the intent is you are to go in with your wits and the tools you have and hope for the best but without any real agency, your just tripping through landmines. Failing forward isn't very fun; it sounds a lot like life. == Wow this is wild - You literally cannot see ICE before running into them or rolling the dice and using sniffer (maybe your right, maybe your wrong, but you can't use it again for a bit) - It is in no way obvious that I can restart a mission; I learned outside of the game that I can restart a mission while in the mission but I cannot re-plan (choose better set of programs), which is what I said - SOME network details are given in advance, not everything as I'd like; how do I reroll and try again? Look your game isn't for me. I'm not lying or making things up, I have no reason to, the design choices aren't very good from my point of view.

Please play this game. If not for the unique gameplay and presentation, then for the story and narrative approach.

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真正体现了“软件越升级越糟糕”，cloak v2.0 → cloak v3.3 隐形概率就只是从75%提升到80%，最小占用分区就从2上升到4。sniffer → sniffer 2.0，虽然允许同时开启多个探测器，但分区占用从2上升到3，时长占用从2上升到3，这是升了个啥级？ 最实用的工具就是早早就出的那几个，能够不占行动步数的桥梁开启器（troll toll），养好多小蜜蜂群体攻击（hive），剑与魔法那个地图拿到的宝剑（vorpal sword），后面出的软件都是为了卖萌或者演出效果。