Cyber Protocol Review - Hack Your Way Through Mazes To Save A Friend

Written by Brandon Hofer on October 13, 2019

Reviews: You need to put your hacking skills to the test as you navigate a number of different mazes within systems that are trying to kill you.

Cyber Protocol is a new title from RedDeer Games where you need to hack the system to try and bring your Android friend back to life by activating the protocol. As the name suggests this game is set in a Cyberpunk setting with the aesthetic that genre is known to have. Once you get past the intro for the game there are a number of different things that you can do. There is the story mode that features 100 levels where you will have to safely navigate a maze and get to the end of it. Then there is an arcade mode that you can play with up to three people at an increased pace and limited lives. It should be noted that this multiplayer component is for local play only. You will have to be better than all of your friends and see if you can take your place among the top 20 global rankings of cyber hackers.

Cyber Protocol has a pretty nice soundtrack that helps set the mood as you are trying to find the exit for these mazes. If you just want to listen to music and not play there is a music player in the game where you can do just that. As you progress in the story there are also a number of different things you will unlock such as different avatars you can use, different game themes, different music themes, and more.

When I started my first maze in Cyber Protocol I instantly got a Pac-Man vibe. The mazes tend to me much more complex there but you will immediately see what I am talking about by checking out the trailer in this review. The gameplay is fairly basic. You move with the left analog stick but you need to plan out your maneuvers before you make your move. Once you move your cursor can’t stop until it hits something. So, for example, if you want to go down a row to an item you see you better make sure that the thing your cursor runs into won’t kill you. If it will you might need to find another way to get that item. As you progress the challenges get more difficult. The first few mazes are a piece of cake to get you used to the game’s mechanic but it isn’t too long before they start ramping up the difficulty. You will eventually come across lasers that are shooting across the maze so you will need to time your moves precisely. You will need to look at where your cursor is going to stop because it doesn’t always land in safe place, so you might need to act very quickly. There are also areas that can “eat” your cursor and send to back to either the start of the level or, hopefully, the checkpoint if you are far enough along and you activated it. Part of the challenge of Cyber Protocol is that you don’t have complete control over what is going on and what you are able to do. You need to plan around that and if you are someone who enjoys these kinds of puzzles, where you have to act really quickly at times and carefully plan out your move at other times, you should definitely give this title a chance.

Cyber Protocol is a fun game from the team at RedDeer Games for the Switch. It is another indie that people should really take a look at and consider supporting. There is a tremendous amount of trial and error in the game. Get used to the thought that you will die a lot as you are trying to navigate these mazes. With that said though the game moves so quick you almost won’t mind. There isn’t any loading once you get into the maze so if you get killed you immediately respawn at the closest safe location, whether that be at the beginning or at a checkpoint. The difficulty ramps up nicely by increasing the challenge as you progress in the story but not throwing everything at you all at once to try and overwhelm you. Cyber Protocol presents a good challenge for those who like puzzle games but the question is...can you utilize your hacker skills to clear all of the stages in the game and save your Android friend?

**We received a Cyber Protocol code from RedDeer Games for review purposes**