Some networks have additional challenges, such as system operators (a decker in the network that actively hunts you). This forces you to juggle between stealth, detecting ICE and breaking through to your objectives. The main challenge comes with the trace bar: without using certain programs to limit detection, the network can trace you. You have a handful of programs - such as stealth programs and ICE-breakers - at your disposal with which to carry out your mission, but the game limits the number of programs you can take in with you and the number of them that can be active at any given time. Each mission is centred around breaching into a network, fulfilling a specific goal (planting a virus, stealing funds, acquiring information) while evading intrusion countermeasures (ICE). The gameplay itself is a sort of literal deck-building turn-based puzzle game. Midnight Protocol also rewards you for exploring its world, testing out the different strategies and a little chess-style minigame. The way the story is conveyed (through text and emails) conveys a sense of isolation, all while the gameplay gives you a rush of power. Progression between narrative stages is signposted well, and none of these sections overstays its welcome. It’s all basic stuff, but it’s been done well. Then, between missions, you can spend your money to acquire more programs, upgrade hardware, or research targets. Individual missions can have a variety of outcomes, depending on your inclination and the degree to which you explore your options: in one series of missions for a shady lobbying group, you have the ability to plant viruses and report on their operations. One thing that Midnight Protocol nails is gameplay-story integration. In a year with high profile cyberpunk RPG disappointments (not naming names, but Cyberpunk 2077 knows what it did), I was sceptical of Midnight Protocol - after all, it looks like someone took the hacking minigame from Deus Ex: Human Revolution and tried to stretch it out for 20-30 hours - but LuGus Studios has managed to deliver on just about everything it promises: immersive cyberpunk hacking, solid characterisation and a surprisingly twisty plot… All delivered with minimalist graphics and no mouse. I can’t recommend Midnight Protocol enough, so grab your energy drink of choice, order some junk food and seal yourself in a room for 24 hours to get the full cyber-decker experience.
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