First of all, thanks to RedDeerGames for the code for this!

Pac-Man repackaged! No, seriously. This is what I would call it if we titled our reviews. This may even have been intentional, as the trailer even advertises it as "inspired by Retro Style." Cyber Protocol's levels and mazes are very similar to Pac-Man, although it provides you with a bit of a different storyline. Basically, the objective of this game is to bring your droid friend back to life. How? You go through all 100 of the levels in this game to reboot his 'cyber protocol'. The game opens with an intriguing introduction that draws you into the sci-fi setting of the game, and then quickly you are directed to the mazes that are the meat of the gameplay.

It's hard not to compare it to Pac-Man, and other reviewers have also noticed similarities. But that doesn't make it a bad game. Far from it. Opening with a similar (but not identical) maze to the classic, you are drawn into a game that requires you to proceed from one end of the maze to the other in order to progress. Like Pac-Man, you go across the screen and eat dots. There are even places on the maze that equal instant death. Or rather, when your cursor lands on a skull, you are sent back to the beginning. However, a difference is there are no fruits to eat or ghosts chasing you- you just have to get from one end to the other of the maze. This isn't as simple as it sounds. On the third level, a death trap is about a ¼ of the way through the maze, and it seems impossible to progress without stepping right into it. You have to find a creative way around this to progress to the next level.

Cyber Protocol is supposed to make the player feel like they are hacking. As I've never hacked before, I cannot verify to how true this is. But as gameplay progresses, it becomes more obvious what one is supposed to do. Basically, as the game progresses and you get closer and closer to the ending, the mazes become more complex.

The sounds and controls are top-notch. Like any technology-based game, there are a lot of bleeps and blips, but this is not a boring soundtrack at all. As the cursor rushes through the maze, literally almost every action has a corresponding sound. The dots eaten sound just like Pac-Man. The rushing cursor has its own noise too. Hitting the traps plays a unique sound as well. The soundtrack is not a boring, drippy elevator music. It is a lively soundtrack that is perfectly appropriate for the sci-fi background and setting of a computer-based world where you are on a quest to rescue your droid friend. In fact, the soundtrack is so popular it is available on Nintendo eShop as part of the Cyber Protocol bundle. For me, I'm satisfied with the music while playing the game, but aficionados of the tunes can buy them and play them within the game for the price of 9.99

Now, how does it hold up morally? There are no swear words in the game, no examples of gross or inappropriate humor, no overly sexual situations, no occultic overtones. It's a pretty clean game in that area. But as the game is meant to simulate hacking, that could raise some concerns. You are not hacking, but is it ethical to pretend you are? If one is really picky, one could raise moral concerns over this.

All in all, I was not disappointed with Cyber Protocol and it gave me great fun and joy while providing nostalgia about my days playing Pac-Man on the NES when I was a young child. The only concern is the simulation of hacking, and the brightness of the atmosphere may not be recommended for sensitive gamers. But it's a decent game and pretty fun.