Astra Protocol 2
- December 1, 2022
- Slice Bar
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreIn "Astra Protocol 2," pilot a spaceship through a cassette futurism world, using text commands and a 1980s interface to navigate celestial bodies, monitor ship status, scan for survivors, defend against hostiles, and solve the mystery of the Astra Protocol. Command the spaceship's helm, engineering, science, and ordnance modules to complete your mission. This immersive space adventure offers a unique blend of text-based gameplay and detailed space exploration.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game successfully captures the retro computer feeling, providing a nostalgic experience reminiscent of 1980s tech limitations.
- Once players overcome the steep learning curve, they find a rewarding game with depth, replayability, and engaging gameplay mechanics.
- The unique text-based console interface and the challenge of managing various ship systems create a compelling and immersive experience.
- The steep learning curve and lengthy manual can be overwhelming, making it difficult for new players to get into the game.
- The game runs incredibly slowly on default settings, which can lead to boredom and frustration during gameplay.
- The user interface is intentionally clunky and obtuse, making navigation and understanding commands a challenging experience.
- story3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The story revolves around a mysterious event known as the Astra Protocol, linked to a distress beacon of unknown origin. Players engage in a calm yet chaotic exploration of space, scanning various objects to uncover clues, which creates a sense of both intrigue and challenge as they strive to unravel the mission's seemingly insurmountable goals.
“You can scan your surroundings for objects, target those objects (planets, moons, spaceships, space lifeforms, asteroids, space mines, etc.) and scan them for information as your mission is to find leads which can help you discover the meaning of the Astra Protocol, which is an unknown event referred to by a space object - inspection determined it is a distress beacon - from unspecified origin.”
“You can scan your surroundings for objects, target those objects (planets, moons, spaceships, space lifeforms, asteroids, space mines, etc.) and scan them for information as your mission is to find leads which can help you discover the meaning of the Astra Protocol, which is an unknown event referred to by a space object - inspection determined it is a distress beacon - from an unspecified origin.”
“Feels like a zen koan; everything is so calm, spooky, and at the same time stressful and chaotic, and the mission goals feel almost impossible to accomplish.”
- gameplay3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed feedback, with some users expressing disappointment due to a lack of engaging mechanics and insufficient guidance for newcomers, which detracts from the nostalgic experience they anticipated.
“Ultimately, the gameplay just isn't really my jam.”
“When I first found it, I thought it was going to be perfect for some nostalgia and then some deep gameplay, but it won't even give me the information I need to get started.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic feel reminiscent of early 80s computing, effectively capturing the aesthetic of that era with a unique charm. Players appreciate the game's ability to utilize retro graphics in a serious context, enhancing the overall experience.
“What an absolute gem of a game, the aesthetic of 'early computers put to use in serious situations' is totally nailed here and after playing for two hours so far I have barely scratched the surface and I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth in more.”
“This brings me back to the early 80s when I had a Hercules graphics card.”
“It was invented in 1982 and had a whopping screen resolution of 720x384, way more than most consumer graphics adapters at that time.”
“The aesthetic of 'early computers put to use in serious situations' is totally nailed here.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a cheeky, tongue-in-cheek style that complements its complex spaceship simulator mechanics, creating a unique blend of levity and depth.
“There is an interesting spaceship simulator hidden beneath the uncompromising interface and cheek-in-cheek humor.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game surprisingly deep, contributing to its high replayability, which encourages multiple playthroughs to explore different strategies and outcomes.
“It has a depth and replayability that you perhaps might not expect.”
