Cypher

About

Cypher is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by Matthew Brown and was released on February 20, 2018. It received positive reviews from players.

Cypher is a single-player puzzle game focused on cryptography, where players explore a museum and learn about the history of encryption, from simple substitution ciphers to the Enigma machine. With an outstanding soundtrack, players must decipher over 40 challenging puzzles using a pen and paper, expecting to spend around 7 hours to beat the game. This intellectual journey through the world of codes and ciphers offers a unique and engaging experience for puzzle enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 394 reviews

music28 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Engaging and educational experience that teaches players about cryptography and various ciphers.
Challenging puzzles that require critical thinking and problem-solving skills, providing a sense of achievement when solved.
Calming atmosphere with minimalist design and soothing classical music enhances the overall experience.

Lacks sufficient hints and guidance, making it frustrating for players without prior knowledge of cryptography.
Gameplay primarily involves writing down puzzles and solutions, which may feel tedious and less interactive.
Difficulty spikes significantly in later puzzles, potentially discouraging players who are not well-versed in cryptographic concepts.

music
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
34%
6%
The music in the game is predominantly classical, featuring well-known composers like Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin, which enhances the relaxing and atmospheric experience. While some players noted the music can become repetitive due to a limited selection, many appreciated its calming effect and how it complements the minimalist design and puzzle-solving elements. Overall, the soundtrack is praised for its elegance and ability to create a soothing backdrop for gameplay.
- “The atmosphere, the refined look, and the music playing in the background is relaxing.”
- “The restful and reflective piano music of Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and others perfectly complements the overall museum ambience of the game while the wall displays in the virtual museum provide interesting historical notes and clues to some of the puzzles.”
- “I love the minimalist design and feel that it fits perfectly with the excellent choice of calming classical music.”
- “Unfortunately, the game does not have its own unique music.”
- “The background music is very short, and the music repeats too frequently.”
- “It's just classical music and puzzles.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
76%
8%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist aesthetic that complements its cryptographic theme, featuring clean, static visuals reminiscent of a museum exhibit. Players appreciate the soothing music and the overall calming atmosphere, which enhances the puzzle-solving experience. While some find the simplicity appealing, others feel it may lack depth in terms of visual engagement.
- “The music, environment, and visuals are really well made and work nicely with the theme of cryptography.”
- “Although the fact that this is a game does boost it from an aesthetic perspective - the presentation as pristine museum exhibits with classical piano melodies certainly lends itself to a certain mood.”
- “The graphics are minimalistic, but it feels appropriate for the content.”
- “It's difficult to recommend a game which is basically just some cryptographic/steganographic CTF challenges with increasing difficulty.”
- “Cypher is highly polished graphically, but incredibly scant both in terms of information on cryptography and actual puzzles.”
- “If you like cracking coded messages, then Cypher's minimalist graphics won't bother you one bit.”
gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
47%
18%
The gameplay of Cypher is centered around cryptography, offering a blend of educational and enjoyable experiences through its puzzles and historical context. While it effectively teaches various decoding techniques, some players find the interaction limited to typing solutions, which may detract from the overall engagement. The game is particularly challenging for those without a strong foundation in English or cryptography, but it can be intellectually uplifting for players willing to tackle its complexities.
- “With its calming atmosphere and clever gameplay design, Cypher really finds a great balance between enjoyment and education.”
- “I really liked everything from the gameplay, the problems, the stuff that you learn, and even the music.”
- “Teaches you the different mechanics of deciphering codes super well.”
- “You just read the text, grab a notepad and type in the answer when you're done, even at the enigma and 'challenge' (read: random puzzles without introduction about their mechanics, except the devs text to just google it) puzzles.”
- “After the monoalphabetic cipher (the 2nd of the 6 subsets), gameplay was basically reduced to googling the decrypted text and typing it into the game.”
- “The three enigma puzzles are just the very, very simple examples of mechanics of the enigma machine itself.”
story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized, with many users noting a lack of narrative depth and character development, as it primarily focuses on solving ciphers. While some players appreciate the challenge and intelligence of the gameplay, they acknowledge that the absence of a traditional story may deter those seeking a more immersive experience. Overall, the game is seen as more of a puzzle-solving exercise than a narrative-driven adventure.
- “I never thought there was an advanced section, and I sure as hell didn't expect there to be some story and data about every single type of cypher presented in the game.”
- “I just beat level 1 with all 8 missions done in about 1 and a half hours, and it's been an incredibly smart and challenging game.”
- “I think it would be better on sale, and all you do is solve ciphers, so there is not much story or anything else to it.”
- “But unless your mission in life is to marry cryptography, have its baby, and then name that baby fijz 0110 and dare people to figure out what its name is, then you are going to waste your money here.”
- “You often find games costing upwards of fifty dollars dedicated to giving an experience, a story, or simply a competitive environment.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
22%
11%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its calming, minimalist, and surreal qualities, often described as thought-provoking and dreamlike. The combination of simple design, classical music, and an eerie solitude enhances the immersive experience, allowing players to focus on the gameplay while enjoying a refined and relaxing environment. Overall, the atmosphere effectively complements the game's complexity and puzzle-solving elements.
- “The atmosphere is fantastic, minimalist and almost eerie in its solitude, yet complements the complexity of the game perfectly, allowing no distractions, just you and your focus on working through each puzzle.”
- “I love the minimalistic and surreal dreamlike atmosphere, and the music is very nice.”
- “The design, the music choices, even the footsteps echoing through the halls, it had great atmosphere with a minimalist feel.”
- “But, if you don't regularly do the cryptograms in the papers, you may still like Cypher because it creates that other-worldly atmosphere so many of us love (like we did with Rodinia Project).”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of emotions while engaging with the game, feeling both challenged and accomplished. Despite moments of self-doubt and confusion, the overall experience is overwhelmingly positive, with many feeling a deep affection for the game and its puzzles. The emotional journey includes a blend of frustration, joy, and a sense of achievement.
- “This game is amazing! I'm in love with it, and all the puzzles made me feel so smart even though I am actually really dumb.”
- “<3 If only there wasn't some sensitive subject matter that made me feel sad. I mean, there wasn't, but that's okay... (mild spoilers: [spoiler]idk haha[/spoiler]) but still, wow!!!!!”
- “This game made me feel like an absolute dumbass.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Grinding in the game is often seen as tedious, particularly for those without programming skills, as it involves solving various ciphers. However, some players find it manageable with the aid of tools and appreciate the relaxing classical music that enhances the experience. Overall, while it can be a chore, it also serves an educational purpose.
- “This can be quite tedious, but it does serve the purpose of teaching you the methods to decode different types of ciphers.”
- “I wrote some code to help me solve the substitution ciphers faster and had an okay time, but solving those without programming knowledge seems like it would be extremely tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is polarizing; while some players find it hilarious, others feel that the jokes are too sophisticated or miss the mark. Overall, a majority of reviewers appreciate the comedic elements, though not everyone finds them effective.
- “Hilarious game”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express concerns about the game's replayability, noting a perceived lack of incentives or content that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “There seems to be a lack of replayability.”
- “The game doesn't offer enough variety to keep me coming back for more.”
- “Once you finish the main story, there's little incentive to replay.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly without any noticeable bugs or logical errors in puzzle design, contributing to a seamless gameplay experience.
- “The game runs smoothly, and I haven't run into any bugs or found any logical errors or mistakes with the puzzle design.”