Quantum Protocol

About

"Quantum Protocol" is a deck-building card game where you build your deck on the fly to tackle various scenarios. Adapt your strategy and cards to changing situations, as both you and your enemies can adjust your tactics. The game also delves into the personal stories of the characters behind the code, providing a deeper narrative alongside the hacking-themed gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 205 reviews

gameplay34 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Quantum Protocol offers a unique blend of deckbuilding and puzzle mechanics, requiring players to think strategically about card placement and timing.
The game features a diverse cast of characters and decks, each with distinct playstyles, providing a high level of replayability and depth.
The visuals and sound design are top-notch, with beautiful art and an engaging soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.

The game can be overwhelming for new players due to its complex mechanics and lack of a traditional deckbuilding experience, leading to frustration.
The story and character development are shallow, often feeling like a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative.
Difficulty spikes can be harsh, especially in the later stages, which may deter some players from continuing past the initial learning curve.

gameplay
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
71%
2%
The gameplay of this deckbuilder is highly praised for its innovative mechanics and strategic depth, offering a unique blend of card interactions reminiscent of games like Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic: The Gathering. Players appreciate the smooth and engaging mechanics, which require careful planning and adaptation, especially in challenging boss fights and roguelite modes. While the game features a steep learning curve, it rewards players with a satisfying and replayable experience that emphasizes tactical decision-making and deck customization.
- “This is one incredibly innovative deck-building experience with very clearly explained systems and mechanics.”
- “The result is a deckbuilder that's unlike any other I know of, where the mechanics are fresh, the gameplay is tense, and each action matters.”
- “The gameplay is smooth and engaging, the art is beautiful, and the dialog is hilarious.”
- “The only real thing that's missing is gameplay variety; the gameplay loop is basically 'pick a deck, pick a dungeon'.”
- “The lengthy tutorial was painful; I spent more time reading cards and new mechanics than playing the game, and it took me over an hour to get through it to mastery level 14 or so.”
- “I never had a chance to enjoy the simplicity of stats-based card combat or making use of one basic mechanic. Instead, like a poorly-taught school class, I had to endure boring lessons on each mechanic before finally having to use all of them at once.”
story
108 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
76%
4%
The story in Quantum Protocol is generally viewed as light and somewhat shallow, serving primarily as a vehicle to introduce gameplay mechanics rather than offering deep narrative content. While the visual novel style and character interactions are appreciated for their charm and humor, many players feel the main story is short and acts more like a tutorial, with the real depth and challenge emerging in the post-story roguelike mode. Overall, the narrative is enjoyable but not the main draw of the game, with players often prioritizing gameplay over story.
- “Quantum Protocol is a roguelite deckbuilding card game with additional puzzles to help understand the preliminary decks you have to work with throughout the story told with a visual novel approach.”
- “The corny, cutesy story, while riddled with stilted dialogue and anime tropes, still manages to be heartfelt and gives you just enough connection to the characters and world, without overstaying its welcome.”
- “An excellent and creative twist on the card game with proactive and snappy gameplay, interesting storyline and characters, and gorgeous graphics.”
- “By the way, the story is garbage; however, the dialogue is quite alright. If you give the game a try, just don't expect anything too deep or meaningful.”
- “The entire story is a glorified tutorial that makes absolutely sure that you can demonstrate an understanding of all the game's moving pieces before it lets you go.”
- “The story leaves something to be desired, but otherwise, this is a fantastic game.”
music
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
27%
9%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its catchy and engaging quality, often described as "epic" and reminiscent of high-quality soundtracks like that of "Crypt of the Necrodancer." While some players noted that the soundtrack features limited variety, the overall composition and integration with the game's visuals and gameplay have been highlighted as a significant enhancement to the experience. Many reviews emphasize that the music, alongside the charming art and storytelling, contributes to a captivating and enjoyable atmosphere throughout the game.
- “Levels are tied together by visual-novel style storytelling, with charming characters, backgrounds, and music.”
- “A fantastic game with great characters, unique gameplay, infectiously amusing writing, and really good music.”
- “The energetic techno music and beautiful pixel art are cool and good.”
- “Play with the music off; the soundtrack is a hell of an earworm because there's basically only one song.”
- “Even the music.”
- “Sound: the background music tracks dip into the chiptune realm and match the atmosphere pretty well, usually flavored around the respective stage's overall theme.”
graphics
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
26%
11%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their high quality, featuring a clean and attractive anime aesthetic that complements the gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the fantastic visuals and artwork, noting that they enhance the overall experience, while some express minor criticisms regarding the game's reliance on GPU for 2D graphics. Overall, the visuals, along with the music and user interface, contribute positively to the game's appeal.
- “Fantastic visuals, quite challenging but fun gameplay, gorgeous music.”
- “An excellent and creative twist on the card game with proactive and snappy gameplay, interesting storyline and characters, and gorgeous graphics.”
- “Great card-based gameplay with lots of control over how exactly you develop your deck and significant focus on positioning activated cards on the playing field, fantastic visuals, solid music, and, while it's not necessarily out of this world, an engaging story presented via fairly short, but numerous visual novel segments.”
- “Kinda lacking in the graphics department in my opinion but still a good game overall.”
- “Also leans too hard on GPU for a game with 2D graphics.”
- “They seemed to do random things that didn't really correspond to the numbers on the cards or the artwork in a lot of cases.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players finding the dialogue witty and the story enjoyable and funny without being overly cringy. The combination of engaging gameplay, beautiful art, and well-written characters contributes to a lighthearted and entertaining experience. Overall, the humor enhances the game's appeal, making it a standout feature.
- “The dialogue is funny, and the story is pretty interesting.”
- “One of the most original card systems, and a funny as hell well written story.”
- “The gameplay is smooth and engaging, the art is beautiful, and the dialog is hilarious.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
12%
38%
The game boasts high replayability due to its well-designed gameplay mechanics, multiple character strategies, and a robust ascension system that introduces randomly generated levels and challenges. Players can enjoy replaying missions with different decks and experience a mini roguelike mode post-campaign, although some feel that the random dungeons may lack the depth of the constructed ones. Overall, the combination of diverse gameplay elements and the ability to experiment with various strategies keeps the experience fresh and engaging.
- “These components culminate into a very replayable game where many working parts harmonize and every part of its gameplay structure feels enjoyable and incredibly well thought out.”
- “Once the main campaign is done, there are also 5 levels of randomly generated 'ascensions' to give it the true roguelite finish for infinite replayability.”
- “The ascension system gives high replay value, and each deck has a unique strategy behind it.”
- “After 30 hours, it is surprising to me how different the same level can be with each of Quantum Protocol's characters, which breeds the replayability required to succeed in the deckbuilding game archetype.”
- “My current early impression is that the random dungeons aren't as interesting as the constructed ones, and this may impact the game's replay value.”
- “Then you reach the postgame, and it's like all of those story missions were just an extended tutorial teaching you all the fundamentals so it can kick off the training wheels and really let you start jamming freestyle in a replayable roguelike environment.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a refined and subtle menu and UI design that complements its sci-fi theme. The chiptune-inspired background music effectively aligns with the various stages, enriching the overall ambiance and adding depth to the characters and world. Overall, the atmosphere successfully immerses players and connects the gameplay experience.
- “The menu and UI design is refined and subtle, not getting in the way and fitting perfectly into the whole sci-fi atmosphere.”
- “The background music tracks dip into the chiptune realm and match the atmosphere beautifully, usually flavored around the respective stage's overall theme.”
- “It excels at setting up the atmosphere of the game, giving personality to the characters and the world while bridging the paths between the battles.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
- “Despite the refined menu and UI design, the overall atmosphere fails to engage, leaving a sense of detachment.”
- “The sound design is repetitive and does not enhance the atmosphere, making it difficult to feel connected to the game.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartfelt storytelling and character connections, despite some corny elements and stilted dialogue. A particular character's actions evoke strong feelings, such as secondhand embarrassment, showcasing the game's ability to resonate with players on an emotional level. Overall, it strikes a balance between charm and sincerity, leaving a lasting impression without feeling excessive.
- “It's definitely one of the stories of all time; a certain character genuinely made me feel secondhand embarrassment when she [spoiler] decided to hack the production servers of her mom's company just to prove a point.”
- “The corny, cutesy story, while riddled with stilted dialogue and anime tropes, still manages to be heartfelt and gives you just enough connection to the characters and world, without overstaying its welcome.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers praise the character development for its vibrant and dynamic design, highlighting that each character is infused with distinct personality and style, contributing to a lively and engaging experience.
- “Don't even get me started on the character design - each one is vibrant, packed with personality, and absolutely brimming with life and style!”
- “The character development in this game is phenomenal; you really feel like you're on a journey with them, watching them grow and evolve.”
- “Each character has a unique backstory that adds depth to their personality, making every interaction feel meaningful and engaging.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find that grinding can become tedious, especially if they are not engaged with the story, as side missions and puzzles may feel repetitive and unfulfilling.
- “If you're not invested in the story, the side missions and puzzles might feel tedious.”
- “The grinding becomes repetitive and dull after a while, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I found myself doing the same tasks over and over, which really drained my enthusiasm for the game.”