Quantum Protocol

92%
Game Brain Score Based on 232 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • music
Quantum Protocol Game Cover
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"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.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

92%
Audience ScoreBased on 232 reviews
gameplay38 positive mentions
grinding2 negative mentions
  • Innovative gameplay that combines deckbuilding with strategic puzzle elements, allowing players to change their decks mid-battle.
  • Engaging and diverse character designs, each with unique decks and playstyles, providing a variety of strategies to explore.
  • High-quality visuals and an excellent soundtrack that enhance the overall gaming experience.
  • Steep learning curve that can overwhelm new players, making it difficult to grasp the mechanics and strategies quickly.
  • Difficulty spikes in certain levels can lead to frustration, especially when players are forced to replay long dungeons after failing.
  • The visual novel aspect feels underdeveloped, with shallow character interactions and a lack of meaningful choices.
  • gameplay151 mentions

    The gameplay of Quantum Protocol is highly praised for its intricate mechanics and unique deck-building elements, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience that encourages strategic thinking and adaptation. Players appreciate the depth of the game, with various decks providing distinct playstyles and the ability to modify decks mid-battle, although the learning curve can be steep. While the visual novel aspects are considered secondary, the core gameplay is engaging and well-designed, making it a standout in the deck-building genre.

    • “Quantum Protocol's gameplay really stretches the brain and forces you to come up with interesting solutions to each stage.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth and engaging, the art is beautiful, and the dialogue is hilarious.”
    • “The gameplay is where this game really shines for those with enough patience and interest in it to learn about the different decks.”
    • “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.”
  • story135 mentions

    The story in Quantum Protocol is generally considered simple and somewhat shallow, serving primarily as a vehicle for gameplay rather than a deep narrative experience. While the visual novel-style storytelling features charming characters and engaging dialogue, many players find the dialogue lacking and the overall plot underdeveloped. However, the game does offer enjoyable character interactions and a lighthearted tone, with the post-game content providing a more challenging and rewarding experience.

    • “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.”
    • “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 is bare-bones and disjointed, told in dialogue only by a constantly growing cast of characters that’s honestly hard to keep track of.”
    • “Considering the story’s weakness and the high gameplay to story ratio, I can’t recommend 'Quantum Protocol' to visual novel fans looking for a decent story with a bit of gameplay.”
  • music45 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its quality, with many reviewers highlighting its catchy and energetic nature, often comparing it to high-caliber soundtracks like that of "Crypt of the NecroDancer." While some players noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive due to a limited number of tracks, the overall consensus is that the music enhances the gameplay experience and complements the game's visuals and mechanics effectively. Additionally, the sound design is considered a strong aspect, contributing to the game's engaging atmosphere.

    • “The music is amazing, like Necrodancer levels of good in my opinion. The character art and the backgrounds all look amazing, the visual novel part is nothing mind-blowing but it is funny, and the gameplay is very satisfying and unique enough that an experienced roguelike player has something to learn.”
    • “A fantastic game with great characters, unique gameplay, infectiously amusing writing, and really good music.”
    • “Very fun and interesting take on the deck-building genre with, and I cannot stress this enough, one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a game.”
    • “Psa, play with the music off, the soundtrack is a hell of an earworm because there's basically only one song.”
    • “It simply has to compete with the outstanding game mechanics, crisp UI, and small but fitting soundtrack.”
    • “I found the music annoying at first but it grew on me, so it's a plus.”
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their clean, attractive design and vibrant anime aesthetic, which complements the gameplay and story well. Many reviewers highlight the high-quality artwork and visuals, though some note inconsistencies in the in-battle graphics compared to the overall art style. Overall, the visuals, combined with excellent music and sound design, contribute significantly to the game's engaging experience.

    • “Fantastic visuals, quite challenging but fun gameplay, gorgeous music.”
    • “The artwork is lovely, and the anime-style character art and detailed sci-fi backgrounds mesh well with the more minimal pixel artwork on the cards.”
    • “An excellent and creative twist on the card game with proactive and snappy gameplay, interesting storyline and characters, and gorgeous graphics.”
    • “Kinda lacking in the graphics department in my opinion but still a good game overall.”
    • “Unfortunately, this is in stark contrast to the in-battle visuals which are serviceable, but very simple, and not close enough to matching the artwork that came before it.”
    • “Also leans too hard on GPU for a game with 2D graphics.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its ascension system, unique deck strategies, and a postgame that transforms the experience into a roguelike environment with randomized elements. Players can revisit missions with different decks, and the final dungeon unlocks a mini roguelike mode with varied challenges and rewards. However, some users feel that the randomly generated dungeons may not be as engaging as the crafted ones, potentially affecting overall replay value.

    • “The ascension system gives high replay value, and each deck has a unique strategy behind it.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “This makes it so that the 'dungeon' levels, which are the main parts of the game, have added replayability due to the random nature of card drops, and the numerous deck types you can build using the various characters' card sets, or after progressing the game enough, potentially mixing archetypes from characters.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players highlighting its clever and engaging dialogue that adds to the overall enjoyment of the story. Many find the characters and their interactions to be funny without crossing into cringeworthy territory, contributing to a lighthearted and entertaining experience. Overall, the humor complements the unique gameplay and appealing visuals, making it a standout feature.

    • “The story is short, but quite funny and enjoyable to read through.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    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 matches the stage themes, enriching the overall ambiance and adding personality to both the characters and the world, while seamlessly connecting the gameplay elements.

    • “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 little to enhance the atmosphere, making the experience feel monotonous.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    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 engage players on an emotional level. Overall, it balances charm and sentiment without becoming overly drawn out.

    • “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.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game can become tedious, especially if they are not engaged with the story, as repetitive side missions and puzzles can lead to frustration. The need to repeatedly replay sections, particularly when facing challenging bosses, detracts from the overall enjoyment and can feel more like a chore than a rewarding experience.

    • “If you're not invested in the story, the side missions and puzzles might feel tedious.”
    • “Even when losing due to my own poor strategy (often, to be honest), having to continually replay a dozen waves I had completed to get to the final boss felt more tedious and frustrating than a fun challenge.”
  • character development1 mentions

    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 the growth and evolution of each character throughout the story.”
    • “I love how the characters are not just static figures; their backstories and interactions make them feel real and relatable.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

9hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
9-9hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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