Astra Protocol 2

This is a game that follow 1980's tech limitations in the sense that it limits interactions between the game and the player to what we had back then: Keyboards and low res screens. No fancy Voodoo card to drive 3-D, of course :) There is an interesting spaceship simulator hidden beneath the uncompromising interface and cheek-in-mouth humor. Whether those decisions regarding the design, ultimately creates a better game, or hinders it, is a bit unclear to me at the moment, but it is kind of beautiful to look at. Update: I have come to the conclusion that once 'novelty' of the interface passes, and that passes in max 1 hour, then it just becomes annoying that you can't use the mouse etc. I think the dev should consider a compromise in this regard. His game is not getting played because of what one must assume is a Lars von Trier'ish adhesion to fictional rules :) That is shame.

This brings me back to the early 80's 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. This was possible because it only used 1 bit per pixel, either on or off. My screen wasn't experiencing that much distortion as the game shows, but then I wasn't flying a spaceship through highly radiated areas either... So those reviews saying it brings them back to Windows 98, sorry no... this is more than a decade earlier. And what a great time it was. Indeed, software had a big manual and you had to go through it tens of times to still be confused. But you had so much fun discovering things on your own. And that's what this game is trying to simulate. This game does a decent job at it, but I must agree with one (negative) review that talks about the manual being a lot bigger back in those days. They sometimes were a piece of art, they were filled with stories and anecdotes and sometimes even a lot more. But just like in this game's manual, they weren't very useful to understand the game itself. I also think games like this offered more content, even then, but maybe I'm spoiled now and I am expecting too much. After playing for 5 hours I feel like I've discovered everything I need to know and don't think I will find much more content. I can be wrong of course. So, a big thumbs up for this game for bringing back nostalgia, but don't expect too much either. Note: I would have loved for the ugly configuration window to be command line driven too: why not show a DOS-prompt (A:\>) and support commands like DIR, and then expose two programs: CONFIG.EXE and ASTRA2.EXE. That would have been so much cooler.

I can't see too many youngins playing this one (doesn't mean you can't!) but one for the 80s nostalgia buffs. Oldschool vector graphics, completely text-driven gameplay, and you'll actually need to read the manual. Not scared off? Check out Astra Protocol 2. An exceptionally thorough 80s-style ship simulator. Control is managed through several screens and text commands. Interesting gameplay, heavily layered. Very steep learning curve, read the manual! For more niche curation, follow me at: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/27440015-CSH-Picone/

You won't believe how a few lines of text, a couple of yellow shapes on your monitors and your ship's operating system robotic voice can be so adrenaline inducing. You CAN survive, but you have to be smart and quick about it. The information is all there, but the game asks you to retrieve it, filter and analize it yourself. No hand-holding. Why would you need it. You are the captain. You CAN get away with not knowing the ins and outs of your highly sophisticated ships operating system. But only for so long. "Collision imminent!" - asteroid? enemy ship? Either way you better react fast. Which systems need to be shutdown not to overload the reactor? No time to think: [code] Shields up! Drop Chaff! Disable Autopilot - it's manual override time! [/code] The reactor just will just have to hold a little longer. How is the game so atmospheric? The retro future charm of the 80s lets your imagination run wild. You only see a pixelated 2d sprite as your ship on your screen. But in your mind you picture: I am responsible for this massive Carrier of devastating weapons, crew, equipment hurdeling through space.

Baffling but interesting game. Wish it was a little easier to ONBOARD onto. Conceptually I like the idea of this super-arcane interface (reminiscent of the Alien-esque command line horror game DUSKERS), I just wish it was SLIGHTLY CLEARER why I am getting killed by enemy missiles after like 30 seconds of starting this dang game. The aesthetic is amazing.

Honestly for being as simple as it is, it's actually a lot of fun! It's not easy either! Reminds me of the 90s Sci-Fi movies & shows I grew up with. Looking forward to where the Developers take this. Well Done Devs, Well Done Indeed!

It's a very cool idea. Operating a starship through a text-based console interface is an idea that I haven't seen too often. I think it's done well here, though I do wish the help screens could be specific to the screen you are on - or even have the screen you're on display what it is. It was an exercise in memory capabilities, which simply just isn't going to happen for me. Ultimately the gameplay just isn't really my jam. But, despite that I recognize that it's a very cool idea that feels well implemented.

This is phenomenal. I can't really explain why I love it quite yet but I will try ... I will probably update this review in the future. But everything about this game is somehow exactly what I've been looking for. The glitchy, retro interface The text prompt and associated help file The depth of the commands - so many to learn! The fact that it drops you right in the middle of it with no explanation whatsoever The fact that it is less than a 2 megabyte download - seriously some of the best games I've ever played fit on a couple floppy disks and this minimalist approach has been neglected for too long. Obviously in the past those limits were imposed by the hardware itself, but it still feels great to have this much depth in something so small. It's kind of like the game Iron Lung in some ways, in that it gives you very limited control over your craft, and you have to just deal with it. If you liked that game you may like this one.

Firstly, you need to understand what you're getting into. This isn't a game you can just jump into. There is no hand holding at all. It's you, a (very much needed) manual and your curiosity. You will die, a lot. What you will get is a rewarding game with surprising amount of depth and personality. If you're the type of person that enjoys trawling through old school flight manuals this is highly recommended, if not, you might learn something.

If you persevere and read the manual you will fall in love with this game. It has a depth and replayability that you perhaps might not expect. Definitely worth buying!