DECRYPTO Project

[h1]Summary[/h1] [list] [*]Decrypting is fun and engaging [*]Intriguing story [*]Well-designed UI [*]Much to discover [/list] [h1]Overall[/h1] [b]Note:[/b] I have received a free curator copy for this game, but this review is unbiased and voluntary. After having played Hypnospace Outlaw and loving it, I missed it and wanted to experience something similar, preferably with more puzzles and DECRYPTO Project is exactly that. I had a lot of fun playing it and really enjoyed figuring out the different methods of decryption. It might be difficult for some people, but the game does a good job to explain everything thoroughly if you pay attention. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] It's simple: you use a custom OS and decipher text. You get virtual currency for solving tasks and you can spend it on programs and other things. There are different types of encryptions and it's a lot of fun, especially if you like a challenge. [h1]Graphics[/h1] There isn't too much to say, since the store screenshots give a good idea of what the game looks like. Everything looks neat and the UI is smooth and easy to navigate. Apart from wallpapers and OS customisation, there are settings to make the game feel more retro as well: scanlines, screen distortion, etc. [h1]Story[/h1] The story is quite interesting, but there isn't much I can say without spoiling things. Although it's a simulated OS, it still manages to provide a mysterious atmosphere. The length is decent and there is much you can do and discover, while also having a rather high replayability. [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/chaosPrincesses] Link to Curator Page [/url]

[h1]Codes & AIs[/h1] I'm just gonna go ahead and write an early review of DECRYPTO Project because the game has just been released, it didn't get much visibility, I only found it thanks to manually checking out Steam's "New Releases," it's cheap and, most importantly, [i]really good[/i]. DECRYPTO Project has kind of a Papers, Please vibe to it, because you play the role of someone working for an employer of dubious morality, operating directly at your workstation. It's also exactly what you expect it to be by looking at the screenshots up there: you crack messages encrypted with several different (and real) cyphers, using a few different methods. Everything takes place in your OS's desktop, where you can also access your e-mail, the news, the "App Store," and other softwares. I haven't finished the game yet, but I'm having a great time with it. It is exactly what I expected it to be, which includes some nice little surprises that, of course, I couldn't anticipate but hoped for. All the text is plausible and well written, the "satiric on-the-nose" humor (found mainly in the news and in the decrypted messages themselves) works, and your job and how you do it make sense. In other words, everything in the game works quite well together. This is a well thought out and well executed project. If the DECRYPTO Project looks interesting to you, go ahead and buy it. I don't see how you could possibly regret it, specially since, once again, its price is extraordinarily low. Even for us third worlders this thing is [i]easily[/i] worth the full asking price. We're talking about competent [i]and[/i] honest developers here (possibly a solo dev), so let's acknowledge and enjoy their good work. 100% recommended. [b]EDIT:[/b] OK, now I have finished the game. It's rather short, but interesting all the way through, with some really cool ideas. And as a whole, it's also an elegant way to deliver the message it seeks to deliver. As a second point, now directed at the developer(s): though the way you chose to visually represent the game's title on Steam ("selected" "DECRYPTO Project") perfectly relates to the game's actual mechanics, people who haven't played it don't know this, and it will probably just look cheesy to them (just plain white letters on a rectangular blue background), giving the impression that it was, instead, ill-considered and lazily done, implying that the game itself likely is as well. Having played the game, [i]I[/i] know that is far from true, but changing the visual of the game's title may help your sales.

I enjoyed this game a lot, very fun to play through. It also teaches you some basic cryptography methods which I thought was cool.

I got this game for free, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. This is a very solid puzzle game, especially for the price, and if you're a cryptography nerd in any capacity you'll adore it. It jsut does actual cryptography (probably at a relatively entry level, but actual cypher names and techniques) is a way that is very approachable and easy to follow, and with some overarching choice-based narrative ala Papers Please. It feels like a love letter to cryptography that is very contagious and the vibes and visual aspect are immaculate.

Love this got a key from a friend of mine and played all the way thought in one sitting (5 hours) so i think that's a good sign of a good game.

Decrypto Project ist auf jeden Fall kein schlechtes Spiel. Das sei gleich zu Beginn deutlich gesagt. Es ist alles andere als ein billig zusammengestelltes Pseudospiel. Aber: Es ist definitiv nicht für jeden Geschmack gemacht und genau dafür steht meine Rezension stellvertretend. Zuerst das Offensichtliche: Decrypto Project kommt mit einem klaren Old-School-Look daher, der nur bedingt attraktiv ist. Das hat mich anfangs eher abgeschreckt. Doch meine Skepsis war schnell verflogen, denn unter der Haube steckt ein äusserst durchdachtes Spiel mit ziemlich viel Intelligenz, auch wenn das gesamte Spielgeschehen sich nur auf einem virtuellen Desktop abspielt. Das Grundprinzip lautet, dass man Texte vorgesetzt bekommt, bei denen man herausfinden muss, wie sie zu entschlüsseln sind. Wen eine Nachricht erfolgreich dekodiert wurde, bekommt man Währung gutgeschrieben, mit der man diverse Dinge freischalten kann, etwa zusätzliche Apps oder Newsartikel, die einen tiefer in die Geschichte eintauchen lassen. Und die hat es in sich. Die Firma, für die man arbeitet, scheint alles andere als sauber zu sein. Und plötzlich findet man sich mitten in einer Papers Please-Situation wieder, in der moralische Dilemmata wohl bald unausweichlich werden. Ist also alles vorbereitet für ein richtig gutes Spiel? Leider nur jein. Denn so interessant das Spielprinzip ist, so mühsam ist stellenweise die Ausführung. Es beginnt damit, dass man nicht tippen kann, sondern Texte nur via Copy-Paste zwischen Fenstern verschiebt. Klar, das ist offensichtlich gewollt, aber es macht einiges halt einfach sehr mühsam. Zwar funktionieren Shortcuts wie Ctrl-C und Ctrl-V, aber z. B. Alt-Tab ist tabu (weil man damit logischerweise aus dem Spiel herauswechselt). Das alles wäre noch verschmerzbar. Für mich persönlich problematischer ist da die zentrale Mechanik der Entschlüsselung selbst. Die ist entweder reines Trial and Error oder für meinen Geschmack zu knifflig und fizzelig. Und ja, ich habe keinerlei Zweifel, dass man sich da wunderbar reinfuchsen kann und dann viel Spass hat, wie die anderen Reviews zeigen. Wer sich für Kryptografie interessiert oder Spass daran hat, Nachrichten richtig zu dekodieren, bekommt hier ein Spiel mit echter Tiefe. Nur leider hat es sich für mich eher nach Arbeit als nach Spielspass angefühlt. Aber das ist eben meine ganz persönliche Einschätzung. Wer auch nur ein bisschen Freude an Verschlüsselungen und Geheimcodes hat, dem kann man Decrypto Project wärmstens empfehlen. Wer aber wie ich keine Lust hat, sich erst in die Materia einarbeiten zu müssen, um überhaupt ins Spiel zu finden, der sollte lieber einen grossen Bogen darum machen. Fazit: Ein gut gemachtes Spiel mit starker Atmosphäre, cleverem Storytelling und einer spannenden Spielwelt, aber mit einer Kernmechanik, die ganz klar nur jene begeistert, die sich gerne intensiv mit dem Thema Entschlüsselung auseinandersetzen und sich darin einfuchsen mögen oder die Freude daran haben, zu erknobeln, wie man dekodierte Nachrichten entschlüsselt. Für diese Zielgruppe ist dieses Spiel vermutlich ein kleines Fest. Da ich aber nicht zu dieser Gruppe gehöre, gibt es von mir persönlich keine Empfehlung.

If you liked Papers, Please or any similar work simulator games you are going to enjoy this one. The gameplay loop is simple, you start your day, decrypt the texts that you get assigned with the ingame tools and get currency based on your performance. There are also special tasks that require you to discover the encryption method or other things in order to solve them and "modify" the outcome of the story. Overall it is a really good experience and I specially recommend it if you are interested in learning about classic cryptography or you have interest in cybersecurity. At the time of review I still haven't solved all the mysteries in the game, although I managed to get to the ending in around 4 hours.

A short but fun game that uses its surprisingly multi-layered story to cleverly extend the run time. The price is very fair for what you will get.

very g0d, despite some bugs

It deserves much more attention.***