Developer: Pixel Reign
Publisher: Super Rare Originals
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Moros Protocol – Review
The Roguelike and Roguelite genres have seen an increase in popularity over the last few years, with even massive franchises jumping aboard the bandwagon. We recently took a closer look at ELDEN RING: NIGHTREIGN, FromSoftware’s successful attempt at a Roguelike ELDEN RING spin-off title. This time, however, we are checking out Moros Protocol, a title developed by Pixel Reign and published by Super Rare Originals. The game does have a few very nice ideas, but all in all, there are some odd gameplay design choices and bugs holding it back.
Story
The story of Moros Protocol is very vague, as you just wake up aboard The Orpheus, an abandoned warship floating through space. You have no memories of who you are, and you’re figuring out what the hell is going on. The warship is infected with an alien entity, and you’ll have to fight off the infestation in order to figure out what is going on. All in all, we didn’t mind the somewhat superficial story and were actually quite happy that the game did have an overarching narrative to play through. We would have perhaps loved to see a bit more progress or the story unfolding further in different runs, rather than being able to play through the story in a single good run.
Graphics
Moros Protocol has an interesting art style that blends retro visuals with modern 3D graphics quite nicely. The game’s environments are quite limited, but there is quite a bit of clutter, and there are a few interesting backdrops. The enemy variety is also not that big, but even so, everything still looks quite good. The enemies look quite ghastly and fit perfectly with the derelict space station vibe Moros Protocol is aiming for. Performance was also great, and we didn’t encounter any stutters during even more hectic battles.
Sound
As a whole, the sound design of Moros Protocol complements the gameplay and the visuals really well. You’ll be treated to a mix of rock and synthwave music that fits with the entire sci-fi spaceship setting. The weapon and monster SFX also enhance the experience, and there is great audio feedback when using your different weapons. Even though the narrative is near non-existent, it’s still a shame that the few lines in the game didn’t come with voice acting.
Gameplay
Moros Protocol is a Roguelite FPS that supports online co-op play. In the game, you’ll always play through the same ‘storyline’, but the stages are always randomly generated. The offset is quite simple, as you just explore the different stages, kill alien enemies, find upgrades, rinse and repeat. It’s a simple gameplay loop, but it works. During runs, you’ll find random buffs, weapons, and other power-ups.
If your run is cut short by your untimely demise, then you can spend the currency you have amassed on permanent upgrades on a fairly large skill tree. This motivates players to try again, but you’ll most likely beat the game before you’ve unlocked most of what the upgrade tree has to offer. There are only three zones to beat, and this will set you back a few hours in total. It often simply depends on what upgrades you find during runs. Even so, if you sadly do not have that much luck with the RNG during your earlier runs, you’ll be able to unlock health upgrades, stamina upgrades, have a pistol at the start of a run, etc. It’s all fairly standard stuff, but it’s still nice to see progress on the skill tree as you play the game more and more.
While entertaining, Moros Protocol does not only suffer from limited content, but also from bugs and its mediocre stamina system. The latter explains itself, as you’re basically constantly being held back by a very limited stamina bar that runs out almost immediately. After jumping, dodging, or even using melee attacks, you’ll be immediately out of stamina, reducing the overall fast pace of the game significantly. The bugs, however, are a bit more severe at times, especially during co-op play. For example, ‘player 2’ was unable to join in on the first boss battle, as they would be frozen every single time, not being able to move or shoot. This is a huge issue, and it was still in the release version of the game.
Conclusion
Moros Protocol is a capable Roguelite FPS title that has quite a few good ideas and an interesting audiovisual presentation, but it’s held back by certain gameplay design choices, bugs, and a general lack of content. If you can pick this one up at a discount with a friend to play online, you’ll probably have a blast, and you’ll be able to enjoy yourselves for a few evenings. That being said, we also suggest waiting for a few patches that fix certain game-breaking bugs, and we still hope some new content is added in the future. All in all, Moros Protocol is enjoyable, but it’s just not a great entry in the genre.
No Comments