Humanity has spent decades imagining the horrors waiting for us in space. Moros Protocol helpfully confirms that the answer is apparently lots of enormous things with too many teeth. You play Alex, a survivor aboard the derelict Orpheus, fighting through procedurally arranged corridors while repeatedly being turned into biological soup. It’s a first-person roguelike with guns, swords, upgrades and enough alien goo to make the average kebab shop look reassuringly hygienic.
Gaming Heaven
There is a decent game buried somewhere underneath the mess. Combat is responsive, with melee and ranged weapons encouraging you to switch tactics depending on what you’re facing. The mixture of enemy types keeps encounters reasonably varied, while environmental cover gives some thought to positioning.
The upgrade system is also substantial. Money, health, weapons and permanent enhancements gradually make Alex more capable, while weapon and armour augments provide useful bonuses. Exploring rooms for hidden areas, chests and supplies gives you plenty of reasons to poke around.
The grotesque science-fiction atmosphere works well, too. The Orpheus looks suitably knackered, with blood, organic matter and wreckage covering practically everything.
Gaming Hell
Moros Protocol has one enormous problem: it takes far too long to get anywhere. Runs can stretch, meaning dying late into an attempt doesn’t feel like exciting roguelike progression. It feels like you’ve just spent your evening accomplishing absolutely nothing.
The procedural structure also becomes repetitive, with you repeatedly clearing similar rooms, hunting resources and preparing for bosses. Once you’ve worked out an enemy’s pattern, encounters can become predictable rather than thrilling.
Boss battles themselves are particularly awkward because reaching them can involve lengthy runs through increasingly familiar areas. Apparently dying wasn’t punishment enough, so the game makes you commute back to the murder.
Final Judgement
Moros Protocol has satisfying combat, a decent progression system and a suitably disgusting atmosphere, but repetition and lengthy runs undermine its best ideas.
There’s potential here, but patience is required in industrial quantities.
