Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2021
Midnight Protocol
Developer LuGus Studios
Midnight Protocol is a tactical narrative-driven RPG with unique keyboard-only controls. Hack into servers, beat security systems and discover encrypted secrets while you try to find answers to why and how you got doxxed. From the Steam store page
189 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 6, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
80
LovedLoved
145 positive · 36 negative
95% range 74–85%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 145 | 36 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
8 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
391 of 455 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 189 · most liked firstYou know, I almost think that the Indiepocalypse was a good thing. Before, you could release a pretty mediocre, unpolished experience and you'd still sell a bunch of copies. Now devs are scrambling to have absolutely all elements of the game adjusted to perfection... and have only 116 reviews on Steam. So there's a bunch of sublime, absolutely excellent titles on Steam which nobody plays, and the dev's life is ruined. Ok, that's not very nice actually. Midnight Protocol is one of those games.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The reality is this game has a good atmosphere and a great gimmick, the thing is it lost me the moment it started putting turn caps on the levels. The fun for me was to work around the trace meter, and to use tools to try and stay in and get as much as I could done, by switching it form an avoid game to a rush game, it was single-handidlyruined for me. If you have a similar mindset, i highly do not recommend this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to like this game, but there are some frustrating design flaws that detract from what should be a fun hacklite game. I kept running into the same issues time and again throughout the campaign, here are a couple of examples. - There are some storylines that require you to play perfectly to proceed. Failure can lock you out from retrying, and many times the way forward is very obtuse. For example, in one mission you must stop an assassin from boarding a train. To unmask the assassin in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My Playtime: 29h (100% achievement, finished the game) Grindy Achievement(s): No. Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~9 achievements). Difficult Achievement(s): No. Intro Midnight Protocol is a simple turn-based strategy game with a hacking theme. You'll be able to explore nodes in a network and use programs to get data from them. The game offers multiple story branching, missions, and unlockables based on the path that you choose. Pros: - Story branching depends on your choice in the mission - 2…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was having a great time until the "SysOp" gameplay showed up. I didn't understand what other reviewers meant by "like Chess" until then. This isn't really a puzzle or hacking game like I thought it was, it's a board game. That should be in giant letters at the top of the store listing. BOARD GAME. It's not about solving the map, it's about outplaying an AI. You are essentially moving your queen around the board to different squares while trying to avoid opposing pieces that are coming for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Midnight Protocol Interesting game, a wonderful time killer and definitely a hidden gem. I really wonder why more people aren't playing it. The game mixes hacking, puzzles, and storytelling into one fun little experience. It's nothing new, the story is just above average and there are a few flaws. And if you've played games like Uplink, Hacknet, Nite Team 4, or even the hacking part of the new Shadowrun games, you'll be familiar with most parts of the gameplay. But overall I have no hesitation…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Midnight Protocol is rich in ambience, in intrigue, in tangled relationships of regret and camaraderie confidently conveyed in nothing more than text, and in more than its fair share of ingenuity. It's also, unfortunately, like playing chess with only five pieces against a kid who can, at any time, go "yeah no but I had this super power set up HERE, right, all along I had this set up I did, and that means you can't get my guy and, uh, and, um, and and and WHOOOAAA EARTHQUAKE FLIPPED THE…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting concept. With all the interesting programs you can add to your deck, this should have been a solid turn-based strategy/puzzle game, but it's so restrictive and RNG-based from the start that it can easily turn into a "try, die, repeat until you get lucky" experience. After my sixth time restarting a single mission because of bad luck rather than lack of skill (getting a trace+ three times in a row despite having cloak at 75%, SysOps making a beeline for me at exactly the wrong…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game. different approach then Uplink. But the mechanic is fun nonetheless. However, I had problems with 2 points. 1) The output of the help command doesn't fit on 1 page BUT: There is NO written or otherwises visible indicator of this. However you can use Shift+Up/Down Arrow Key to scroll the terminal output up-/downwards. 2) You can stop a program with the remove command. IF it is stopable (not all are, but these properties are listed in the Deck) Problem: The remove command is only…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game really surprised me. At first I was really skeptical. Do I need to know coding? Would this be really hard? But no. Unique turn based gameplay. Amazing story. Very immersive. Choices matter. Choose your hacking programs, hardware. Be badass hacker. I really recommend this game to everyone. Give it a try. It's actually really good!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stopped having fun after 2 hours and do not intend to continue :( Game seems okay but I could not figure out which tools to use correctly to finish levels. You can cheat the system by keep restarting but I do not find that approach fun. I try to do my best first try every level and roll with the punches but like I said I could not figure out a good way to do it. You can bring 5 tools with you to every level, and there is a trace counter increasing at every step where the maximum trace results…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Midnight Protocol is an all right game that feels like it's one step away from worth recommending in every department. Mechanically, using only keyboard commands winds up being more of a hindrance than an asset. So much targeting and movement could be done easier and quicker if the player was just allowed to click. Everything is already set up into a nice modern-looking GUI with discrete locations to mouse over and select. You just can't do that, and have to type anyway. As for the puzzles…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Some stuff I think is way more interesting to check out: 1. Herd, Blaž's new board game – letibus.bigcartel.com/product/herd 2. Midnight Protocol, an amazing hacking game – store.steampowered.com/app/1162700/... 3. Old Skies, a truly incredible point n click – store.steampowered.com/app/1346360/...
unlabelledView post →This is a great game, but it's hard to describe. Part puzzle game, but strategy, part RPG... if you like games that are hard to categorize into the usual buckets, this is for you. Very unique, great writing, and even in the turn based mode it has moments where I get surprisingly tense. This game oozes it's theme from every pore and you can tell the creators cared a lot about it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't normally write reviews, but considering this gem has only 162 reviews at the time of writing, I kinda have to do it - it just deserves much better visibility. First thing's first - this is not a hacking game - you don't need any real hacking knowledge and you won't earn any either. It just borrows some general "hacking aesthetic" - you need to uncover secrets that was not supposed to ever go public, unlock new malware on black market that helps you proceed, you consult your fellow hack…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Midnight Protocol perfectly captures the Netrunner/Shadowrun/GIbsonesque fantasy of cyber punk hacking. The story is well-written, the missions are varied and interesting, and rig progression is rewarding. I'd consider this a must-play for fans of the cyber punk genre.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let me start off by saying that this game is way better than Uplink. (Despite being somewhat inspired by it) Midnight Protocol is a turn-based strategy game with some RPG elements. The game is 100% played on your keyboard and you type the commands that you want to perform while moving around a board. Commands range from offensive or stealth, with a multitude of types to choose from and while navigating the board, you are destroying/avoiding antivirus programs called ICE as well as security…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, the decision to shoehorn a keyboard-only interface was disastrously misguided. They took a game that was basically designed for a GUI and replaced the GUI with an awkward CLI. You know what's faster than typing in "map", just to look up the names of relevant nodes (the names of non-adjacent nodes being of course hidden from view for some reason and it's not like they are organized in a logical grid either), and then typing "sniper "? A SINGLE CLICK. Having to constantly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really neat "hacking" game - or more accurately - a cyberpunk-themed puzzle game. It's not quite at the level of the alltime classic, Uplink, but it's really really good. You purchase and equip various programs and hardware add ons, then use them to complete a wide variety of missions. The missions themselves have numerous options that are integrated organically into what you can do. For example, you might be investigating someone's home network and stumble across their bank savings, and you'll…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting turn-based hacking game. Get it if you like text based adventures and stories.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great presentation and feel! Really captured the fiction-style of hacking. But you were so constrained and limited that it didn't feel that interesting once the initial ambiance thrill wore off.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow, this was absolutely amazing. Yes, it is a bit hard to categorize -- it's more or less a Turn Based Strategy game with RPG elements and a strong story, completely immersed in the "hacking" theme. Do not expect a hacking sim, this is completely "gamefied", but that is exactly what makes it fun. It starts a bit slow, but once you start to pick up upgrades, you start to think about the choices you must make (what software and hardware to pick for each assignment, for example). It isn't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Midnight Protocol is a desktop/hacking sim, and like all of these games, has nothing to do with actual hacking and is utterly unrealistic. So this is just a strategy (turn based or realtime, you choose) game where you plug away controlling nodes or whatever. The game does work but it's needlessly convoluted. I guess to illustrate this, it takes 1/10th the time to learn how to play an RTS like Command & Conquer for 10x the rewarding gameplay. And even though it's only a 2D game, C&C also has…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What an awesome game. As an avid Android:Netrunner player, I really enjoyed how the theme and story fit really together with the mechanics to create a great experience. The game at it's core is split into two sides. - the "prep" side where you chat with your contacts, choose what missions you'll accept, and what programs you'll bring. - the "mission" side, which is an action-economy boardgame where you traverse a network of nodes towards an objective, break / avoid ICE, all while a trace timer…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its gameplay doesn't have much to do with real-life hacking but it will make you feel like a hacker. It's a collection of tactical minigames in which you move through abstract networks avoiding or eliminating obstacles and collecting resources. That's basically it. Comparing Midnight Protocol to Hacknet doesn't make much sense because the games are so different mechanically. In addition to solid tactical puzzles that get more complex as the game progresses, there's a strong narrative wtih rpg…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For more SteamDeck reviews be sure to check out my Steam Curator page: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42218252-Bordeaux-On-Deck/?appid=1636660] Bordeaux On Deck I have been playing this game for some time and I always liked how immersive the game is. I was there when it got playtested on G.Round, I have made videos on the game and even streamed it. And now I come with something new! I recently got a Steamdeck (256GB version), and I am currently testing out how well games work…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The fact that less than 40% of players finish the tutorial (based on steam achievement numbers) speaks volumes. Devs, when you incorporate a help function into your game that only displays half the commands available, you need to rethink your life. After the rather patronising tutorial, the difficulty spikes so hard you essentially have to plan out every single step before you do anything. Moving around is tedious. Having to manually end each turn is tedious. There is no undo, no way to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →♥♥♥♥ game where you really feel like you're hacking. The choices you make in each mission change the options of programs you can buy and use later and sometimes open up new missions or close others off. Two different MAIN endings that you can chose from by your actions in the final mission (you can go back to the final mission after winning the game and play for the other ending), multiple different smaller changes to the ending based on what you did during the play through
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cannot really say recommend or not - to me it is a 5/10 game. Overall, it is not quite like a hacking game but more like a chess game. So if you like it - good worth a try. If you are expecting something similar to other hacking games or richer experience - not really your choice. Played it for two times with the realtime and default modes. Realtime mode is more fun to me as I don't need to wait for the steps ending. The flow of playing is more smooth. Good part: UI and music are good. Story…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Midnight Protocol is like plugging into a digital underworld, where every keystroke is a shot fired, every decision is a red pill or blue pill moment. The game throws you into a cyberpunk matrix, where you're not just playing a hacker—you are the hacker. The tension is palpable as you crack through firewalls and unravel conspiracies, all within a stylized interface that feels like you’re bending code to your will. It's a mind-bending ride, and if you’re looking to dive deep into the code, this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rating:4/10 Completion difficulty:4/10 Not gonna lie, I just really didn't mesh well with this one. I couldn't quite tell you why, but it all felt so weird and unsatisfying for me. Some levels felt impossible if the RNG wasn't in your favor, or you came in with the wrong toolset (which, you can't always know what toolset to use.) Maybe I'm just bad at the game though.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Enjoyed the tactical sense of this game. The visuals were awesome and the puzzles were fun to get through.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You are chaos embodied. Unhinged. Untested. Unstoppable. The keyboard is a natural extension of you. An arm, a tendril with which you tap into a vast, deep, unknowable ocean. And you believe the proper, nay, the only way to play chess is with a game clock. Act before you think. If you fail, try again. Run wild. Run blind. I do recommend that anyone interested in a keyboard/console based game give Midnight Protocol a shot. The RTS mode is an experience to be had. Besides, the demo is free,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I absolutely love this game. It's not "realistic" hacking like Uplink or Hackernet, and here that's a good thing. It is a wonderful puzzle/turn based strategy game with a good story, engaging gameplay, and stylish design. The stakes feel very high until you realize you can restart the mission as many times as you want without consequences, so it's not frustrating. If you're looking for a fun, 25-ish hour adventure, don't miss this. Score: 9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun good length nice variety of build options in regards to the upgrades of your deck and the programs you choose to load story was decent writing was good and none of the npcs infodump at you my favourite hacking themed game since uplink (although fyi gameplay wise they are very different)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm only a few hours in, but this might be my favorite hacking-centric game for PC. The story is solid, story & character choices exist, and an ample amount of commands & capabilities - But none of that sets it very far apart from other notable hacking games I've played. What IS different that stands out to me are: The variety of programs and being limited to a couple of them, the many different ways & degrees to complete an area, and the proc gen nature of area protections (ICE protections,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An enjoyable investigative puzzle game, Midnight Protocol has good writing, reinforced by clever changes in the UI and the visual respresentation of dataspace with every level. The game succeeds in creating the appropriate mood when it needs to, with music that alters alongside the tension, or meta elements involving a desktop crash or UI corruption. Some of the puzzles require innovative thinking, or a re-examination of what is at your disposal, which makes it rewarding to find a solution.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I highly recommend this game. I got this from Humble Bundle's Humble Choice January 2022. I've played Hacknet (another great hacking game) and thought this would be similar based off the screenshots. The only similarities is that they are both hacking themed, and you could type commands. Playthrough Midnight Protocol took me almost 30hours to 100%, which was done in two playthroughs. The main story is the same but choices in the side quests do affect how much more side quests (and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Given its a hacking strategy game I super do not agree or enjoy: - You never see your enemy, you trip into them or guess where they might be (and suffer if your wrong) - You cannot re-plan missions - You are not provided enough information ahead of time to know which programs to take along If these terrible design decisions had been mitigated or provided as optional, we'd have a great game here. I guess the intent is you are to go in with your wits and the tools you have and hope for the best…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is an amazing, one-of-a-kind experience. Its very specific but undeniably cool visual presentation, combined with a gripping story full of intrigue and truly unique gameplay, creates an immersive experience that really drew me in. I also loved how, throughout the game, you constantly feel in control of your experience. From how you build your cyberdeck and choose your program suite to the "color of the hat" your hacker wears, so to speak, and the decisions you make along the way,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Building out the software and hardware modules for your deck, and then swapping them out to try a completely different approach to a particular puzzle was the highlight of the game for me, it becomes more of an open-ended techno-puzzler than at first glimpse. Also it doesn't pull any moral punches nor railroad or signpost what the "correct" choices should be during your adventure, you are on your own and have to own the consequences of whatever you choose. Pretty refreshing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Please play this game. If not for the unique gameplay and presentation, then for the story and narrative approach.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →posijdbnvoiaehfpoiabopljiawhidbnapd[poawfljkanfapisnbpianhfdkls I'm in
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Spectacular game. Should honestly be much bigger than it is. Wonderful storytelling and fun hacking mechanics. The quests I've seen are very interestingly written. Makes me think whoever wrote them ought to do a lot more writing, and I don't say that often.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an okay game, just not for me. It's difficult to explain but the hacking mechanics, while interesting, feel more like a puzzle game than hacking
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like Hollywood Hacking, you're going to love this one! The hacking mechanic is turn-based, where you have to decide how to use your two action points, either by moving around the "network" you're hacking, or using a "program". Effectiveness of the programs depends on how many "slices" of power from your hardware you allocate to each one (re-allocating slices doesn't consume actions). When your turn is done, your opponents (AIs, Sysops, other hackers...) will move following almost the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really enjoyed this, both the puzzles and the story and the hacking aesthetic. Fundamentally, the elevator pitch of this game is "Mankind Divided if it was collapsed to its hacking mini-game (but turn-based)". If you are a fan of turn-based tactics and H A C K I N G (or sci-fi in general), then I would strongly recommend this game. + The puzzle/tactics aspect is fun and varied. You continuously gain new abilities, but they complement, rather than replace, the ones you already have. + The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got a cat here. Friends passing by can touch her and click Like to pet her once. Award for good luck, Take My Points for infinite pets :) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ＿＿ ／＞ フ | _ _ l ／` ミ＿xノ / | / ヽ ﾉ │ | | | ／￣| | | | | (￣ヽ＿ヽ)__) ＼二つ
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Midnight protocol is an interesting hacker RPG with a good plot and a story that reacts to your choices. The game becomes a bit repetitive after 15h or so. Some midgame elements can make the game too easy and less interesting (I had to force myself to stop using my cookie-cutter build and try new things).However, most late-game story missions are very cool and the game manages to stay interesting until the end. Recommended !
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love the game concept and everything about this, Requires some YnJhaW4gY2VsbHMgYW5kIGNvbWl0bWVudA== to go with it, so its not for anVzdCBhbnkgZ2FtZXIgb3V0IHRoZXJl I can say. https://youtu.be/zGSjPPySCD0
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Real life hacking experience but overall gameplay can have some improvements 😂
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is awesome but as a warning, if you have never been introduced to programming logic, taken a discrete structures course, or you are just not very good at coming up with creative solutions to complex problems then this game may be extremely difficult for you. Coming with that difficulty though is an extreme sense of accomplishment and reward! I am a CS student and I love automation, building software, solving problems, and generally just using my brain power so this game is a lot of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very good puzzle solving, turn based, risk taking game. Was completely enthralled by the game and story throughout the main story and plan to try out the custom campaigns shortly. Highly recommend!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cool game, I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more attention yet. It's more of a turn-based tactical puzzle hacking game. Lots of different programs (skills) and hardware (passive upgrades), lots of missions with different challenges and a pretty cool story so far. I haven't finished it yet and I'm already hoping they add more content at some point.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Garbage If you're looking for a puzzle game then it's not so bad, but if you've spent any time behind a command line prompt or have any experience with the darker elements this game portrays it poorly. I had to quit after a few initial levels after unnecessary key strokes or some of the "hacker" moments.. I died inside and had to uninstall to save myself from the cringe, and how embarrassing it is to witness such low quality "hacking". Just make it a puzzle game without all the "hacker"…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I started this game out of curiosity because of it's unique visual style and game mechanics, and I ended up spending a surprisingly large number of hours playing it. One could call Midnight Protocol a hacking simulator. In truth, it's a puzzle game that you drive with your own keyboard. You can equip different programs, which enable different moves, and different hardware components, which modify some of the game parameters. Some of the puzzles were genuinely challenging, though none of them…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't write reviews very often but this game deserves one. Midnight Protocol is an accessible hacker game where it really makes you feel like you are hacking without having to have all the technical know-how. You input commands into a terminal (via keyboard, how novel!) but there are not so many as to feel overwhelming. In fact a few basic commands are designed to make it as transparent as possible (such as 'deck' which will remind you what you have equipped). Some programs also have…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it is a crime that this game is so unheard of
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’m going to be obvious and on brand and recommend a hacking themed game - Midnight Protocol store.steampowered.com/app/1162700/...
unlabelledView post →GET: If you like 3 out of 3 from cyberpunk stories, puzzle games and hacking NOT: Otherwise Midnight Protocol is a nice little puzzle game. Gameplay itself is interesting mostly for its terminal-like, keyboard only interface. While there are lots of options in the core loop of picking tools and hacking servers, I mostly found myself sticking to the default tools. The story about a group of hackers uncovering, sharing and protecting corporate secrets as well as their own enhances the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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