HAL Protocol Review (PC)

Overtime aboard the HIS 01 Echo isn’t optional; it’s mandatory. The exit is there, as is the option to clock out. But the shuttle returning home is nowhere to be within reach, nor is the corridor that wraps and connects to the station’s honeycomb infrastructure. After hours, the Echo becomes another vessel—a perpetuating cycle that has no guiding beacons or ulterior motives. It’s just you, an endless hallway, and a glimmer of hope that, if you follow it long enough, fleeing will become a strong possibility. It’s HAL Protocol, and it doesn’t want you to leave; it wants you to spend your days combing over the same cycle in the hopes that you’ll stay for all eternity.

The Exit 8 influenced a lot of the cult hidden object-anomaly hybrid horrors that we have today, that much is known. HAL Protocol, specifically, hails from a similar banner, with its go-to focal point being largely dependent upon the same basic principles as its peers. Yet, what sets this flag apart from its competitors is its lack of flamboyancy and shameless jump scare tactics. There isn’t any of that here, nor are there any sly jabs at an alternate universe or IP. Rather, you have something a little more transparent—a doorway that bears the same hallmarks as its ilk, with the same two-way progression and spotting mechanics—and a little less hell-bent on creating wall to wall jump scares to construct its image and develop its atmosphere.

Given that it’s still an anomaly-like game, a significant portion of the game’s content should be familiar to you. And if it isn’t, then don’t sweat it — we’ll board the HIS 01 Echo together and tackle the O/T as a team. Eat your heart out, Waldo.

Mandatory Overtime

HAL Protocol transports you aboard the intergalactic station of HIS 01 Echo—a universally recognizable orbital vessel in which airlocks are commonplace, as are the usual cliches of a modern sci-fi flick. In this world, you have the monumental task of traveling a familiar corridor to reach the exit. But, there’s a catch: the less you fail to recognize, and the more you begin to doubt the abnormalities that orbit the ship, the more likely you are to wind up back at the beginning. If there are no anomalies in sight, then you can push forward to a new section of the map; if there are, then you must venture back to a safer location to figure out the next course of action. And that’s really all you’re doing here: moving forwards, backwards, and using the power of intuition and logic to progress deeper into the HIS 01 Echo.

While the structure isn’t drastically different from the likes of The Exit 8 or The Stairwell, there are several noticeable changes in the way that HAL Protocol presents itself — its natural leniency to be more of a narrative-driven anomaly-finding game than a full-fledged horror with cheap materials and B-list scares, being the most important piece of its puzzle. It also doesn’t add any time constraints, either, meaning that you can take the time to explore at your own leisure and connect the dots without worrying about the risk of falling behind or mistakenly resetting the loop. It’s a small feature, but one that serves its purpose of making the journey a little less mentally taxing, all things considered.

Clocking Out

The actual experience here is more or less consistent with the other games in its category. As such, the goal that you find yourself doing more than anything, in all honesty, is sweeping the same corridor multiple times over, and identifying small hitches in the matrix, be it a piece of furniture that has been moved, a missing item, or a slight change in the atmosphere. Like other titles, the idea is to carefully analyze the room, and make a decision on whether or not to move forward into the next area, or turn back. If you happen to get it wrong, then the loop resets, and you have to begin from scratch. An inconvenience that’s not always welcome — but one that’s integral to the development of the journey, nonetheless.

Although HAL Protocol isn’t notably weighty in its story length, the short journey is in receipt of some solid moments, with the backing of a digestible UI and easy-to-understand set of mechanics further fleshing out its image. And admittedly, while it doesn’t always hit the nail on the head with its chosen anomalies, it does, however, build a pretty good hub for a world where a lot of the set pieces are both befitting of the genre and highly reminiscent of a classic sci-fi masquerade. Is that enough to coerce you into plodding through the same corridors dozens of times over? It depends, I guess, though I’d say that fans of hidden object games in general are far more likely to find common ground with this particular vessel than those with a natural infatuation with open-world RPGs and the likes.

Verdict

For a hidden object-anomaly hybrid that doesn’t stretch much beyond the scope of an Exit 8 clone, there is a surprising amount to enjoy here, with a detailed setting with numerous sci-fi elements and a pleasantly engaging gameplay loop to help sweeten an otherwise familiar palate cleanser of a hidden object game.

The Last Semicolon Dev has created something that ought to be given the same attention as its peers’ corridor-looping worlds, that much is evident. It’s so evident, in fact, that the team’s commitment bleeds through the minor details of a somewhat complex love letter to science fiction and imaginative storytelling. There’s no denying that it could still do with a couple of extra tweaks and a bit of extra fine tuning to really elevate its shortcomings, though, for what it currently does bring to the table, I’m actually contented with the offerings that are available, warts and all.

If you’re interested in delving into a two-for-one ode—a star-crossed pairing of sci-fi and anomaly-based hunting—then HAL Protocol should be more than capable of hitting that sweet spot of yours. It won’t keep you on tenterhooks forever, but it ought to give you plenty to think about — at least until the next anomaly sprouts its wings and takes center stage.