Broke Protocol Is Like GTA Online But Stylised 

What do you get when you cross the art style of Unturned with the sandbox chaos of GTA Online? You get Broke Protocol.

Screenshot taken from the game’s teaser trailer, which you can check out here.

Developed by NongBenz, Broke Protocol is a game where you play as either a criminal or law enforcer in the name of earning cash and increasing your influence over the city. You can join a gang and break the rules, or get a job as a cop, paramedic or firefighter to try to maintain order. Each faction has its perks: As a cop, for example, you get automatic access to a ton of weapons, and you get money for putting people in gaol. But as a criminal, you have more freedom to earn money, either by selling drugs or committing robberies.

Although the game is still in development, it has already received 89.3K plays according to GameJolt, and has also been featured by YouTubers such as jacksepticeye. Based on my time playing it, Broke Protocol seems like good, high-energy fun.

Starting out, I approached random NPCs and punched them for money, so that I could buy weapons. Already, I craved power. I was then promptly killed by a police officer, though I couldn’t tell if it was an NPC or an actual player. In the game, officers will shoot people for assault and murder, and arrest players for stealing. If you die, all of your items pop up in a briefcase next to your body, which other players are free to take. If you get arrested, you will be placed in the gaol for about two minutes before you can be released.

I didn’t have enough money to take on a job, so I chose to explore the city so that I could find a weapon to defend myself. Desperate for items, I decided to rob a pawn shop with my bare fists. It did not work out. I also probably shouldn’t have killed that one player, who was handcuffed and unable to fight back, because he and his friend went after me multiple times after they respawned. I got what I deserved.

I became increasingly frustrated because it seemed like every time I had acquired some weapons, I was killed. At one point, I came across a massive traffic jam, and died once a bunch of cars exploded without any warning. Life is unfair in Broke Protocol.

My “big break” was kind of random. While wandering around town, I came across a gun shop. I entered it, and found that a player had handcuffed the police NPC that was supposed to be guarding the place. So I robbed the police officer of all of his weapons: Taser, glock, and best of all, his shotgun. While stealing could have gotten me in trouble with the cops or that player, it was totally worth it.

With a shotgun, the possibilities are endless. Despite initially playing as a criminal, I decided to use the shotgun to restore some justice to the town. My targets? Players who were starting fights against other denizens. For a brief five minutes, I was an unstoppable vigilante who could kill anyone with two hits. I went out in a blaze of glory when a cop finally shot me to death while I was switching weapons. My reign of terror was over.

While Broke Protocol isn’t finished, there is still plenty to do right now, from drug dealing to robbing citizens to simply creating chaos.