About the game

Developed and published by Haiku, Inc., World of Haiku (WoH) is a RPG like simulator which immerses you deep into the cyberworld where you must help a group known as Cybermancers stop a massive cyberattack that could potentially destroy humanity. 

The game prepares you by offering cybersecurity skills that align with training that Certified Ethical Hackers receive. The game currently has the first full chapter released, which consists of 7 double missions. During the missions, you will learn how the real Linux operating system works and how to use commands like: cd, ls, cat, johntheripper, hydra, amongst others. A pretty nice fact to know is that the game is available on Linux, Mac and Windows platforms. 

Gameplay

After the Crash of '41 in which the internet as we know it got destroyed, the web was rebuilt into a new cyber space known as The Grid. This system is composed of networks and host systems. The users are now known as Grid Runners and society runs under purity levels (PL), which describe the ethical and moral values of certain groups (known as Factions) and of individual characters. The higher their PL, the purer the character. 

The year is 2049, you play as an orphan who suddenly receives a random message from a stranger. Inside said message is an ip address and what appears to be some sort of login information. Soon after that, you begin to interact with different characters who slowly show you the ropes and explain that you may be in danger. 

As the story progresses, you learn that things are a bit worse than what had been previously anticipated and that one Faction is planning to release a lethal cyber attack that could doom humanity as it is. So it's up to you, with the help of the trusty AI, Rascal, to gather all the necessary pieces of information needed to stop said attack before time runs out!

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Modifiable difficulty. WoH offers 3 different difficulty settings. In easy mode, missions are untimed and the player can take their time trying to decipher what they need to do. Normal and Hard modes are timed so if you fail the mission, you have to restart it. Hard mode also offers fewer help from Rascal.
• Educational value, real life commands. Since it uses real commands, the educational value in WoH can be compared to some trainings found across the net. 
• Multiple ways to reach the end. There is no definite formula to end the game. In fact, the developers have revealed there is over 10 different ways to get through the last mission, which means what worked for someone might be different than what could work for you.
• Adaptability. Each run you make through this game changes the ip addresses all around the game. This helps players actually try and do their best instead of copy/pasting what another has done.
• Mission completion rewards and achievements. The game has incentives and achievements that make you feel great after completing a mission. 

Cons:

• Unused commands. Currently, the game possesses two commands that aren't used: cp and scp. Also it continuously reminds you to use the whoami command but as you progress past mission 2, this command is barely used. 
• Manual could have more information. For some commands, the manual is very straightforward but for harder to understand commands like hydra or john, the manual lacks certain information. 
• Short story. Currently WoH offers 14 stages all together, which took me around 4.5 hours to complete in my first playthrough. If you speedrun through the content, knowing all commands and skipping the story, there is a possibility to finish the game in around an hour, although this is highly unlikely. After chatting with the devs, it was confirmed that they're working on a free DLC and some extra content that will extend the game's length in the not so distant future. That's definitely something to look forward to!
  
  

Final Thoughts

WoH is fascinating. It begins slow while it teaches you the basic commands then after mission 4, the intensity increases drastically. Basically by the end, you are mostly left on your own to complete the mission but let me tell you, it's worth it. 

Each character's personality is completely unique and well thought of. I loved Rascal, actually I wish I could have a mini Rascal home to help me around. For some reason, he reminded me of Aiba from AI Somnium Files, although Rascal behaves way better. I was also reminded of Jiminy Cricket for some reason since he's always so helpful and attentive and tries his best to points us in the right direction.

I enjoyed that you can make this game easier or harder, depending on your taste. Want to go hard? No manual, only basic notes and use commands instead of the File Explorer to move around the directories. Too hard for you? Ease up and relax a bit by taking your time on easy mode. 

The game possesses a replayability aspect that's very hard to miss. If you want to better your time or get more achievements, another run is definitely recommended. It's sad that there is only one part of the game out as I really wanted to continue playing and discovering what new commands I'd get to use or where the story took me next, secretly hoping it's to Agenda 21's domains. 

If you would like to see the a playthrough of the first 3 missions, you can find it here! 

Rating:     

(On a scale of 1-5, being 5 the absolute best)

I give WoH a rating of 4 happy kitties. While I did loved and enjoyed story, it fell on the short side and I was left wanting more. The game does have its moments where you can easily get stuck, even if you follow all instructions. This is bound to happen some time between missions 4 to 7. If you're a first timer or have no experience programming, I recommend doing a run on easy first and then moving on to timed missions. 

WoH is currently available on:

Steam

For more information, please visit their official website.