[3] In Quadrilateral Cowboy, the player takes the role of a computer hacker in the 1980s, armed with a "top-of-the-line hacking deck outfitted with a 56.6k modem and a staggering 256k RAM".

Each agent has a different set of abilities; in addition to the player's hacker with their Deck, another character will have a saw to break through doors, while another will be able to climb and move quickly through levels.

This area will also provide a primitive in-game tutorial system for the player to learn the hacking mechanics, with instructions shown as sticky notes attached to various objects or on signs held up by characters.

[7] Cowboy was also inspired by Chung's father, a mechanic that would often need to disassemble equipment to figure out how the various parts interacted, and wanted to create a similar approach for the player in having to analyze the security systems' layouts within the game.

[12] Edmond Tran from GameSpot and Destructoid's Patrick Hancock praised how the game tells a story without the use of dialogue, and stated they enjoyed exploring the characters' homes to find out their backstory.

With the final mission falling short of expectations, critics hoped that user-created levels on Steam Workshop could provide the missing ultimate challenge.