Armed to the Gears
- April 8, 2020
- Rafael Solon
Get on SteamIn "Armed to the Gears," control a hacked robot in a dystopian world and battle against totalitarian rulers. Fight waves of enemy forces using various weapons, unlock upgrades, and manage your base's workshop in the campaign. Engage in endless wave defense mode, with Steam achievements and leaderboards available.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a fun and simple gameplay loop that can be enjoyable for a short session.
- Graphics are decent and the game has a nice aesthetic, making it visually appealing.
- The concept of combining mech combat with tower defense elements shows potential for a unique experience.
- There is a severe lack of content, with only a few missions and minimal customization options for mechs.
- Gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, leading to a feeling of boredom after a short time.
- Numerous bugs and poor controls detract from the overall experience, making it frustrating to play.
- story148 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 91 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as simplistic and underwhelming, consisting of only eight main missions and a few defense missions that lack depth and variety. Players express a desire for a more engaging narrative and additional content, as the current missions feel repetitive and uninspired. Overall, the campaign is seen as short and forgettable, with many reviewers calling for more story-driven elements and mission variety.
“I'm enjoying the mechanics on the several maps I've played, the weapons are cool, the sound effects are well-done, it looks really nice, and there's a bit of a story there to keep me going.”
“But I'm a story-driven kind of player.”
“The story is simple, the graphics are simple, but shooting is even simpler.”
“At the moment, it would be nice to have more of a story-driven campaign and background.”
“It's single-player only at this time, it just has a few missions, and the bad guys are pretty much the same throughout.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some players enjoying the mechanics and combat, particularly the challenge of setting up defenses, while others criticize the simplistic nature and lack of content at launch. Many users noted issues with responsiveness and bugs, leading to frustration, especially with the tower defense elements. Overall, while the graphics and sound are praised, the gameplay experience tends to become repetitive and lacks depth after a short period.
“However, I like the gameplay and combat, particularly the challenge of setting up (tower) defenses of claimed positions, whilst having to fight the AI myself on other parts of the map.”
“Great game with some simple but very fun mechanics that is a good choice for sitting down to game for a few minutes and working through the campaign and also running through another mode for a longer session.”
“I'm enjoying the mechanics on the several maps I've played; the weapons are cool, the sound effects are well-done, it looks really nice, and there's a bit of a story there to keep me going.”
“Simplistic gameplay, very little content at release.”
“Doesn't do the top down mech gameplay or tower defense as well as it should.”
“This game's mechanics are awful... double click it doesn't respond, single click it doesn't respond, oh wait a minute now I'm dead...”
- graphics28 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, with many users praising their quality, smoothness, and appealing design. While some feel the visuals are more suited for older platforms like the Xbox 360, others appreciate the detail and physics effects, particularly in the context of the game's mech genre. The graphics contribute positively to the overall experience, enhancing the simple yet engaging gameplay.
“For the price I'm pretty happy, the graphics and world detail are good, the combat is satisfying.”
“Love the graphics and changing up the guns and armor for the battle-mech.”
“The graphics are good and there's a physics package so debris do bounce around.”
“The story is simple, the graphics are simple, but shooting is even simpler.”
“Not a ton of missions, but the graphics, sound, and gameplay are very well done.”
“Graphics”
- music6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as "fine" but limited in duration, reflecting the game's overall brevity. Players enjoy the energetic rock music that enhances the experience of battling enemies, although there are complaints about the inability to control the music volume.
“Can't control music volume.”
“Audio: music is 'fine' albeit really short since there's not a lot to the game.”
“Nothing feels quite like it when the whole map is just red with enemies and you clear them out one by one with rock music blasting in the background.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as each map takes between 40 minutes to an hour to complete. While the strategic elements are well-executed, the lengthy map completion times detract from the overall enjoyment.
“Each map takes from 40 minutes to an hour to finish - and it is just tedious.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting poor and clunky controls, numerous glitches and bugs, and unbalanced difficulty settings that fail to differentiate between skill levels. Additionally, issues such as non-functional mouse controls and frustrating AI contribute to an overall negative experience, making the game feel forgettable.
“Poor and clunky controls, glitches and bugs, unbalanced difficulty settings (no difference between the skill levels detectable), unfair difficulty in mode 'base defense', bad story, stupid AI, generic level design, and I could mention much more, make this game forgettable.”
“Looked at the troubleshooting guide, did all the things they say, and still the mouse doesn't work.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players finding it both funny and addictive, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“This is a promising mech game, funny and addictive.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is generally enjoyable, but players note that it requires optimization and additional content, as many can complete it in under two hours. Despite these shortcomings, the price point is considered reasonable for fans of the genre.
“I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it needs some optimization and more content. I've beaten the game, except for 2 missions, in under 2 hours. For the price, it's certainly worth it if you like this style of game.”
“I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it needs some optimization and more content. I've beaten the game, except for 2 missions, in under 2 hours. For the price, it's certainly worth it if you like this style of game.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to a small selection of maps, though some of these maps feature non-linear elements that provide a degree of variability in gameplay.
“There are only a handful of maps now, and some of them are somewhat replayable (non-linear).”
“There are only a handful of maps now, and some of them are somewhat replayable (non-linear).”
