Critical Mass

About

Critical Mass is a single player casual puzzle game. It was developed by Manic Game Studios and was released on June 20, 2011. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Critical Mass" is a 2011 top-down shooter game set in a futuristic world. As a pilot of a powerful spacecraft, players must navigate through treacherous environments, battling enemy ships and bosses in frenetic combat. The game features a variety of weapons and upgrades, with missions that require strategic planning and quick reflexes. Reference

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 360 reviews

music26 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game is fun and addictive, providing a good mix of puzzle and action elements.
It has a colorblind mode and various game modes, including a relaxing meditation mode.
The graphics and music are well-received, creating an engaging atmosphere for gameplay.

The online features, including achievements and leaderboards, are no longer available, making parts of the game unplayable.
The gameplay can feel frantic and poorly balanced, with a lack of visible timers and frustrating controls.
Many players experience technical issues, including crashes and inability to launch the game on newer operating systems.

music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76%
15%
9%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising it as catchy, awesome, and hypnotizing, enhancing the overall experience. However, some find the repetitive loops stressful and annoying, particularly in high-pressure situations. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally appreciated, its limited variety and looping nature can detract from the gameplay for some users.
- “Also the soundtrack is great!”
- “This is a game with a decent amount of depth for the price, it's not an incredible game but it's really fun and the music is incredibly hypnotizing (I say music, it's one song, some ambient/trance).”
- “I enjoy the music and the way the game is played.”
- “This 5-second loop music drives me nuts.”
- “I thought it would be like a reverse Rubik's Cube puzzle game, but the camera/aiming controls are terrible, the music is the same 10-second loop featured in the trailer repeating forever, and the combo system is shallow.”
- “After my first session of playing this game, I started looking on Steam for its soundtrack.”
gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
60%
12%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it simplistic and uninspired, primarily revolving around linking four cubes of the same color under time constraints. While some appreciate the fun and challenging aspects, particularly in online modes, others criticize the lack of strategic depth and satisfying mechanics, noting that the gameplay often feels random and repetitive. Overall, it is seen as a straightforward, casual experience that may appeal to those looking for a quick time-waster rather than a deeply engaging puzzle challenge.
- “Very fun and challenging with rewarding online gameplay.”
- “Its a pretty fun game, it has a great concept and overall gameplay is pretty much straightforward, good side is that you can play this game with no DRM or DLC and a great timewaster, but overall a great game!”
- “While most modes do require you to work within various time tables, meditation is a completely untimed relaxing strategic gameplay.”
- “Puzzle design is uninspired, gameplay is totally boring. It felt there was more to it, but it is literally 'link 4 cubes of the same color to make them disappear and clear everything out before the timer runs out.'”
- “You basically have two options: rotate or place, and the gameplay doesn't get any more complex than that.”
- “The game doesn't even provide basic gameplay elements like a heads-up about what the next color is, so you can strategize accordingly.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
31%
15%
The graphics are consistently praised for their polish and beauty, with comparisons made to the art style of the 2008 WiiWare game Cubello. Players appreciate the sublime audio-visual experience, although some note that the dynamic elements can induce panic during gameplay. Overall, the visuals enhance the addictive, Tetris-like gameplay, but a decent graphics acceleration is recommended for optimal performance.
- “The graphics are polished.”
- “Along with the great core game, the audio and visuals are sublime.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and the soundtrack is nice.”
- “All the countdowns and vibrating graphics are making me panic and be bad at it.”
- “It is extremely similar in design to the Cubello, the 2008 WiiWare art style game for Nintendo Wii, although it offers full mouse control to rotate the puzzle and choose the angle of attack, rather than Cubello's pure-shooter/puzzle-boss-battle experience where you are watching it drift and looking for openings.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues, particularly with a buggy leaderboard search and numerous problems related to achievements, indicating a need for improvements in these areas.
- “The achievements are really buggy!”
- “Buggy leaderboard search”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Players express mixed feelings about replayability; while some find it high, they are frustrated by the lack of variety, as starting from scratch and repetitive levels diminish the overall experience. Randomized elements or new content could enhance replay value significantly.
- “Replay value is very high”
- “Replay value is very high”
- “I do wish you didn't have to start from scratch every time or that the levels were randomized or something; the replay value gets worn down by replaying the same thing over and over again.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is described as immersive and relaxing, creating a deceptive sense of calm that contrasts sharply with the intense and frantic gameplay, often leading players to frantically make last-minute matches before the situation escalates.
- “The immersive and relaxing atmosphere belies how tense it can get; just be ready for most rounds to end with you scrambling to make one more match as the whole thing explodes in your face.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is appreciated for its lightheartedness, making it an enjoyable choice for short play sessions or while waiting for other games. Players find it amusing and entertaining, perfect for quick bursts of fun.
- “A funny game to play while you are in queues for other games or when you just have some 10-15 minutes of spare time.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a straightforward objective that belies its challenging and engaging gameplay, making it an excellent choice for players seeking a casual yet thought-provoking experience. Overall, the story aspect is minimal, focusing more on the puzzle mechanics than a narrative.