Defunct

Defunct's way of conveying the sense of motion and fluidity works great with the control and management of the robot's position. However, its simplicity and strange objective design can present some drawbacks.

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Defunct is a single-player kids racing game with an engaging plot, where you play as a broken robot in a post-human Earth. The game features high-speed gameplay using a Gravitize engine and traverses 11 varied levels. It offers a unique 'gravitation' engine, unlockable tricks, and skins, providing lots of replayability and competition. With pretty visuals and a good soundtrack, Defunct is an indie adventure game that promises an exciting experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 290 reviews

gameplay47 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

Defunct offers a unique and engaging gameplay experience with its innovative speed and gravity mechanics, allowing players to build momentum and navigate through levels fluidly.
The vibrant graphics and art style create a visually appealing world that enhances the overall experience, making exploration enjoyable.
The game has a strong replay value due to its time trial mode and collectibles, encouraging players to improve their skills and discover new paths.

The game is very short, typically taking less than an hour to complete the main story, which may leave players wanting more content.
Some players find the controls clunky and frustrating, especially when trying to maintain speed or navigate through obstacles.
The level design can sometimes lead to confusion, with unclear objectives and a lack of direction, making it difficult to know where to go next.

gameplay
107 mentions
44 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Defunct" is characterized by a unique blend of speed, exploration, and platforming mechanics, offering an engaging experience that rewards skillful movement and precision. While the core mechanics, particularly the gravity-based acceleration, are praised for their fun and innovative design, some players note issues with clunky controls at high speeds and a lack of depth in level challenges. Overall, the game is enjoyable and replayable, though its short length may leave some players wanting more.
- “With a mix of exploration, speed, and platforming mechanics, 'Defunct' offers a fun and engaging experience that will appeal to fans of both racing and platforming games.”
- “The gameplay is enhanced by a well-crafted level design, which offers a variety of obstacles and challenges that require skill and precision to overcome.”
- “Defunct has genuinely fun, fast-paced gameplay; however, it is an incredibly short game.”
- “The mechanics are clunky (steering the robot/camera with A and D rather than the mouse; strange mechanics with gravity, flickering from uphill to downhill rapidly; bumping into slight corners of objects minimally protruding from the ground, spinning the robot and the camera out of control, etc.).”
- “The mechanics behind building up speed are too much of a pain to maintain your speed, and the controls when you are going fast are clunky.”
- “I just found myself struggling to want to keep playing, mostly because game mechanics seemed to get in the way of what I wanted to be doing in the game.”
story
57 mentions
25 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as simple and very short, typically taking around 40 minutes to an hour to complete, with many players noting its lack of depth and engagement. While the narrative revolves around a lost robot trying to return to its ship, it serves more as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a focal point, with most players finding the mechanics and speed challenges to be the main draw. Overall, the story is considered cute but thin, leaving little impact on the overall experience.
- “The story is short, but it makes up for it with some great mechanics and a really awesome sense of speed.”
- “The story was simple and cute. The mascot is a very likeable older model robot in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world.”
- “There were enough set pieces and memorable moments to keep me invested in the story, though my standards are extremely low.”
- “Extremely short, no real story.”
- “- the story and cutscenes are paper thin.”
- “Not terribly engaging, not that great to look at or listen to, no characters or themes to get attached to, and no real point to the entire story mode.”
graphics
34 mentions
26 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a vibrant, futuristic aesthetic with detailed 3D visuals that evoke nostalgia for earlier gaming eras, particularly reminiscent of PS2 titles like Ratchet and Clank. While some players appreciate the colorful and cartoonish art style, others note that the graphics can appear simplistic or dated, lacking the depth and realism of modern games. Overall, the visuals are generally well-received for their charm and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, despite some technical shortcomings.
- “The game adopts a vibrant, futuristic aesthetic, with 3D graphics that present a detailed and colorful world.”
- “With fluid movement mechanics, vibrant graphics, and an energetic soundtrack, the game stands out for its ability to provide both fun and challenge.”
- “The graphics are clean and pretty to look at, the levels are wide, open, and leave places to explore.”
- “The entire game's graphical style reminds me of the PS2 era, with Ratchet and Clank being the closest to its art style overall.”
- “Also buggy at times and not exactly 'on par' with modern graphics, but the gameplay carries it for sure.”
- “Empty world, low-res textures, and overall dated graphics; lacks depth.”
replayability
34 mentions
29 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The game is generally considered short but highly replayable, with various features such as collectibles, time trials, and multiple pathways that encourage repeated playthroughs. While some players feel the content may not justify the full price, many agree that the engaging mechanics and addictive challenges provide sufficient replay value, especially for those who enjoy speedrunning or achievement hunting. Overall, it offers a fun experience that invites players to return, despite its brevity.
- “Short, fun, and very replayable.”
- “Despite the length of the game itself, there are a couple of secret areas, collectibles, and unlockables for post-game, giving the game a lot of replay value.”
- “The story is kind of short, but the time trials, which surprisingly are really addictive, the secrets, and the unlockables keep the replayability sufficient.”
- “There is also a tiny bit of replayability value, but maybe for only 1-2 runs of this game before you get bored.”
- “I mentioned the collectibles; these are there both to provide replay value and to create an incentive to explore various criss-crossing paths built through each area, but trying to find them not only keeps you engaged with that fiddly frustration but also outright kills the momentum as you stop racing forward and turn back to search them out.”
- “Definitely replayable, you have both collectibles to collect and time trials to beat, but community-made maps or lengthy DLCs would be a nice addition to an otherwise great game.”
music
30 mentions
50 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The music in "Defunct" receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the energetic and immersive soundtrack that complements the fast-paced gameplay. While some find the music beautiful and fitting, others criticize it for being mediocre or repetitive, noting that not all levels feature background music. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the game's atmosphere, but opinions vary on its memorability and quality.
- “With a mix of electronic and energetic tracks, the music helps to create a dynamic and immersive atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack really fits the game and I enjoyed listening to it.”
- “I really liked the art style and the music complemented the gameplay beautifully.”
- “The biggest weakness I found with the game was probably the music.”
- “The music is horrible and I feel like it loops the same 5 seconds.”
- “- no music at the intro cutscene (first 90+ sec)”
atmosphere
7 mentions
71 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
29 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a dynamic soundtrack that combines electronic and energetic tracks, creating an immersive experience. While the story is simple and the gameplay can occasionally feel empty, the detailed comic-style graphics and engaging mechanics contribute to a compelling overall ambiance. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for its interesting elements, despite some moments of emptiness.
- “With a mix of electronic and energetic tracks, the music helps to create a dynamic and immersive atmosphere.”
- “It's not a long game and it doesn't have a complex story, but it has just enough to create a compelling atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack is very successful and it develops the atmosphere even more.”
- “Although sometimes the atmosphere can feel a bit empty, most of the time it amazes you.”
- “The soundtrack is very successful and it enhances the atmosphere even more.”
stability
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with frequent crashes and glitches reported by users, making it barely playable at times. While some players noted that the gameplay can be enjoyable despite these issues, others experienced significant bugs, particularly with camera angles and terrain interactions. Overall, the game is described as having a charming story and likable characters, but its technical shortcomings detract from the experience.
- “Good but barely playable, constant crashing and glitches.”
- “Also buggy at times and not exactly 'on par' with modern graphics, but the gameplay carries it for sure.”
- “There are some parts of the map where the camera glitches out, or a part of a plane or terrain sticks out and if you clip it you kind of get sucked in.”
optimization
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits performance issues, particularly on low-spec PCs, and experiences minor optimization problems during high-speed gameplay. Additionally, while the controls are functional, they are not fully optimized, impacting the overall user experience.
- “There are some performance issues on really low-spec PCs.”
- “There are minor performance issues when running at super fast speeds.”
- “The controls are not bad, but they feel unoptimized.”
- “The game has significant performance issues on low-spec PCs.”
- “Optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
- “Even on mid-range systems, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate.”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, especially when pursuing collectibles, although the main adventure can be completed in under an hour for those who prefer a quicker experience.
- “While I personally would rather have a short, fun game than a long, tedious one, it is beatable in under an hour if you just play through the main adventure.”
- “I tend to try to go for collectibles when I see them, but that made the game a bit tedious.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users report that the game's shifting perspectives and overly sensitive controls can induce feelings of disorientation and motion sickness, detracting from the emotional experience. The multitude of routes in each level contributes to a sense of confusion, leaving players feeling lost and uncertain about their progress.
- “The ever-changing point of view and the overly sensitive controls created a sense of disorientation that left me feeling emotionally unsettled.”
- “Oddly, how you get through most levels does not seem to matter, as there are half a dozen routes in each, which only made me feel lost as I barreled forward, unsure of where I was going or even if it was the right way.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in this indie adventure game is highlighted as very funny and enjoyable, with a focus on the balance and speed mechanics that add a comedic twist to gameplay. Players find that the humorous elements enhance the overall experience, making the challenges more entertaining.
- “Very funny indie adventure game.”
- “The speed and balance is the concept of this funny and enjoyable adventure game, as reaching the right speed and acting in different ways during the run will compromise the success of your actions and missions.”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Character development is minimal, with limited interactions between the robots, resulting in a lack of depth in their personalities and growth throughout the game.
- “Apart from very few interactions between the robots, there isn't much character development either.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional and lack any meaningful growth throughout the game.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of backstory and depth in the character arcs.”