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.
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.
The game offers a great sense of speed and fluid movement mechanics, making traversal enjoyable.
Visually appealing with a vibrant aesthetic and well-designed environments that encourage exploration.
Fun gameplay with replayability through collectibles and time trials, appealing to speedrunning enthusiasts.
The game is very short, typically taking less than an hour to complete, which may not justify the price for some players.
Controls can feel clunky and imprecise at high speeds, leading to frustration when trying to maintain momentum.
Some levels require slowing down to complete objectives, which disrupts the flow of the fast-paced gameplay.
gameplay
143 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
53%
3%
The gameplay of "Defunct" is characterized by a unique blend of speed, platforming, and physics-based mechanics that create an engaging and addictive experience. Players appreciate the fluid movement and well-designed levels, although some find the controls clunky and the game short, with a main campaign lasting about an hour. Overall, while the mechanics are enjoyable and rewarding, the game's brevity and occasional frustrations may limit its appeal to a broader audience.
“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 gameplay is very similar to games like Tiny Wings, where you gain speed by going downhill and lose speed going uphill.”
“The huge and detailed zones are barren of anything gameplay related, making any exploration almost pointless, and I have to wonder why.”
story
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
75%
4%
The story in the game is generally considered very simple and short, often taking around 40 minutes to an hour to complete, with many reviewers noting that it lacks depth and complexity. While some players appreciate the basic narrative of a lost robot trying to return to its ship, they agree that the story is not the main draw of the game, which is instead focused on fun gameplay mechanics and speed. Overall, the minimalistic storytelling serves more as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative experience.
“The story revolves around a broken robot named Bolt, who finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world where gravity is no longer functioning as it should.”
“The story is short, but it has just enough to create a compelling atmosphere.”
“Even so, there were some surprisingly satisfying story beats, and that’s backed up by an interesting world that tells you a bit about itself just from looking around the environment.”
“Extremely short, no real story.”
“The story is basic and isn't really what keeps the game interesting.”
“There isn’t much of a story here; your robot is lost and you need to help it get home.”
graphics
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
62%
5%
The game's graphics are generally praised for their vibrant, colorful aesthetic and nostalgic art style reminiscent of classic titles, though some reviews note that they may not meet modern standards, with comparisons to PS1 and PS2-era visuals. While many players appreciate the detailed environments and fluid animations, others criticize the simplicity and occasional blandness of textures, suggesting that the graphics, while appealing, could benefit from further refinement. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's charm, enhancing the engaging gameplay experience.
“The game adopts a vibrant, futuristic aesthetic, with 3D graphics that present a detailed and colorful world.”
“One of the highlights of the game is its stunning visuals.”
“The graphics are clean and pretty to look at, the levels are wide, open, and leave places to explore.”
“I'm down with nostalgia-fueled graphics choices but, even with everything in the game turned up, the graphics are about PS1 level quality.”
“The entire game's graphical style reminds me of the PS2 era, with Ratchet and Clank being the closest to its art style overall.”
“[empty world, low res textures and overall dated graphics, lacks depth]”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
39%
11%
The music in "Defunct" receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the energetic and immersive soundtrack that complements the fast-paced gameplay. However, some criticize the audio design for being inconsistent, noting a lack of background music in certain levels and cutscenes, which detracts from the overall experience. While the soundtrack is described as enjoyable and atmospheric, opinions vary on its memorability and effectiveness throughout the game.
“The soundtrack of 'Defunct' complements the fast-paced pace of the game well.”
“With a mix of electronic and energetic tracks, the music helps to create a dynamic and immersive atmosphere.”
“I really liked the art style and the music complemented the gameplay beautifully.”
“Audio design is shockingly poor, with every cut-scene devoid of ambient noise and music.”
“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.”
replayability
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The game offers a high replayability factor despite its short campaign, with features like collectibles, time trials, and multiple pathways encouraging players to return for more. While some users feel the lack of multiplayer and limited content may affect its value at full price, many find the gameplay engaging enough to warrant multiple playthroughs. Overall, it is described as fun and rewarding, particularly for those who enjoy speedrunning and achievement hunting.
“Short, fun, and very replayable.”
“The game's campaign is arguably short, but once you get the hang of the game, the replay value is great and you'll spend a good few more hours replaying levels again and again and trying to get a better score in time trials.”
“Fortunately, the main campaign has enormous replay value and it's very rewarding to get better and improve at using it.”
“Additionally, the lack of a multiplayer mode limits the game's replayability factor.”
“There is also a tiny bit of replayability value, but maybe for only 1-2 runs of this game before you get bored.”
“The story is kind of short but the time trials, which surprisingly are really addictive, the secrets and the unlockables keep the replayability sufficient.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, characterized by a dynamic blend of electronic music that enhances immersion and complements the engaging gameplay. While some players note moments of emptiness, the overall experience is enriched by detailed graphics and a compelling soundtrack, making it a standout feature of the game. Despite its simplicity in story and length, the atmosphere captivates players, contributing significantly to their enjoyment.
“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.”
“I can't recommend this game enough - great atmosphere, music, and overall feel to it.”
“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 Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with frequent crashes and glitches reported, particularly affecting gameplay and camera angles. While some players find it barely playable, others note that the bugs are not overly disruptive and can be overlooked due to the enjoyable gameplay and charming story. Overall, the experience can vary significantly, with some recommending waiting for a sale to mitigate the risk of frustration.
“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, but this didn't happen frequently.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The game's optimization has been noted to have minor performance issues, particularly on low-spec PCs, and while it runs adequately across various systems, the controls are considered unoptimized. Overall, players experience some performance inconsistencies, especially during high-speed scenarios.
“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.”
“Has some performance issues on really low-spec PCs.”
“General performance issues across all ranges of systems.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its humor, described as brilliant and funny, making it an enjoyable indie adventure. Players appreciate the comedic elements tied to gameplay mechanics, such as object physics, which add to the overall fun and balance of the experience.
“Brilliant and funny game for an afternoon.”
“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.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, especially when pursuing collectibles, which can extend gameplay unnecessarily. While the main adventure can be completed in under an hour, the desire to collect items may detract from the overall enjoyment for some.
“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 Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is minimal, with limited interactions between the robots, resulting in a lack of depth and growth for the characters.
“Apart from very few interactions between the robots, there isn't much character development either.”