Escape Machines
- March 22, 2015
- Back To Basics Gaming
- 11h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Escape Machines" is a single-player Science Fiction shooter game, currently in beta, with an estimated playtime of 11 hours. Players build and command robots, battle bosses, and upgrade weapons/armor. The game offers co-op and VS multi-player modes, level editor, and original soundtrack, with support for English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Russian languages. Note: some features may be unfinished and multi-player mode will be coming soon.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a charming retro aesthetic with clean graphics and a simple run-and-gun gameplay style.
- Some players found joy and motivation in the game, appreciating its potential despite its current state.
- At a very low price, it offers Steam trading cards, which some players found to be a redeeming quality.
- The game is plagued by frequent crashes, bugs, and lacks substantial content, with only a few levels available.
- It has been criticized as abandonware, with no updates or improvements since its early access launch, leading to disappointment among players.
- Many reviews describe the gameplay as tedious and unpolished, comparing it unfavorably to free flash games available online.
- story50 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely criticized for being poorly developed, cheesy, and lacking coherence, with many players stating it feels non-existent or unengaging. While some find the quirky elements amusing, the overall narrative is deemed weak, repetitive, and in need of significant improvement. Many reviewers suggest that the focus should be on gameplay rather than the story, as it fails to enhance the gaming experience.
“However, the gameplay itself does seem alright and the storyline is quirky. I recommend buying this when it goes on the Steam sale, as if I had more time, I would explore the world more.”
“After seeing the 'story', you are to assume the identity of a 60-year-old who created the best artificial intelligence. Being the hero that you are, once the machines attack, you wear 'the suit' to become some superhero, or something.”
“If the developers follow through on their plans and make some improvements to enhance the storyline, the amount of levels, and the migration to Unreal Engine, then the game will be worth playing many times over as a casual trip into run & gun sci-fantasy.”
“This game has no story.”
“It's slow-paced, horrible mechanics, super buggy, runs in Adobe Flash, worst plot I have ever seen in a game. Need I say more? The only plus side is if you get this game for 17 cents, then you can actually make a profit off the cards you get in-game!”
“Terrible English translations, boring and repetitive gameplay, and no story to speak of.”
- gameplay38 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 26 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious, repetitive, and plagued by bugs, particularly crashes during key levels. While some appreciate the light RPG elements and nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic Sega/SNES games, others criticize the lack of content and poor mechanics. Overall, the game is seen as needing significant improvements and updates to enhance the player experience.
“However, the gameplay itself does seem alright and the storyline is quirky. I recommend buying this when it goes on the Steam sale, as if I had more time, I would explore the world more.”
“Thus far, the gameplay itself is really fun, almost like a Sega/SNES style over-the-top shot.”
“You can upgrade your suit and your guns, which has a great impact on gameplay.”
“The gameplay is bad and you can't have fun.”
“Terrible English translations, boring and repetitive gameplay, and no story to speak of.”
“The look and the concept of this game is okay, but the initial gameplay is very basic and repetitive. After 20 minutes, I found myself bored. I know it's still in development, but I still have to say I didn't like it, sorry.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the clean and appealing isometric visuals and the novel integration of real photos into the backgrounds, which adds a charming retro feel. However, many criticize the overall quality, describing it as generic and poorly executed, with some even labeling it as "shitty." Despite the effort evident in the design, the game's numerous technical issues overshadow the graphics, leading to a frustrating experience.
“The isometric visuals are very clean and appealing.”
“The graphics as applied are clean and crisp.”
“The integration of photo visuals of real people into the computer-generated backgrounds is novel and a bit humorous at times, making it slightly charming.”
“It crashed twice in the brief time I played it; it's devoid of content (several things are 'unavailable in this version'), has terrible controls, graphics, and story, and is just plain awful.”
“Least they could do when they release a game is give it some storyline with some kind of graphics, not some crappy posted picture a guy took of himself on a cell phone.”
“Yeah... games with Russian actors, Photoshop, and some terrible graphics.”
- stability24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of severe bugs, crashes, and unpolished mechanics, leading many to label it as "abandonware" that should not be sold. While some minor glitches are noted as amusing, the overall consensus is that the game feels incomplete and lacks the quality expected from a finished product. Users recommend avoiding the purchase or seeking a refund due to its poor performance and lack of updates.
“A buggy, incomplete, flash game; shorter and less polished than free flash games... with no update in sight.”
“Right now it is at more of what you'd expect from a trial version of a game than a beta; you expect a beta to be semi-finished but not polished and still buggy, but this is literally 3 levels of play and 4 character levels.”
“Really buggy, do not buy, but if you do I suggest refunding it because it's not worth it or wait until early access is over.”
- music16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the nostalgic Sega/SNES vibe and finding it engaging, while others criticize it as cheesy and outdated. A few users noted that the soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience, but overall, there are calls for a more modern musical approach. Ratings vary significantly, with some giving it as low as 2/10, indicating a lack of satisfaction with the music quality.
“This is a wonderful game for the price... the soundtrack is great, the game feels like Diablo, but in the future, kind of a mash-up of D3 and Smash TV, worth the price in my opinion.”
“Funny game, reminds me of Alien Shooter; good music that kept me playing.”
“Now, once the gameplay has commenced, my initial feeling was laughter, because the music, too, is from a Sega/SNES era.”
“Music: 2/10”
“Now, whence the gameplay has commenced, my initial feeling was laughter, because the music, too, is from a Sega/SNES era.”
“If they actually took out the cheesy story and music and replaced it with something more in the 21st century, this could be a great game.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often described as charmingly silly, with players appreciating the novel integration of real photo visuals into the game’s graphics. While some find the game amusingly bad, leading to humorous content creation, others simply enjoy its lightheartedness and entertaining music. Overall, the game successfully elicits laughter and a sense of fun among players.
“The integration of photo visuals of real people into the computer-generated backgrounds is novel and a bit humorous at times, making it slightly charming.”
“It's kinda funny in a silly way.”
“Funny game, reminds me of Alien Shooter; good music that kept me playing.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game offers minimal replayability, functioning primarily as a casual indie timekiller, but lacks the depth and substance needed to encourage repeated playthroughs. While some users find it somewhat enjoyable for short sessions, it ultimately does not provide enough incentive for players to return frequently.
“Infinitely replayable (or almost).”
“Although it has some minor replayability as a casual indie timekiller, it needs more substance to be considered a game to come back to again and again.”
“No replay value.”
“Although it has some minor replayability as a casual indie timekiller, it needs more substance to be considered a game you would come back to again and again.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and clunky, with gameplay that feels minimal and repetitive. Despite some charm in its visuals and cutscenes, the overall experience is marred by frequent crashes and a lack of engaging content.
“The cutscenes all use pictures of people I assume are the developers, and while it's super cheesy, it's also very charming in a 90's FMV game kind of way. I do really like the mid-2000's style UI, and again, the graphics are clean, but the game barely plays at all, and when it does play, it just feels clunky and grindy.”
“It is tedious to play and crashes easily.”
“This only includes a couple of levels, and I found the gameplay a bit tedious.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, suggesting that players feel the game prioritizes profit over player experience.
“This game feels like a cash grab, with excessive microtransactions that ruin the experience.”
“The monetization strategy is clearly designed to squeeze every penny from players.”
“It's disappointing to see such aggressive monetization tactics in a game that could have been great.”
