Garrison: Archangel

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Garrison: Archangel is a single player and multiplayer fighting game with a anime theme. It was developed by Indigo Entertainment and was released on May 15, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

Garrison: Archangel

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 208 reviews

story9 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

Fast-paced and satisfying mech combat with deep and meaningful customization options, allowing a wide variety of playstyles and builds.
Multiple game modes including arcade, survival, horde, mission mode with faction reputation system, and both local and online multiplayer (though online has some issues).
Affordable price for the amount of content and customization; the game fills a niche for fans of mech fighters akin to Armored Core, Virtual-On, and Custom Robo with anime-inspired aesthetics.

Camera and controls are frequently described as clunky, awkward, and frustrating, especially the lock-on system and problematic mouse/keyboard experience.
Balancing issues with ranged weapons being generally weaker than melee, limited viable weapon choices, and some weapons feeling ineffective or underpowered.
Multiplayer suffers from poor netcode, lag, and a small or dead player base making online play difficult; additionally the game is reported to have bugs, crashes, optimization problems, and unfinished content.

story
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
86%
5%
The game's story mode is minimal and often described as underwhelming or nearly nonexistent, serving mainly as an excuse for mech combat with little narrative depth or context. Missions are fast-paced and somewhat repetitive, featuring a faction system and soft-randomized events that offer some replayability and customization unlocks, but lack engaging storytelling or significant plot development. Overall, the story aspect is seen as functional but shallow, with most depth coming from gameplay systems rather than narrative content.
- “A clever soft-RNG mission system turns this into one of those 'write your own story' mech games with scripted events when certain missions reach critical tipping points.”
- “But I think all the storylines in the mission mode are at least slightly interesting; some of the spawn/death lines are funny, and can you really go wrong with giant robots zooming around with even more giant swords?”
- “The story missions give you a sense of the universe and are the path to unlocking more cool weapons and skins.”
- “As for the mission mode, calling it barebones would be a compliment.”
- “Its story doesn't exist - it tosses you right into a situation of "hey, here's some missions on a map with companies fighting each other" without any context; you don't know what you or, for that matter, the companies, are fighting for.”
- “Overall it's a pretty nice game with an underwhelming and slightly boring story mode.”
gameplay
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
68%
7%
The gameplay combines fast-paced, mech-based combat reminiscent of Armored Core with fighting game mechanics, offering diverse and balanced customization that caters to various playstyles. It features tactical depth through mechanics like dodging, stability, and countering, resulting in engaging and impactful battles, though some rough edges and occasional clunkiness remain. Overall, it provides a fun, accessible, and rewarding experience with high skill ceiling potential, appealing to fans of both mech simulators and arena fighters.
- “The gameplay is fun, controlling the mech feels nice, and all the equipment is balanced yet diverse so you're not forced to use things that are incompatible with your playstyle or aesthetic vision.”
- “Relatively easy to pick up due to the simplicity of the mechanics and controls, but still has a high skill ceiling due to the importance of fast reactions, building a mech for the right purpose, and knowing how to counter your opponent.”
- “The gameplay itself has a lot of depth to it, with many mechanics you have to keep in mind, making the battles feel much more impactful and intelligent.”
- “UI clunky, VFX obscure gameplay sometimes, some problems with gamepad detection (in remote play mode).”
- “Some weapons have depth mechanics while others feel lackluster.”
- “Somewhat rough around the edges, a few clunky mechanics (notably out-of-lock camera).”
graphics
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
67%
11%
The graphics feature a minimalist, indie-inspired style with simple, geometric shapes and an anime-mecha aesthetic that some find nostalgic and charming, while others view them as dated and lacking modern effects. Visuals are generally clean and functional, complemented by cinematic combat animations, though they lack detailed textures, dynamic damage, and advanced visual polish. Overall, the graphics suit the game's retro vibe and customization depth but may not meet expectations for cutting-edge visuals.
- “Seriously, between the customization, fast-paced fights and excellent visuals, this is everything a mecha game should be.”
- “To me the visuals and animations during gameplay are great.”
- “Generally the visuals are simple and show their indie roots, but are certainly enjoyable and do their job.”
- “Dated graphics”
- “The game is not really beautiful so that's a joke imo (PS3-like graphics).”
- “Graphics is quite minimalist with mostly geometrical shapes, not much modern eye-candy such as reflection on textures, detailed shaders, weapon marks after hits, no dynamic damaging of enemy mechs either.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The music is generally well-received, described as energetic and fitting with a 90s techno and electronic arcade style that complements the fast-paced mecha battles. While some find it enjoyable and integral to the game's atmosphere, others note it can be repetitive or a bit bright, suggesting room for improvement and expansion in future updates. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the action but doesn't stand out as exceptional.
- “This game is fast, challenging, and has great soundtrack.”
- “Music has the feel of the same 90s techno that permeated the Armored Core and Virtual On games; simple and punchy, serving to set the scene and establish a rhythm to the action.”
- “Heavy electronic beats and melodic symphonic tones intertwine in a high-energy soundtrack that sounds like it's right out of Japanese arcades.”
- “Music could be improved upon as well.”
- “As for you staring at the blue screen for a while and a little bit repetitive garage music, it may look a little tiring, but a minimized volume or a third-party music player (the game's alt-tab function is handy) would be a huge help.”
- “Some things I'd like to see in the future include an updated music and sound selection to polish the game.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The optimization of the game is generally poor, with frequent frame drops and performance issues even on low settings, leading to clunky gameplay and unresponsive controls. While some mechanics impact machine performance, the overall experience suffers from bad optimization, especially on lower-end PCs.
- “It's a better game, properly optimized even on lower end PCs, unlike this game, and it has infinitely smoother gameplay.”
- “Sound design and optimization contribute significantly to the overall experience.”
- “Gives you an idea of how well optimized it is.”
- “It's a better game, properly optimized even on lower end PCs unlike this game, and it has infinitely smoother gameplay.”
- “It's still a 'poorly optimized skeleton'.”
- “Terrible performance, frame drops everywhere, even in the menus at low settings.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The game's stability is mixed, with several reports of bugs and glitches, especially affecting single and multiplayer modes, as well as customization features. However, some users find it runs smoothly on various hardware setups despite these issues. Overall, stability remains a concern that impacts gameplay experience.
- “It runs great on both my gaming rig and my crappy work laptop.”
- “Despite being in full release, Garrison: Archangel is a bit buggy.”
- “Using them is a bit buggy when customizing a mech though and they don't stay unlocked.”
- “The game flat out doesn't work; the single player and multiplayer are unplayable due to glitches that ruin the whole game, which is frustrating because it looked fun and I paid for this.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some funny spawn and death lines and entertaining giant robot action, but the fan-made voice acting varies greatly, often coming off as poorly delivered rather than intentionally funny.
- “Some of the spawn and death lines are funny, adding a lighthearted touch to the game.”
- “Voice acting is done by fans during development, resulting in some lines being very funny despite others being pretty terrible.”
- “The storylines in the mission mode are at least slightly interesting, complemented by humorous moments with giant robots wielding huge swords.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a variety of modes like arcade, survival, horde, and mission that enhance replayability, providing surprising depth. Its single-player mission mode is especially engaging and invites repeated play, drawing comparisons to FTL. Overall, it stands as a highly replayable brawler and a worthy successor to classic arcade fighters.
- “Arcade, survival, horde, and mission modes provide excellent options for replayability.”
- “Has a surprising amount of depth, and the single-player mission mode is very replayable, reminiscent of FTL.”
- “This is already a surprisingly engaging brawler with a lot of tinkering and replayability, making it a worthy successor to the legendary Sega arcade fighter Virtual-On.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is balanced with a solid versus mode for multiplayer, preventing single-player grinding from becoming tedious. However, players often need to farm credits through high-risk missions to afford maximum equipment upgrades, making grinding a necessary part of progression.
- “Sometimes you'll earn 600 or so on high risk missions, other times it will be 1000, so farming for credits becomes immediately necessary, especially if you want to upgrade your equipment to maximum.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes some positive feelings overall, though its story mode is considered underwhelming and somewhat boring by users. Despite this, players still find enjoyment in the experience.