Gearbits

96%
Game Brain Score Based on 138 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Gearbits Game Cover
Starting at €9.75Buy now
Get on Steam Get on itch.io Store

"Gearbits" is a single-player 3D shooter game where you pilot a customizable giant robot, utilizing rocket boosters for mobility to tackle hordes of giant insects and enemy pilots across a 20-mission story campaign. With 10 unique robots, each with specific strengths and weaknesses, and over 30 diverse weapons to choose from, prepare for a fast-paced and visually stunning action experience.

Play Modes

Reviews

96%
Audience ScoreBased on 138 reviews
story21 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • Fun and engaging gameplay with a variety of mechs and weapons, providing a satisfying combat experience.
  • Charming art style and character designs, along with a simple yet enjoyable story that resonates with mecha fans.
  • Affordable price point for the amount of content and enjoyment it offers, making it a great value for players.
  • Limited mech customization options, which may disappoint players looking for deeper personalization.
  • Some technical issues and bugs, including visual glitches and occasional gameplay frustrations, particularly in later missions.
  • The difficulty spikes in certain missions can be frustrating, potentially discouraging players who prefer a more balanced challenge.
  • story120 mentions

    The story in the game is generally described as simple and straightforward, often relying on familiar tropes and archetypes, yet it manages to engage players with its charm and nostalgic references to classic mecha series. While some players found the narrative basic and predictable, others appreciated its ability to provide context and motivation for the gameplay, with character arcs that, despite their simplicity, were executed well enough to keep players invested. Overall, the story serves as a functional backdrop to the action, with enough variety in missions to maintain interest throughout the campaign.

    • “The story is a fun addition that makes this feel like a retro title to complement its low poly art style.”
    • “The story and characters aren't too complex, yet the characters' arcs are executed decently enough to give you the investment to hop into the next mission.”
    • “The story is basic but doesn't become encumbered with too many forgettable characters and focuses on few characters in tight arcs; it's amazing how lonely the lounge felt after one of the missions.”
    • “The story's fairly barebones.”
    • “The reception seems to have been that the story is okay, which is pretty much what I was aiming for. An okay story is worse than a bad story; video games have a tendency to lack in the narrative department, but that’s not an excuse to make a lazy bridge to connect your levels.”
    • “The story didn't wow me, but it's decently told and engaging enough to hang the gameplay on, and does manage some decent stakes by the end.”
  • gameplay41 mentions

    The gameplay is praised for its fun, engaging mechanics and a variety of mechs and weapons that keep the experience fresh and enjoyable. While it draws inspiration from classic titles like Armored Core and Earth Defense Force, it offers a modern control style and a satisfying blend of speed and strategy. Despite some simplicity and minor polish issues, players appreciate the solid gameplay loop and the challenge it presents without being overly frustrating.

    • “Absolutely love this game, it threw me right back to Armored Core 1 and delivered a smooth gameplay loop in a nice, short yet very sweet package.”
    • “The game is challenging without being overtly frustrating, and the mechanics promote a frenetic style of play with you constantly switching between weapons while jet-hopping through an ocean of baddies.”
    • “Very solid gameplay, with a wide array of mechs and weapons to choose from, and a good balance of weapons and use of a weight/cost system to ensure every mech and loadout has its niche.”
    • “Another core issue with the gameplay is the sound; not the gunshots, which are fine, but the gameplay sounds, as in, cues.”
    • “In actual gameplay, you can only choose between mechs with different stats; this one’s faster, this one’s bulkier, this one’s lock-on time is faster, but that’s about it.”
    • “Gameplay is fairly simple.”
  • graphics18 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a low-poly art style that evokes a retro feel, reminiscent of earlier mech titles, which some players find charming despite its primitive and basic appearance. While the overall presentation is considered low-tech, the mechanical designs are well-executed and appealing, contributing to a solid visual experience. Performance is commendable, with smooth frame rates even on lower-end hardware, and the art style, including the HUD and character designs, is appreciated for its nostalgic aesthetic.

    • “The art style is very charming and there are a lot of cool mecha to pilot (a total of 10) with 3 optionally unlockable mecha-girls by playing the free spin-off of this game.”
    • “Granted the graphics are relatively basic, but they are also very well stylized in a way that I enjoy.”
    • “Presentation-wise, the game's graphics are definitely on the low end tech-wise, with everything being fairly polygonal and low-res, but this doesn't really undermine the fact that the art assets are competently designed, with pretty solid mechanical designs in particular carrying the show.”
    • “While the graphics are a bit primitive and it can sometimes be hard to tell what killed you in heated fights, it's a fun budget title that doesn't take long to beat and doesn't break the bank.”
    • “Graphics and story are primitive but you can really tell that genuine love went into it and it's a really nice experience.”
  • music12 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising it for being well-tailored to the gameplay and enhancing the action, while others find it forgettable and lacking impact. Although the soundtrack fits the game's scenarios, many users feel it doesn't stand out enough to be memorable. Overall, while the sound design is generally considered decent, the limited options for adjusting audio settings detract from the experience.

    • “Music definitely has that indie feel to it as well, but it's well-tailored to the scenarios, driving the action at just the right moments.”
    • “Overall fantastic presentation in visuals and music.”
    • “The music is fantastic, the gameplay was stellar, I loved the characters and the art style was really nice as well!”
    • “Talking about sound, it’s time for the music. It’s not even okay, because most of the time I don’t even notice it’s there. It doesn’t push me to destroy my enemies, it doesn’t make me feel tense when there’s an armada of giant cockroaches closing in. I can't even find anywhere to listen to it outside the game, but I don't recall anything about any song.”
    • “As I have said before, bad music at least would have made me remember it. I might have even chosen to go to the menu and turn it off, but it’s not even that. It’s so forgettable that 'bad' is not a correct adjective; I’ll just call it worse than bad.”
    • “The music itself is serviceable and fits the setting of the game, but the options for changing volume are limited only to music volume. The sound design is okay with weapons being crisp, though the UI sound is a bit loud.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with players reporting excellent performance on high-end systems, achieving over 300 fps even in demanding scenarios. However, some users experience lag on lower-end hardware, particularly when faced with numerous enemies, though this is considered acceptable given the game's status as a solo development project.

    • “I find the art style appealing and performance is excellent with 300+ fps even with loads of enemies on screen with my R7 5700 and GTX 1080. It even runs acceptably on my laptop with its Celeron N3060 and integrated graphics.”
    • “Performance-wise, it's generally good but can start to slow down when multiple swarms of enemies are in play. This is perfectly acceptable considering this is a solo dev project.”
    • “Although my laptop performance isn't really good since it can only handle 2 games, it is still very laggy.”
    • “Again, it's not like Armored Core where you have to keep track of every single statistic to make an optimized build.”
  • stability4 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while it offers enjoyable gameplay, users report significant bugs on the Steam Deck and some minor issues on PC. A native Linux build exists, but it also suffers from model glitches. Despite these problems, many players find the core experience to be fun and engaging.

    • “Short but sweet, great core gameplay and remarkably bug-free.”
    • “The game is really fun, but it's super buggy on Steam Deck.”
    • “Originally, I didn't recommend the game due to lack of Steam Deck support - and it's not just the controls; the game is buggy as hell. I gave it a chance on my PC, and while it's a fun game, it needs some polish with some minor, non-game-breaking issues.”
    • “There is a native build for Linux, but the models get super buggy.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    While the game's art style and UI may be lacking, players find themselves emotionally invested in the story and characters, which, despite being basic and archetypal, deliver surprisingly heartwarming conclusions to their arcs. This emotional engagement enhances the overall experience, making players wish they had encountered the game earlier.

    • “The story and characters are basic by design, but I found myself compelled to stop the villains, and the conclusions to the protagonists' arcs were surprisingly heartwarming despite them all being cookie-cutter archetypes.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Players appreciate the strong replayability of the game, highlighting the inclusion of easter eggs, a cohesive story, and the ability to replay missions with unlocked equipment, which enhances the overall experience.

    • “I really love it and appreciate the effort to add replayability, easter eggs, a story that works, and spectacle.”
    • “You can also replay missions with all the equipment you've unlocked, which makes for nice replayability.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its witty and entertaining dialogue, which adds a comedic flair to the overall experience.

    • “The dialogue is incredibly funny and keeps you laughing throughout the game.”
    • “I love the witty banter between characters; it adds so much charm to the experience.”
    • “The humor is spot-on, with clever jokes that never feel forced.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players suggest that if you're feeling fatigued with the grinding aspects of Armored Core or the tediousness of EDF, Gearbits offers a refreshing alternative that may alleviate the grind.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Gearbits

Videos

Similar Games