Gearbits

About

Gearbits is a single player shooter game. It was developed by Quackpond-Games and was released on October 9, 2023. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Gearbits is a 3D action game where you pilot a giant robot. Use the mobility granted by your rocket boosters to fight massive swarms of vicious giant insects and face off against enemy pilots. Choose a machine and equip it with a variety of powerful weapons. This is a demo build, that contains the first five mission of the story campaign and gives a taste of what you can expect in the full game. T…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 276 reviews

story42 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging gameplay experience with a variety of mechs and weapons, allowing for different playstyles.
The controls are smooth and responsive, making combat feel satisfying and enjoyable.
The game has a charming retro aesthetic and a simple yet engaging story that appeals to fans of mecha anime.

The game suffers from some technical issues, including bugs and performance problems, particularly on lower-end systems.
There is a lack of mech customization options, which may disappoint players looking for deeper personalization.
Some missions can feel unbalanced or frustratingly difficult, especially in the later stages of the game.

story
240 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
78%
4%
The story in the game is generally considered straightforward and basic, 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 to be a mere framework for gameplay, others appreciated its simplicity and the character arcs, which, despite being predictable, provided enough investment to keep them interested throughout the 20 missions. Overall, the story is seen as a fun addition that complements the gameplay, though it may not be the main draw for those seeking a deep narrative experience.
- “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.”
gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
42%
4%
The gameplay is praised for its fun, engaging mechanics and a solid variety of mechs and weapons, reminiscent of classic titles like Armored Core and Earth Defense Force. Players appreciate the arcade-like feel, smooth controls, and the balance between speed and strategy, although some note issues with level design and sound cues. Overall, it offers a satisfying experience that is accessible yet challenging, making it a worthwhile indie title despite its simplicity and shorter playtime.
- “Absolutely love this game, 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, wide array of mechs and weapons to choose from, good balance of weapons and use of a weight/cost system to make sure every mech and loadout has its niche.”
- “Another core issue with the gameplay is the sound; not the gunshots, they are fine and good, 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, like I said, is fairly simple.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
8%
The game's graphics 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 the performance is commendable, running smoothly even on lower-end hardware. Despite the rough edges, the graphics contribute to a nostalgic experience that many players appreciate, especially those fond of mech games.
- “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.”
- “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, and it even runs acceptably on my laptop with its Celeron N3060 and integrated graphics.”
- “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.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its indie feel and suitability for the gameplay, while others find it forgettable and lacking impact during critical moments. Although the sound design is generally considered good, with crisp weapon sounds and fitting background tracks, many players feel that the music fails to leave a lasting impression or enhance the overall experience. Overall, while the music has its moments, it is often overshadowed by the game's strong visuals and gameplay.
- “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 panic because 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 options menu itself is very limited. As stated above, for audio, the only thing you can change in-game is the music, and the rest of the option choices are all rather lacking.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with players reporting excellent performance on high-end systems, achieving over 300 fps even during intense moments. However, some users experience lag on lower-end laptops, particularly when faced with multiple 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, 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.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game is generally enjoyable, but it suffers from significant bugs, particularly on the Steam Deck, leading to a lack of recommended support for that platform. While the PC version is more stable with only minor issues, the Linux build also experiences model glitches, indicating a need for further polish across all platforms. Overall, players appreciate the core gameplay despite the stability concerns.
- “Short but sweet, great core gameplay and remarkably bug free.”
- “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 - but I gave it a chance on my PC and it's a fun game. It needs some polish with some minor non-gamebreaking issues, but overall really fun!”
- “There is a native build for Linux, but the models get super buggy.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game's art style and user interface may be lacking, players find themselves emotionally invested in the story and characters, which, despite being basic and archetypal, lead to surprisingly heartwarming conclusions. The compelling nature of the protagonists' arcs enhances the overall emotional experience, making players wish they had encountered the game earlier.
- “The story and characters are basic by design, but I did find myself compelled to stop the villains, and the conclusions to the protagonists' arcs were surprisingly heartwarming despite them all being cookie-cutter archetypes.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players appreciate the strong replayability of the game, highlighting the inclusion of easter eggs, a cohesive story, and the ability to replay missions using unlocked equipment. This combination enhances the overall experience and encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “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.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is primarily driven by its witty and entertaining dialogue, which has been consistently praised by users for its comedic value.
- “The dialogue is very funny.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding in Armored Core to be tedious, especially when dealing with its difficulty and PvP elements. As an alternative, they suggest trying Gearbits for a more enjoyable experience without the same level of grind.