Gearshifters

About

Gearshifters is a single player arcade shooter game. It was developed by Red Phantom Games and was released on October 1, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Gearshifters" is a single-player shoot-'em-up roguelite game, where you steer, blast, and battle through enemy vehicles and bosses in a dystopian future Europe. The game features high-octane action-packed vehicle combat with physics-based mechanics, and procedural generation of missions. You can upgrade and customize your vehicle with various mods, defenses, and weapons, while tackling dangerous delivery missions and defeating mega-vehicle bosses to expand your territory.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 106 reviews

gameplay17 positive mentions

story5 negative mentions

Fun and engaging gameplay with a unique blend of car mechanics and shoot 'em up elements.
Variety of upgrades and weapons available for customization, allowing players to experiment with different playstyles.
Visually appealing graphics and a solid soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.

The game suffers from excessive grinding, requiring players to replay levels multiple times to progress.
Difficulty spikes can be frustrating, especially with bosses that may require numerous attempts to defeat.
The story is minimal and lacks depth, making it feel less impactful in the overall gameplay experience.

story
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
80%
11%
The story in the game is largely criticized for being weak and underdeveloped, with many reviewers describing it as almost non-existent or lackluster. While some appreciate the occasional interesting twist and the basic narrative structure of a post-apocalyptic setting, the overall consensus is that the story feels unnecessary and fails to engage players, overshadowed by repetitive gameplay and linear mission design.
- “The plot is very interesting and mysterious.”
- “The story flows well - it's your standard 'the world has ended, deliver some packages, kill some bosses, don't die' kind of story with some nice artwork to mix it up.”
- “The story seems by the numbers initially but takes an odd turn toward the end that you might be able to figure out a portion of beforehand.”
- “The story was quite short and I didn't quite understand it.”
- “Awful and boring game, the storyline is almost non-existent, graphics are average, handling is a pain, perspective is like a mobile game.”
- “The story, what little there is, is pretty meh, and all the characters feel very one-dimensional.”
gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
53%
7%
The gameplay of Gearshifters is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging mechanics and unique blend of combat racing and shoot 'em up elements, while others criticize its slow start and repetitive nature. The ability to position weapons and execute advanced maneuvers adds depth, but many feel that the game lacks variety and can become grindy over time. Overall, while the core mechanics are enjoyable and offer a fresh experience, the gameplay may not sustain long-term interest for all players.
- “Once you unlock the ability to position weapons (well, the car) at angles and rotate them, the gameplay becomes significantly more engaging.”
- “The gameplay is engaging and satisfying.”
- “You can speed up, slow down, move up and down using the standard WASD keys and enter/R-shift for weapons, but as you level up skills you get fun new mechanics like drifting to shoot enemies diagonally, being able to twist and shoot backwards for short periods of time, do hard braking to get behind enemies or ram them - all in all, fun mechanics, good progression that keeps it interesting.”
- “The upgrade and mission systems are cool, but the car doesn't handle much like a car and the gameplay just isn't that interesting.”
- “The visuals and concept of the game are good, but the level design, bosses, and core mechanics of the game are just incredibly bland, boring, slow, and easy.”
- “Though unfortunately it's riddled with poor design decisions, including a lack of variety in gameplay.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the polished visuals and nostalgic aesthetics reminiscent of classic indie titles, while others criticize them as average or visually flat, lacking contrast and depth. Although certain combat situations are visually engaging, technical issues like lag and limited graphical settings detract from the overall experience for some users. Overall, the graphics are seen as a highlight for some, but a source of frustration for others.
- “Very enjoyable graphics.”
- “The movement, enemies, and weapons all feel exceptionally well-tuned, and all the visuals feel polished.”
- “A small indie game that feels like a dream come true from the NES era, but with great visuals.”
- “Awful and boring game, storyline is almost non-existent, graphics are average, handling is a pain, perspective is like a mobile game, mods can't be done, 0/10.”
- “The graphics have potential, but everything is a similar tone making it feel visually flat.”
- “I may never know if it gets better because the visuals are killing my motivation to play.”
grinding
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be excessive and tedious, often feeling mandatory rather than optional, which detracts from the enjoyment of progression. While some appreciate the upgrade system and the replayability of levels, many express frustration with the repetitive nature of grinding for minimal rewards. The consensus suggests that a more balanced approach to grinding could enhance the overall experience.
- “It's just too much grinding for such little money.”
- “Its biggest drawback is the unbearable grinding on what's considered by the developer an optimal difficulty setting for new players.”
- “The upgrades are fairly linear and the progression just feels tedious and grindy.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
22%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack as a masterpiece that enhances the overall experience, while others find it uninspired or boring. Many players appreciate the engaging and intense tracks that complement the gameplay, particularly during boss encounters, though opinions vary on its overall impact.
- “Soundtrack was masterpiece quality.”
- “This is all the more complimented by a catchy soundtrack and a great art direction, so please do check out this little gem!”
- “The music is pretty good with intense, blood pumping tracks and more adventurous feeling ones played during levels.”
- “The soundtrack is just alright.”
- “The music is uninspired.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
Overall, players find the game's replayability to be limited, particularly after completing the campaign, with many expressing a desire for additional modes or content to enhance replay value. While some levels offer a degree of replayability and quick progression, the grind to unlock all content is seen as not worth the effort, leading to a lack of incentive to revisit the game once completed.
- “Each level does have a lot of replayability and you move fairly quickly, so it doesn't feel too grindy.”
- “Got this on sale for 75%, so no complaints about overall playtime or replayability.”
- “So replayability is probably rather limited once you complete the campaign; an actual rogue-lite mode would have been a nice addition.”
- “Good game after you have unlocked all guns and power-ups, but the grind to get there is not worth it and no replay value either as nothing changes after you’ve beaten it.”
- “Greatly enjoyed my playthrough, just wish there was more replayability.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The optimization of the game is well-executed, with developers demonstrating strong capabilities in delivering a polished product. Performance is satisfactory, achieving 4K resolution at 60Hz on a 2080 Ti graphics card.
- “Optimization is good, and the developers are absolutely capable of producing a product from start to finish.”
- “Performance has been fine at 4K / 60Hz, as it should be on a 2080 Ti.”
- “The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, even on mid-range hardware.”
- “Optimization is lacking; frequent stutters and long loading times ruin the experience.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game demonstrates strong stability, running smoothly without crashes, lag, or significant glitches on capable hardware. Players report a positive experience, enhancing the nostalgic value of the game.
- “The game looks good and runs great, definitely worth the price of admission for a hit of nostalgia!”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has received negative feedback, with users expressing dissatisfaction due to excessive advertising, which detracts from the overall experience of the roguelite gameplay.
- “I am not recommending this game because of its excessive advertising as a roguelite game.”