Gearshifters
- October 1, 2021
- Red Phantom Games
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"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.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Fun and engaging gameplay with a unique blend of driving and shoot 'em up mechanics.
- Variety of weapons and upgrades that enhance the gameplay experience as you progress.
- Visually appealing with polished graphics and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic arcade games.
- The game suffers from a grindy progression system, making it tedious to unlock abilities and upgrades.
- Difficulty spikes can be frustrating, especially with bosses that require multiple retries to defeat.
- Limited replayability due to repetitive level design and lack of significant randomness in enemy encounters.
- gameplay43 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
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 fun and satisfying, the experience may not hold up for extended play sessions.
“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.”
“What you see in the screenshots betrays the actual gameplay loop.”
“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.”
- story40 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally considered lackluster and linear, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. While some players appreciate the occasional twist and the post-apocalyptic setting, most find the characters one-dimensional and the plot uninteresting, with repetitive mission structures that detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the gameplay elements and upgrade systems are often praised, suggesting that the game excels more in action than in storytelling.
“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, what little there is, is pretty meh, and all the characters feel very one-dimensional.”
“The story is not very interesting.”
“-story is lackluster throwaway garbage.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their polish and nostalgic appeal, reminiscent of classic NES titles, with vibrant visuals and effective particle effects that enhance the gameplay experience. However, some players noted issues with visual consistency and a lack of contrast, which can detract from immersion, alongside occasional performance lag that affects enjoyment. Overall, while the aesthetics and design are appreciated, there are calls for more customization options to improve visual clarity and player motivation.
“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.”
“+ flashy and intense high-octane visuals provide much stimuli to enjoy!”
“The graphics have potential, but everything is a similar tone making it feel visually flat.”
“Wish there was more contrast by default or there were settings to adjust the visuals (e.g., gamma, brightness, contrast, something!) per preference/monitor.”
“I may never know if it gets better because the visuals are killing my motivation to play.”
- grinding15 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding in the game to be excessive and tedious, particularly due to mandatory repetition of completed areas and a linear upgrade system. While some appreciate the fun aspects of grinding for upgrades and the replayability of levels, many express frustration with the overall grindiness, especially on difficulty settings aimed at new players.
“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.”
“The gameplay is fun but sadly way too grindy; having to start the same race over and over becomes boring.”
- music7 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the catchy and engaging soundtrack that enhances gameplay, particularly during boss encounters, while others find it uninspired or boring. Overall, the soundtrack is noted as a crucial element for maintaining player engagement, especially in the shoot 'em up and bullet hell genres.
“This is all the more complimented by a catchy soundtrack and a great art direction, so please do check out this little gem!”
“The soundtrack is fun and engaging, and the boss encounters are inventive.”
“The music is pretty good with intense, blood-pumping tracks and more adventurous feeling ones played during levels.”
“The music is uninspired.”
“The soundtrack feels repetitive and lacks variety.”
“The audio quality is subpar, making it hard to enjoy the music.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is seen as limited after completing the campaign, with some players expressing that the grind to unlock all content may not be worth it. However, certain levels offer a decent amount of replayability and quick progression, making them feel less tedious. An additional rogue-lite mode could have enhanced the replay value significantly.
“Each level does have a lot of replayability and you move fairly quickly, so it doesn't feel too grindy.”
“Update: thank you devs for the feedback, the game becomes more playable when changing the 'damage scaling'.”
“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 there's no replay value either as nothing changes after you’ve beaten it.”
“[h1]Replayability / Grinding[/h1]”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is generally praised, with users noting that performance is solid, particularly at 4K/60Hz on a 2080 Ti. Reviewers express confidence in the developers' ability to deliver a well-optimized product from start to finish.
“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 high-end hardware.”
“There are frequent stutters and lag spikes that ruin the overall experience.”
“Optimization seems to be an afterthought, as the game often crashes on lower-end systems.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
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!”
“I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
“The performance is solid, with consistent frame rates and no lag during intense moments.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized, particularly for its heavy reliance on advertising, which detracts from the overall experience and has led some users to recommend against it.
“I am not recommending this game because of its aggressive monetization tactics.”
“The in-game purchases are overpriced and feel exploitative.”
“The constant ads and paywalls ruin the overall experience.”
