GearStorm - Armored Survival
- November 20, 2019
- Iron City Games
- 60h median play time
GearStorm - Armored Survival is a story-driven science fiction survival game where you must survive a deadly virus, establish your settlement, and explore the alien planet of Apollyon. Play the campaign solo or with friends, build defenses, interact with local factions, and uncover the mysteries of ancient alien ruins. As an Exomarine, it's up to you to ensure humanity's survival and prosperity on this new world.
Reviews
- The game has a great concept and offers a variety of gameplay elements such as crafting, building, and exploration.
- Graphics and sound design are praised, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the gaming experience.
- There is potential for fun gameplay, especially in multiplayer mode, with a solid game loop and decent AI pathing.
- The game has been abandoned by the developers, with no updates or support since late 2021, leading to a lack of player engagement.
- Many players report significant technical issues, including poor optimization, corrupted saves, and unresponsive UI, making the game frustrating to play.
- The game feels incomplete and lacks depth, with basic enemy AI and insufficient content to keep players engaged long-term.
- graphics40 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed feedback, with some players praising their beauty and realism, while others note that they feel dated or require improvement. Many users report performance issues, indicating that the game demands excessive power from graphics cards compared to other titles with higher requirements. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered decent and immersive, there are calls for tweaks and enhancements to elevate the visual experience.
“The graphics are beautiful and realistic.”
“Graphics are beautiful, music is great and I found the game really immersive.”
“The graphics are pretty good, and the fact that the whole world is destructible is awesome.”
“I still had the same issues and it seems this game, for whatever reason, draws a huge amount of power from the graphics card when other games I have with much better performance, graphics, and higher system requirements can run on epic settings.”
“The graphics and interface need to be slightly tweaked and the game will be great.”
“Graphics feel a little dated but expected for early access.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a solid base-building and survival mechanic, with options for solo, co-op, or multiplayer modes, and an engaging concept enhanced by monster encounters. However, significant optimization issues detract from the experience, leading to excessive resource consumption and performance concerns, overshadowing the otherwise promising mechanics. While the training sequence aids in understanding the game, many players feel that the current state of gameplay lacks depth and requires further development to fully realize its potential.
“The gameplay is based on base building and survival.”
“The game has a great concept and good building mechanics.”
“Gameplay can be solo, co-op, or multiplayer.”
“Honestly, I do not care though as that does little for the gameplay and I fully expect at some point to see it change.”
“You can build an entire city, but I think for now at least you have to do that as an admin instead of just through gameplay.”
“For some that is not an issue, I would rather see it in the gameplay where you earn it.”
- story14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its promising concept and visual appeal, featuring a comprehensive set of quests and numerous named NPCs that enhance exploration. However, players often find the quest progression unclear, struggling to differentiate between main story advancements and side quests, which detracts from the overall experience.
“The concept/story is good.”
“A full set of quests to guide you as you explore the large open map.”
“Lots of named NPCs for quests and vendors to trade with.”
“Good promise, greedy follow-through; the sad story of many projects on Steam.”
“Sometimes quest progression isn't clear.”
“What will advance the story and what is a side quest.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting excessive resource consumption from the graphics card despite the absence of demanding textures. Many feel that this poor optimization overshadows the game's positive aspects, leading to low overall ratings and strong recommendations against purchasing until improvements are made.
“I thought for a long time about what my review would be in the end, and decided that negative points, in particular optimization, simply do not exist here. The game consumes resources excessively, even on the recommended specs of an FX 8320 and 8 GB of RAM with a PX590. There are no answers to these questions, only an incomprehensible consumption of video card resources, despite the absence of very heavy textures. This issue overshadows the positive aspects, such as an interesting idea and decent game mechanics. If they correct the optimization, it could be a good 8/10, but for now, it's only a 3/10, and I strongly do not recommend this product.”
“I still had the same issues, and it seems this game, for whatever reason, draws a huge amount of power from the graphics card. Other games I have, which offer much better performance, graphics, and have higher system requirements, can run on epic settings without any problems.”
“The optimization in this game is severely lacking. It consumes resources as if it were a much more demanding title, leaving players puzzled as to why it struggles on systems that can handle more graphically intensive games with ease.”
“I still had the same issues, and it seems this game, for whatever reason, draws a huge amount of power from the graphics card when other games I have with much better performance, graphics, and higher system requirements can run on epic settings.”
“I thought for a long time about what my review would be in the end, and decided that negative points, in particular optimization, simply do not exist here. The game consumes resources as if not into itself, in the recommended setup of a FX 8320 and 8 GB of RAM with this RX 590. Why? Where are the answers to these questions? There is only an incomprehensible consumption of video card resources, even though there are no very heavy textures here. This covers all the positive aspects, namely an interesting idea and pretty good game mechanics. If they correct the optimization, it could be an 8/10, but for now, it's only a 3/10, and at this stage, I strongly do not recommend this product.”
“- Poor optimization”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is highly praised for its impressive and immersive sci-fi environments, with well-crafted terrain and detailed NPCs that enhance the overall experience. Reviewers consistently highlight the game's ability to create a captivating and atmospheric setting.
“The gaming locations and atmosphere are very impressive.”
“Very atmospheric.”
“Terrain, atmosphere, and NPC details are done well.”
“The sci-fi atmosphere is immersive and engaging.”
“The sci-fi atmosphere adds a unique layer to the gameplay.”
- music6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its high quality and immersive qualities, contributing positively to the overall experience. While some users noted that the background music is merely "ok," the soundtrack is generally regarded as great, enhancing the game's beautiful graphics and exploration elements.
“High quality soundtrack.”
“Graphics are beautiful, music is great, and I found the game really immersive.”
“This game has its share of positives, including decent movement, okay background music, graphics are not bad, and there is plenty of area to explore and harvest resources.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a strong sentiment that the monetization strategies employed by the developers prioritize quick financial gain over the quality and care of the games, leading to a negative perception among users.
“It seems these guys are in it for quick cash grabs with zero care about any of the games they are making.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by the comical animations of enemy zombies, who amusingly wiggle their limbs upon being hit and engage in absurd yoga poses, adding a lighthearted and entertaining element to the gameplay.
“Enemy zambos wiggle their limbs hilariously when you hit them, and they do bizarre yoga for ragdolls.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players report a stable gaming experience, noting no crashes or freezes after extended play sessions of four hours, indicating smooth and fluid gameplay.