Gunsmith
- May 25, 2018
- SCT
- 16h median play time
Get on Steam"Gunsmith is a single-player strategy game where you manage your own arms manufacturing company, starting with a small factory and gradually expanding by unlocking machines and technologies. The game offers a variety of production choices, with over 30 products, 35 machines, and 20 clients, as well as dynamic marketplace and automated buying/selling systems. However, it has lots of grinding and is prone to bugs."
Reviews
- Highly addictive gameplay with a unique concept of managing an arms manufacturing factory.
- Active developers who listen to community feedback and regularly update the game.
- Great graphics and a satisfying production line experience.
- Extremely slow update schedule and limited content, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- Performance issues, especially with frame rates dropping significantly during production.
- Lack of a pause or fast-forward option, making it tedious to manage production lines.
- gameplay119 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the depth and complexity of setting up production lines, while others criticize the repetitive mechanics and clunky AI of maintenance workers. Frequent updates have introduced bugs and altered core gameplay elements, leading to frustration among users who feel that the game lacks sufficient content and polish. Overall, while the foundational mechanics show promise, many players find the current experience tedious and in need of significant improvement.
“The gameplay is basic enough that it's not too hard to set up lines, but also deep enough that you can lose hours building an optimized assembly line in an attempt to achieve maximum production.”
“It's an absolutely engaging experience with clear and interesting mechanics and building complexity.”
“The whole mechanics of setting up machines and getting workers to do stuff is a bit tedious to learn, but makes sense once you do.”
“The entire belt system was changed and the charm that was in the old YouTube gameplays is no longer there.”
“Seems like the game has really missed its main appeal and the gameplay is just sort of a standard factory game, except worse and not particularly gun-focused.”
“The new update messed up a lot of the core mechanics, but checking the Discord shows the devs are hard at work trying to get everything working again.”
- optimization30 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant improvements in performance after updates, while others still experience lag and slowdowns, especially with complex production lines. Many appreciate the satisfying assembly line mechanics and graphics, but there are calls for further quality of life enhancements and better optimization to accommodate a wider range of hardware. While some players report smooth gameplay, others with older systems may find the performance lacking, indicating that the game still requires additional work in this area.
“The gameplay is basic enough that it's not too hard to set up lines, but also deep enough that you can lose hours building an optimized assembly line in an attempt to achieve maximum production.”
“The bones of this are good, the graphics are great, and there's something extremely satisfying about tweaking a manufacturing line until it's optimized, then further adding other production lines and having certain machines do the work of both lines so you can eliminate waste.”
“For an assembly style game, the aesthetic feels great, the engine is not taxing on the computer, and the overall assembly process feels great with plenty of room for individual optimization and creativity.”
“What I'd like to see more is focus on quality of life and general optimization for the game.”
“Got up to the point I was mass producing all sorts of military fashion and also some 9mm bullets, but after that the game really slows to a crawl performance-wise.”
“Currently the game is fun and to a point where I can dump many hours into it designing the more efficient factory, however at no more than 5 hours in I finished making a machine which makes hundreds of clothing items per minute (every piece of clothing in game) and the game has proven to lag quite a bit due to poor optimization.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the shiny, detailed visuals and realistic 3D design compared to similar titles. However, some users report issues such as graphical glitches and a lack of impressive aesthetics, describing certain elements as bland or confusing. While the graphics are generally considered good, they are not without their flaws, and optimization remains a concern for some players.
“The visuals keep getting better, the mechanics have certainly improved and there's still plenty left to evolve.”
“The graphics are nice without being cartoony or overdone.”
“Amazing graphics and decent optimization for the current state of the game.”
“The graphics are awful - bland and dull.”
“Gameplay is a bit clunky with a few graphical glitches.”
“The research tree is terrible graphically.”
- stability27 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 81 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with many players reporting minor bugs and glitches typical of early access titles, while others have experienced little to no issues during gameplay. Some users noted that the game can be clunky and occasionally laggy, particularly when multiple machines are in use, but many still find it enjoyable and playable. Continuous updates from the developers are seen as a positive sign for future improvements.
“Also bug free, I've never seen one in 50 hours of playing.”
“If you enjoy these types of games, you can comfortably add this to your list :) The developer is still active and listening, but enjoyable and bug free (zero bugs for me) as is.”
“Keep up the good work, pretty much bug free and very addictive.”
“It's a little buggy at times though, for example my biggest problem is when I have a bunch of machines close together and use the platforms for the workers to walk over the belts and such.”
“I have sewing machines that are backed up and no reason they should be other than this game is buggy as hell.”
“Game is really buggy at the moment, I say wait till it's fixed before you buy.”
- grinding15 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the game suffers from excessive grinding, often described as tedious and frustrating, particularly due to repetitive tutorials and slow production mechanics. While some players appreciate the strategic elements of optimizing assembly lines, many find the overall experience monotonous and unnecessarily complicated, detracting from the enjoyment. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a significant flaw that impacts the game's fun factor.
“They could have followed in the inspired footsteps of games with purpose, like Big Pharma or Production Line, to give the game purpose, creativity, player-design, and fun... but nope, it's just a very grindy puzzle game.”
“To be perfectly honest, the tedious wait to produce 1800 items to fill an order is just asinine.”
“No matter how many orders you fulfill, your balance just gets lower and lower, making the game tedious and broken.”
- story9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is noted to be underdeveloped, with players expressing a desire for more depth and engagement, particularly regarding the role of henchmen and the main campaign. While the game shows promise and offers a decent amount of gameplay, it requires further balancing and polishing to enhance the narrative experience. Overall, the storyline is considered a weak point, with potential for improvement in future updates.
“It's a pretty good factory game, still a work in progress at the moment and only has 2 devs working on it so updates aren't quite as fast as some other games but overall I think it was worth the money (100 hrs of gameplay by the time I finished all the missions).”
“☯ story ☯”
“It needs a little more play balancing and polishing with its storyline, but for an alpha, it is quite promising.”
“Whilst there is a storyline, it is certainly lacking and would have been an interesting feature in the main campaign.”
“I assumed having more henchmen increased how many laundering missions you could have running at once; unfortunately, it is limited to one mission at a time, which makes having multiple henchmen pointless.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating the relaxing background tracks that complement the gameplay. However, some users find the music repetitive over time and express a desire for the option to play their own tracks. Overall, while the soundtrack fits the game well, it may not hold up for extended play sessions.
“The background music is nice (an option to play your own would be awesome!).”
“Not something I'm usually picky about is the music in a game, but they've got the perfect soundtrack for it, I think it really fits the game well.”
“You wouldn't think it, but the music is soft and listening to the machines run is my favorite way to relax.”
“The music track gets a little repetitive.”
“You wouldn't think it, but the music is soft, and listening to the machines run is my favorite way to relax.”
“That being said, this is an alright game to just kill time and listen to music to.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, players express concerns about the game's replayability, citing a lack of diverse scenarios and frustrating mechanics that hinder enjoyment. While some see potential for replay value in its factory and business simulation elements, recent changes have made gameplay feel less engaging and more cumbersome.
“Despite having a few game scenarios, I question the replayability, although I'm glad it isn't simply make gun > now make this gun.”
“I still hold my doubts that there's any replay value here, even with a finished product.”
“Now, this is alpha so don't expect things to work perfectly, but after a couple of days with the game, the basic components are there for something with a lot of replay value and something that appeals to those that like factory and business simulations.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has drawn criticism, with users noting a lack of advertising but accusing the developer of shifting focus to unrelated projects and abandoning the game in favor of cash grabs. Overall, players feel that the game's current direction prioritizes profit over quality and development.
“Surprisingly, a very good game with little to no advertising.”
“The monetization model is fair and doesn't hinder gameplay.”
“I appreciate that I can enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend money.”
“The developer has become shady and is now abandoning the project to focus on unrelated cash grabs, potentially copy-pasting elements from those games back into this one in the future.”
“This game is a cash grab.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the inclusion of a firing range where researchers can test and improve weapon designs using amusing targets, adding a lighthearted twist to the otherwise serious theme of weaponry.
“A firing range for researchers to test and improve weapon designs... with funny targets?”
“The humor in the dialogue is sharp and keeps you laughing throughout the game.”
“I love how the game incorporates silly puns and jokes that lighten the mood during intense moments.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is positively highlighted, with users praising its impressive graphics and the engaging gun factory theme, contributing to an overall immersive experience without any technical issues.
“The graphics and gun factory theme create an immersive atmosphere that really draws you in.”
“The atmosphere is captivating and enhances the overall gaming experience.”
“I love how the atmosphere complements the gameplay, making every moment feel intense and engaging.”
