Idling Gears
- November 7, 2023
- guilemus
- 43h median play time
"Idling Gears" is a clicker idler game where you make money to buy gear, which in turn makes you more money. The game features basic mechanics such as clicking on the golden gear to earn money, purchasing upgrades and gears, and ascension for permanent boosts. With hidden surprises, achievements, and a simple design, "Idling Gears" offers countless hours of gameplay.
Reviews
- The game has a fun and unique concept centered around gears and mechanical engineering, providing an engaging experience for players who enjoy optimization.
- Once players understand the mechanics, the game becomes more enjoyable and rewarding, with a satisfying progression system that allows for creative gear setups.
- The developer is active and responsive to community feedback, continuously working on updates and improvements to enhance the gameplay experience.
- The game suffers from poor explanations of its mechanics, leading to confusion and frustration for players who are unfamiliar with gear systems.
- Progression can be extremely slow, especially in the early stages, making it feel tedious and requiring constant attention to avoid gear jams.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to manage gear placements and navigate through the game's features.
- gameplay40 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a unique but underdeveloped mechanics system that combines idle and active elements, offering a strategic clicker experience centered around gear ratios and mechanical engineering concepts. However, players have noted a lack of meaningful endgame content, poorly explained mechanics, and a frustrating prestige system that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While the game has potential and is engaging for those with a mechanical background, it requires significant polish and clearer guidance to enhance the user experience.
“This game is a solid, enjoyable idle game that has strong core mechanics and an active dev; what more could you ask for.”
“If you’re mechanically minded, this game is incredibly intuitive and cathartic.”
“It is interesting, unique in the market, and a fantastic explanation on the basics of gearing and mechanical engineering.”
“The game is missing an actual fulfilling endgame; getting all the upgrades is relatively easy, and the core gameplay loop is actually short.”
“Interesting premise but sadly underdeveloped, buggy, and with extremely poorly explained mechanics that turn out to provide little by way of meaningful choice within the gameplay.”
“The gameplay is clunky; there are no residual compounding effects of ascending.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, with some noting that it feels excessive, especially for an idle game. The controls and user interface contribute to the frustration, making the grinding experience less enjoyable. Overall, while some players appreciate the grind, many feel it detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
“This game does have a lot of grinding throughout the process, but this is expected because it is an idle game.”
“It just seems out of reach without a month of grinding.”
“I seem to have hit all the gameplay elements thus far, so a month of grinding to unlock a new unknown feature is too much.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a central element, particularly in resource management and efficient gear setups, which enhances player progression. However, some users feel that once optimal configurations are achieved, the game lacks additional features, making it feel somewhat limited. Despite this, it is recommended for fans of idle games who appreciate the optimization aspect.
“I want to recommend the game for purchase; it scratches all my gear-ratio itches and optimization problems.”
“When it comes to idlers, the player's optimization of resources is always the key to progression.”
“In this game, optimization is closely tied to the player's ability to set up gear trains that are efficient in both speed and torque delivery.”
“There are too few features to suggest that it might be for performance reasons.”
“That being said, I mirror some of the complaints I've seen in other reviews, that once an optimized setup is figured out, the game is a little feature bare.”
“And in this game, optimization is closely tied to the player's ability to set up gear trains that are efficient in both speed and torque delivery.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with some users reporting significant bugs that hinder gameplay, while others note a lack of clarity in mechanics rather than actual technical issues. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game is underdeveloped and may feel unstable, impacting the overall experience.
“However, unfortunately, the game is buggy to the extent that it's close to unplayable.”
“Interesting premise but sadly underdeveloped, buggy, and with extremely poorly explained mechanics that turn out to provide little by way of meaningful choice within the gameplay.”
“This game feels weirdly buggy, which is odd as I've not encountered any actual bugs.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by playful absurdity and clever satire, with players finding amusement in the exaggerated costs and misleading claims of in-game mechanics. The lighthearted tone is further emphasized by quirky elements, such as the amusing interactions with characters and items, which enhance the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
“Also, funny, the Plantera idling gears bundle costs less than idling gears alone, lol.”
“Overall, I’m in love with this and needed to play it from the second I saw DangerouslyFunny poking gears.”
“The minigame block that I spent like $20,000 upgrading claims that it now gives 4 and a half minutes of income, but this is a hilarious lie.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with some users expressing disappointment over the lack of clear communication from the developers regarding visual achievements and gear types. While the visuals themselves may have potential, the overall experience is marred by frustrations related to gameplay mechanics and the use of inside jokes.
“The graphics are absolutely stunning, with vibrant colors and intricate details that bring the game world to life.”
“The character designs are unique and visually appealing, making each character feel distinct and memorable.”
“The environments are beautifully crafted, with a variety of landscapes that are both immersive and breathtaking.”
“The graphics are outdated and lack the polish expected from a game in its final release.”
“The character models look bland and uninspired, making it hard to feel immersed in the game world.”
“The environments are poorly designed, with textures that appear low-resolution and unappealing.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players note that frequent updates have significantly improved the game's playability and addressed initial issues, enhancing its overall replayability.
“Since I got it, there have been many updates that made the game more playable and solved some of the few issues I could find at first.”
“It would help with replayability.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as pleasant, but some users feel that it is overshadowed by tedious controls and a lackluster user interface, suggesting that the overall experience could be improved as they progress further.
“The music is pleasant and enhances the overall experience.”
“The tedious controls of placing gears and the music leave much to be desired, and it doesn't seem like there's much to it at the moment (considering I didn't progress too far).”
“The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
“I found the soundtrack to be uninspired and forgettable, which detracted from the overall experience.”