M.A.S.S. Builder
- March 21, 2019
- Vermillion Digital
- 9h median play time
M.A.S.S. Builder is a 3D space action game where you design, build, and command your own Modular Agile Space System . Fight enemies, navigate through asteroid fields, and upgrade your M.A.S.S. with collected resources. Experience intense space combat in a procedurally generated universe with dynamic campaigns.
Reviews
- Incredible customization options for creating unique mechs.
- Fast-paced and engaging combat, especially with melee builds.
- Active development with frequent updates and community engagement.
- Repetitive gameplay and missions can become tedious over time.
- Combat lacks depth and can feel unbalanced, especially against bosses.
- Story and dialogue are poorly translated and often uninteresting.
- story1,819 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in "M.A.S.S. Builder" is generally viewed as lackluster and generic, often described as a typical mecha anime plot with poorly translated dialogue that detracts from the experience. Many players find the visual novel format tedious, leading them to skip through lengthy text segments, while the missions themselves are criticized for being repetitive and lacking depth. Despite these shortcomings, some players appreciate the potential for future story development and the engaging mech customization features that overshadow the narrative.
“The story is compelling, but the translation could use work, though it is early access so maybe they'll do another pass before full release, maybe get a native English speaker to tweak things.”
“The story is fairly deep with some interesting characters and plot points here and there just to tie everything together and make you feel like a real anime protagonist.”
“The story is decent and the action is fun, especially after you begin fighting other mechs.”
“I don't know if it's a bug, or if it wasn't translated right because let's be honest, the game has translation errors all over the place in the story, but this is an inexcusable thing to happen for a game that's been out for 2 or 3 years and I refuse to change my review from negative until it's been fixed.”
“The writing in the story segment could use a bit of love; the style is very simplistic and could use some more flair.”
“The story is lengthy and forgettable.”
- gameplay1,109 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the customization options are extensive and enjoyable, the core gameplay mechanics feel clunky and repetitive. Combat is often described as simplistic and lacking depth, with enemies acting as bullet sponges, leading to a grindy experience. Overall, while the game shows potential for improvement, especially in its gameplay mechanics, it currently prioritizes customization over engaging combat, leaving some players feeling that the gameplay is merely a means to unlock more customization options.
“Gameplay is satisfying, can't believe this game is still in its beta. I'd bet on seeing the game further develop to be a great experience with multiplayer in the future.”
“Deep customization, amazing gameplay, and so much content, even for an unfinished game.”
“The gameplay is fun, the graphics are great, and the customization is top tier.”
“The gameplay is quite clunky still while it's still being polished out.”
“The gameplay is pretty boring unfortunately and since you have to play the game to unlock more customization... it kinda sucks...”
“The gameplay becomes very repetitive very quickly.”
- grinding315 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting it as excessively tedious and repetitive, often involving farming the same missions for resources and blueprints. While some appreciate the depth of customization and find the grind rewarding, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a frustrating gameplay loop dominated by spongy enemies and slow progression. Overall, the game is characterized as grind-heavy, which may appeal to dedicated players but could deter those seeking a more balanced experience.
“If you're not grinding for armor and weapon blueprints, you are stacking up materials and credits to buy mods.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The grinding process and the combat are repetitive and boring.”
“Uninspired enemies, weak sound design, and dull combat mixed together in a grindy repetitive mission structure and it's just not a good time.”
“The gameplay, which can already feel repetitive at times becomes incredibly tedious due to the insane grinding you have to do to unlock the cooler parts for building the RNG involved with getting said parts for your ideal mecha.”
- graphics306 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their stylized aesthetic, vibrant designs, and smooth animations, making them visually appealing and easy on the eyes. Players appreciate the extensive customization options for mechs, which enhance the overall visual experience, although some note that the graphics can be overly bright at times and may cause performance issues on certain hardware. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point of the game, contributing positively to the gameplay experience.
“The graphics are easy on the eyes.”
“It's a solid hack-and-slash as well as extensive and detailed mech builder with brilliant graphics; don't know what more you could ask for.”
“The visuals and customization are like candy to the eyes.”
“Okay graphics, albeit it makes my GPU run way hotter than it has any right to.”
“I have a pretty powerful laptop, but even at the lowest graphic settings, I'm still getting poor frames.”
“It seems to tax my RTX 2060 way harder than other games with similar levels of graphical detail and it's not obvious why.”
- optimization134 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 84 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly during customization and certain missions, leading to low frame rates and crashes. Others report smooth gameplay on medium settings, praising the deep customization options that do not impact performance. Overall, while some users find the game well-optimized, many express a need for further improvements to enhance stability and performance across various hardware configurations.
“Mech stats/performance are affected by tuning the 'frame', 'os' and 'architect' where each has additional 'slots' for upgrading specific stats, so tune your mechs depending on your combat style.”
“The customization is wonderful in this game, lots of options on both looks and performance to play your own style.”
“The amount of customization options are nothing short of amazing, and I really like how you can make the mech your own with no penalty to performance.”
“Poorly optimized, I'd say. My rig can run AC6 on high at FOS, but on anything other than the lowest, this game chugs.”
“The latest update has a critical game-crashing bug, and I can't play any missions. I can definitely see the performance of the game drop significantly, judging by the photograph feature because it takes much longer to load the mech.”
“There is constant FPS drops and performance issues, and something about the gameplay feels very stale.”
- music78 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as decent but not particularly memorable, with some tracks being catchy while others can become repetitive over time. While some players appreciate the soundtrack, noting it fits the game's atmosphere, others suggest it lacks variety and emotional impact. Overall, the music serves its purpose but may not stand out enough to warrant attention outside of gameplay.
“However, the soundtrack is pretty damn awesome; I just wish we could get it separately from the game.”
“Though still in its early stages, I would recommend picking it up, either for making cool robots or the rather exhilarating gameplay, or the soundtrack if you're an audiophile, just be ready to face a few sponge enemies here and there.”
“Altough not the most memorable thing I've ever listened to, the music can be quite catchy... some fields have some really well done tunes, that I might get onto my music collection, given when this game launches its soundtrack.”
“Sound and music - abhorrent.”
“The music in the menus also comes across as rather generic, stylistically 'techy', but otherwise lacking in substance.”
“The backdrop music will get tiring after a while, but what really gets my goat is the sheer lack of sound variety when playing.”
- stability32 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 69 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players reporting minor glitches and bugs typical of early access titles, such as issues with enemy animations and UI interactions. However, many users find the game largely playable and fluid, with no significant game-breaking problems, and improvements noted with each update. While some bugs are present, they do not detract significantly from the overall experience, especially on capable PCs.
“It's already very playable and not very buggy at all, and it's only getting better every update.”
“I have had no buggy issues playing solo during this early access.”
“It does run very well and I encountered no glitches, so there is that.”
“The first boss seems to have a buggy interaction with the laser shoulder attack (the weapon high-pitched shooting sound kept playing) and after a ground pound hit me, I was stuck to the floor and flying wouldn't let me move.”
“Since it's early access, expect a lot of bugs and weird glitches that occur while playing in all the different maps.”
“Besides being unfinished and buggy, it's possible to get caught under the floor and die from it; the game is unbelievably grindy and poorly balanced.”
- monetization26 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 54 % negative mentions
The game has received mixed reviews regarding its monetization strategy, with players appreciating the absence of microtransactions, allowing everything to be unlocked through normal gameplay. However, concerns have been raised about manipulative loot mechanics and the presence of infinite ads during gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience and gives the impression of a cash grab. While the extensive customization options and skill tree are praised, players feel that the game could benefit from more engaging enemy variety in missions.
“Endless customization and it seems to not have microtransactions.”
“There are no microtransactions in the game; everything can be unlocked through normal gameplay. However, I would suggest one thing to the developers for the hunting missions: you could randomize the enemies in the missions as players unlock new enemies as they play, to keep things interesting when replaying the hunting missions.”
“No microtransactions is a huge plus for what the game offers.”
“Why this is even a feature seems to be rooted in adopting manipulative loot mechanics from microtransaction-based mobile games without understanding why they were even there to begin with.”
“The advertising is, in my opinion, deceptive.”
“I put about 5 hours into this game and had a blast putting together my own mech, but there are so many unfinished/lazy elements that make this look like a quick cash grab.”
- replayability26 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability through its engaging combat mechanics, extensive customization options, and multiple difficulty levels for missions, encouraging players to grind for better rewards. While some players find the story mode lacking and certain boss encounters frustrating, the overall gameplay experience remains enjoyable and worth revisiting. With 10 replayable missions and a variety of upgrades and blueprints to unlock, players can expect hours of fun and experimentation.
“Whilst the story is about average, the gameplay is fun and highly replayable, and the overall customization alone can keep one's attention for hours on end and leave one feeling very satisfied.”
“It's fast, fun, and has excellent replayability.”
“So, the game's replayability is designed around a bit of grinding, enabling you to tackle the higher difficulty versions of each mission and gain greater rewards.”
“I was sitting in the boss fight for like 15 minutes and I'm basically stuck until I get better weapons, which doesn't really motivate replayability. There should be more payoff for challenges.”
“At the time of this review, there are 10 replayable missions in the 'full' game (including the tutorial), 3 levels of tech upgrades (with different paths), and dozens of cosmetic blueprints to unlock; the demo has 2 missions and more limited upgrades.”
- character development18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed feedback, with some praising the unique and visually appealing anime-inspired character designs, while others criticize the dialogue quality and lack of depth in character interactions. Despite improvements in design, there are concerns about the reliance on generic tropes and the need for voice acting to enhance immersion. Overall, while the aesthetic appeal is noted, the depth of character development remains a point of contention among players.
“The gameplay, combat, sound, story, character design, and progression is ambitious.”
“The art style and character design is somewhat unique and pleasing to look at, from the NPCs to the main characters.”
“They also really improved the character designs.”
“How is the dialog and character design still this bad?”
“There are clearly some cheesy dialogue elements that point toward some of the girls liking the commander and with the somewhat generically done character designs you'd be hard pressed to say they weren't eye candy.”
“The gameplay, combat, sound, story, character design, and progression is.... ambitious.”
- emotional14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -7 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game lacks emotional depth, with players feeling little investment in the story and characters, which detracts from the overall experience. While the customization options for mechs are praised, the complexity and lack of visibility during gameplay diminish their emotional impact. Additionally, the need for more cutscenes and a stronger musical score is highlighted as essential for enhancing emotional engagement.
“Story: still in the works, but so far I'm not getting the emotional investment that most anime types have.”
“More varied and memorable enemies and better musical scores to highlight tense situations and increase emotional impact.”
“While the customization of the mechs/weapons is fantastic, it's a bit confusing and should be simplified. More cut scenes are needed to give more emotional content to the game levels, and the individual player designs for their mechs can be seen more often during gameplay.”
“The story felt incredibly dull and uninspired, lacking any emotional depth.”
“Conversations throughout the game were monotonous and failed to evoke any feelings.”
“I found the narrative to be boring, which made it hard to connect emotionally with the characters.”
- humor14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- -7 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding character interactions amusing despite occasional confusion in dialogue. While certain elements, like the inclusion of "hilariously unnecessary anime titties," are noted for their absurdity, others feel the humor can be nonsensical or poorly translated. Overall, the humor may not resonate with everyone, but it adds a quirky charm to the gameplay experience.
“Oh, the gameplay is fun too! Funny robot goo woosh with big sword, makes me feel like Gundam.”
“I find the character interactions quite funny at times, though it is hard to tell what is trying to be said sometimes.”
“That's hilarious since ranged weapons are really the only thing you can build that actually changes how the game is played.”
“The humor falls flat and often feels forced, lacking the cleverness that would make it enjoyable.”
“The jokes are repetitive and fail to land, making the experience more cringeworthy than funny.”
“While there are moments that try to be humorous, they often miss the mark and feel out of place.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is characterized by limitations on mobility, as even heavily equipped units like Gundams struggle to operate effectively within planetary atmospheres. This creates a sense of realism and challenge, emphasizing the constraints imposed by environmental conditions.