MainFrames

About

MainFrames is a single-player action game with ingenious graphics, where you guide an adventurous program named Floppy through a PC monitor's desktop. Jump between program windows to navigate the digital world, solve puzzles, and uncover secrets in diverse visual styles. With a charming atmosphere and innovative mechanics, MainFrames offers a rewarding experience that's hard to put down.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 50 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

MainFrames features charming visuals and a delightful art style, complemented by a catchy soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
The game offers innovative mechanics and clever puzzles that keep players engaged, providing a refreshing take on classic 2D platforming.
Controls are responsive and well-tuned, allowing for precise movements that make the gameplay satisfying and enjoyable.

The game suffers from a lack of polish, with several small bugs and issues that can hinder the overall experience.
MainFrames is relatively short, with a runtime of about 2-3 hours, and lacks level replay options, which may leave players wanting more.
Some gameplay elements feel underdeveloped, and the difficulty can spike unexpectedly, leading to frustrating moments for players.

gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
Mainframes combines classic 2D platformer elements with innovative mechanics, offering a refreshing gameplay experience filled with collectibles and mini-games. While the game features creative ideas and a charming aesthetic, some players feel that it lacks depth and variety, resulting in a somewhat mediocre experience despite its initial appeal. Overall, it presents a fun yet short adventure that may not fully capitalize on its unique concepts.
- “Mainframes takes classic 2D platformer elements and adds its own twists and clever ideas to turn them into an innovative and refreshing gameplay experience.”
- “It offers enough challenge that it’s not a breeze while also having the brain-twisting addition of frame movement and related mechanics.”
- “Apart from that, the game is simple enough, with a Celeste-like approach that uses the theme of computers to create some innovative mechanics like dragging, enlarging, minimizing, or focusing on a window to manipulate platforms in order to progress.”
- “Although I love the pixel art and certain gameplay elements, Mainframes ended up a very mediocre experience for me.”
- “The charming and cute aesthetics can’t save Mainframes from its simplistic gameplay which struggles to capitalize on its strong ideas.”
- “I went in thinking it would be your standard fare indie jumper with a cute theme, but what I realized was that it's full of game mechanics that are rarely implemented and in fact the only game that implements certain mechanics.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
18%
5%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant pixel art, charming character designs, and a nostalgic aesthetic that evokes simpler times. Reviewers highlight the excellent shader work and the integration of a delightful chiptune soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience. While the visuals are striking and creative, some critiques mention that the gameplay does not fully capitalize on the game's strong artistic ideas.
- “Graphics and sound are no joke either, with vibrant pixel art, a great work on shading, and cute upbeat chiptune to keep you company.”
- “The art style is gorgeous, the characters are very cute, and the small story of the game is delightful.”
- “Cute platformer that evokes visual nostalgia of simpler times, not by merely replicating the aesthetic of older technology, but instead sprinkling it with a dreamlike touch, nicely representing how we, old-timers, hold those memories in our minds.”
- “The charming and cute aesthetics can’t save the mainframes from its simplistic gameplay which struggles to capitalize on its strong ideas.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is praised for its retro charm and ability to complement the visuals, enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the creativity and engaging mechanics, noting that the soundtrack adds to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature in this charming 2D platformer.
- “It has interesting mechanics that build on each other and a nice retro music track that complements the game.”
- “Very charming 2D platformer with some great visuals and music.”
- “Gorgeous, charming art style and soundtrack.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
29%
14%
The game's story is generally viewed as simple yet enjoyable, with a rewarding background narrative that encourages player engagement. However, some reviewers find the overall storytelling to be stale and uninteresting, detracting from the experience. The charming art style and cute characters add a positive touch to the narrative, but the brevity and lack of replayability are noted drawbacks.
- “A simple, yet enjoyable main story.”
- “A nice background story that rewards you for paying attention to it.”
- “The art style is gorgeous, the characters are very cute, and the small story of the game is delightful.”
- “The gameplay is stale and uninteresting, with a lack of level variety, a dull story, and a short runtime with no replay options.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its colorful and quirky characters, particularly the daemons, which add a whimsical touch to the experience. Players appreciate the funny moments and clever references throughout the journey, complemented by witty writing that enhances the overall enjoyment.
- “Your journey will be filled with funny moments as you meet colorful, humorous characters (daemons... who knew my computer was filled with those?).”
- “All the characters are fun, and some scenes are quite funny as well, filled with references.”
- “Excellent and responsive platforming, great puzzle solving with unique ideas, wonderfully creative art style, and fun, hilarious writing and characters.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for being buggy, leading to frustrating experiences where players often have to replay the same sections multiple times. While the gameplay can be enjoyable, these technical issues detract from the overall experience.
- “I mean, it can be fun, but it feels buggy here, and sometimes you have to replay the same boring room over and over.”