Marfusha
- August 26, 2021
- hinyari9
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Marfusha" is a single-player warfare shooter game with an intriguing story and delightful mechanics. As a border guard in a dystopian world, upgrades are crucial to facing increasingly powerful enemies, through cards purchased with heavily-taxed salary. With exceptional graphics, a good soundtrack, and a score attack ranking, Marfusha offers high-tempo action and is highly replayable, including 8 unique characters and various cards for weapons, power-ups, and chance events.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Cute art style and character design that appeals to fans of anime and pixel art.
- Engaging gameplay with a mix of tower defense and roguelike elements, providing replayability through multiple endings and challenge modes.
- Fun and humorous take on a dystopian setting, with a unique narrative that incorporates themes of taxation and survival.
- Very short main campaign, typically completed in under an hour, which may not justify the price for some players.
- Gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with limited depth and variety in mechanics after a few runs.
- RNG elements in card selection can lead to frustrating experiences, especially if players are unable to acquire desired upgrades or weapons.
- story129 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as minimalistic and brief, often taking around an hour to complete, with some players expressing a desire for more depth and content. While the narrative features a charming art style and touches on themes of dystopia and war, it lacks significant character development and impactful dialogue, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution. Despite its shortcomings, the story is considered engaging enough to encourage replayability through different character interactions and multiple endings.
“The main story, although short, excellently conveys the type of world Marfusha lives in.”
“The story mode is simple yet quite appealing, and the character interactions, while few, are quite charming.”
“Gorgeous art style of a rather depressing, bleak world which complements the story really well.”
“I expected more story bits to go with the barebones gameplay, but it is just the same dialogue scenes and one to two 2-minute scenes for recruited NPCs and endings that don't differ much.”
“The story isn't deep or complex enough to make the tragic endings interesting.”
“There is no meat at all behind this game, so little content to actually develop the story.”
- gameplay93 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Marfusha: Sentinel Girls" is characterized by its simple yet addictive mechanics, reminiscent of classic flash games, offering a straightforward roguelite side-scroller shooter experience. While the game provides a fun and engaging loop for a short duration, with various weapons and upgrades, many players find it lacks depth and becomes repetitive after a few hours. Overall, it appeals to fans of the girls-with-guns genre and offers a charming aesthetic, but those seeking more complex gameplay may feel disappointed.
“The gameplay is simple but heavily addicting.”
“The gameplay loop is short but fun.”
“The atmosphere and worldbuilding is nice, the art is cute, and the gameplay is simple yet addicting.”
“I expected more story bits to go with the barebones gameplay, but it is just the same dialogue scenes and one to two 2-minute scenes for recruited NPCs and endings that don't differ much.”
“My main problem is just how simple the gameplay loop is; it's so extremely simple that it gets boring rather quickly.”
“The gameplay is mind-numbingly bad, even for a flash game standard, but this is probably due to the lack of coding/game-making experience and not because it was a rushed-out project.”
- graphics47 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming and atmospheric art style, which combines cute anime aesthetics with a bleak, dystopian narrative. Players appreciate the hand-drawn pixel art and the unique character designs, noting that the visuals effectively complement the game's dark humor and storytelling. While some reviewers mention that the gameplay can be simplistic, the overall aesthetic and visual appeal remain strong selling points.
“The biggest draw of the game is its charming art style, and the very bleak and almost 'Papers, Please'-esque vibe it gives.”
“Gorgeous art style of a rather depressing, bleak world which complements the story really well.”
“The game has hand-drawn pixel art style with an anime aesthetic, but it doesn’t hold back to tell the cruel side of war, tragedy, and questions of morality in a dystopian world.”
“I'd say the content itself is lacking; essentially, you are purchasing a flash game with a decent art style, and there is nothing wrong with that, but admitting there is still a lot that can be improved, like the interaction between characters and the hub/shelter, which all can be improved with more lines for better world-building/storytelling.”
“In terms of graphics, as you can see, it's a 2D pixel style.”
- replayability32 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability primarily through its challenge mode, multiple endings, and the ability to experiment with different characters and weapons. While the core gameplay is simple and can become repetitive after a few runs, the variety of allies and upgrades, along with the endless mode, provide enough content to keep players engaged. Overall, it is a short but enjoyable experience with significant replay value for those invested in the characters and gameplay mechanics.
“More than anything, I think this is a very good game to just pick up and have a good time, and the challenge mode offers a lot of replayability similar to a roguelike.”
“The replayability of this game is quite high; each run is quick (but still more than 30+ minutes), and the progress can be saved at any moment.”
“A defense game that at most will only cause you an hour to complete, but since there are around 7-8 comrades/waifus to play with, and an endless mode, replayability is high.”
“There's some replay value in achieving different endings with different partners, but after 2 or 3 rounds of this, the repetitiveness really starts to kick in.”
“The game presents itself as a roguelike, and roguelikes have the reputation of being the epitome of replayability, except Marfusha is anything but.”
“Challenge mode adds some replayability, where you can play as different characters with different strengths, but the gameplay is mostly the same as story mode.”
- music22 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its upbeat and engaging qualities, though some users note that it can become repetitive due to a limited number of tracks. While the soundtrack is described as decent and fitting for an indie title, it lacks variety, leading to a quick sense of familiarity. Overall, the music complements the gameplay and art style, but players may find themselves longing for more diverse compositions.
“Gorgeous art and nice music.”
“The music is relaxing, and the characters/sprite art is so cute.”
“The music helps keep your energy up as you handle waves on waves of enemies.”
“The music could use more work though, as it gets kinda repetitive after half an hour or so.”
“Like the first area, the music is fine because it's pretty lengthy, but in the other two stages, the music is too short.”
“The soundtrack isn't horrible, but it's no VA-11 Hall-A, that's for certain.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, running flawlessly on the Unity engine version 2019.3.4, with perfect performance on the Steam Deck, including trackpad support. Players report that while keyboard and mouse controls are the best option, the game performs smoothly across various platforms, enhancing the overall experience.
“Marfusha runs flawlessly with solid performance in Unity engine version 2019.3.4.”
“The game features 10 different endings based on your performance and current companion.”
“Beyond that, the game has multiple endings which vary depending on your performance.”
“There are multiple endings, all of which depend on your performance (no retries, no recruited teammates, etc.), with varying degrees of depression displayed in its very charming pixel art.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is a captivating blend of dystopian elements and charming art, appealing to fans of similar genres. While the worldbuilding and level design are praised for their variety and effectiveness, some reviewers feel the experience is hindered by its brevity and missed opportunities. Overall, the combination of engaging gameplay and aesthetic appeal creates a memorable atmosphere.
“The atmosphere and worldbuilding is nice, the art is cute, and the gameplay is simple yet addicting.”
“Art style is atmospheric, gameplay is awesome, and the story sets the tone so well.”
“The atmosphere of the levels varies vastly from one another, and I earnestly feel that the levels are great at what they want to do.”
“The atmosphere of the levels varies vastly from one another, and I earnestly believe that the levels are great at what they want to achieve.”
“Atmosphere-wise, it's like 'Girls Frontline' meets dystopian punk.”
“I recommend it to people who are fans of this kind of atmosphere, and it's easy to pick up.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its use of dark humor, blending cutesy anime dialogue with themes like tax abuse, which adds a unique comedic twist. Players find it amusing, particularly in the context of its quirky enemies and unexpected scenarios, making it a delightful experience despite its darker undertones.
“The good news for queasy people is that the game leans on dark humor more (tax abuse and cutesy, dark humor anime dialogue) than unhinged visuals and text descriptions.”
“Such a funny game.”
“I originally bought this game because I thought it was a 'haha wholesome anime girl shoot funny robot thingy' type game.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming and tedious, especially after the initial challenge fades, leading to a repetitive experience. As builds become more powerful, the gameplay shifts from engaging to monotonous, diminishing the overall enjoyment.
“Gameplay is much more difficult and interesting at the start, but once you get the ball rolling on your build, it starts becoming too easy which makes it feel tedious to complete runs.”
“Because there is little challenge, once you learn the game it can get repetitive and somewhat tedious.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in this title is highlighted by its stunning pixel-art style, which blends anime aesthetics with charming designs. While the visuals are praised, some users feel that the story progresses too quickly, impacting the depth of character development. Overall, the art enhances the appeal, but the narrative pacing may leave some wanting more.
“One of the strongest advantages of this title is the gorgeous pixel art, which is consistent across the UI, backgrounds, and character designs, which I especially like.”
“The game has beautiful character design, backgrounds, and settings.”
“Character design is a blend of pixel art and anime, making it really cute; the story is a bit rushed but still enjoyable.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players initially approach the game expecting a lighthearted experience, but many are surprised by its emotional depth, leading to genuine tears during certain endings. The blend of cute aesthetics with impactful storytelling creates a memorable and poignant experience that transcends its surface-level premise.
“I originally bought this game because I thought it was a 'haha wholesome anime girl shooting funny robot thing' type game.”
“It's cute, and I cried with some of the endings; it was just plain shooting fun.”
