Mashina

About

Mashina is a single player simulation game. It was developed by J. King-Spooner and was released on July 31, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Mashina is a single-player simulation game featuring a wholesome and hilarious story about a friendly mining robot exploring vibrant 3D overground and mysterious underground worlds. Players dig for rare minerals, build helpful machines, and befriend quirky robots while enjoying exceptional visuals, a perfect soundtrack, and engaging gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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98%

Audience ScoreBased on 155 reviews

music30 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Mashina is a charming and delightful game, showcasing a unique stop-motion art style that adds to its whimsical atmosphere.
The gameplay loop of digging and helping adorable robot characters is satisfying and engaging, making it a relaxing experience.
The soundtrack and voice acting are exceptional, enhancing the overall enjoyment and immersion in the game's quirky world.

The game can be prone to bugs and crashes, which may disrupt the experience for some players.
Some players found the gameplay to be repetitive and lacking depth, with fetch quests becoming monotonous over time.
The game is relatively short, with some players wishing for more content or a deeper narrative to explore.

music
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
37%
6%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its eclectic mix of styles, memorable tracks, and humorous radio commentary, enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the relaxing and charming atmosphere created by the soundtrack, which features original compositions across various radio stations. Many reviewers highlight the music's ability to evoke emotions and complement the game's unique visuals and gameplay, making it a standout aspect of the experience.
- “The soundtrack is very memorable and way above what you usually hear in video games: like the stop-motion visuals, it's crafted with care and special.”
- “The music is a joy; not only are the tracks just absolute jams but they're also funny and the radio station hosts and their commentary surrounding the tracks are always humorous and poignant.”
- “A cozy explorer with great art direction and a wonderful soundtrack.”
- “The music is an eclectic mix of styles, mostly confined to various radio stations that you can find the frequencies for.”
- “But then the music comes in, and all the lyrics are all about addressing these issues or venting these negative emotions.”
- “I loved the art and the music, although I'm personally not a fan of the dub; I think I would have preferred to hear typical video game gibberish from every character, mostly because the dub isn't great.”
gameplay
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
43%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by a satisfying and addictive loop centered around mining, resource gathering, and character progression, all set within a charming, handcrafted world. While the mechanics are simple and occasionally repetitive, the game's cozy atmosphere, delightful soundtrack, and engaging character interactions enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the blend of exploration and construction, though some note that the gameplay could benefit from greater depth and polish.
- “The gameplay loop of digging is extremely addicting and satisfying.”
- “The gameplay loop hooks you nice and quick, and the upgrades to your character and equipment keep the exploration fresh and smooth.”
- “It's a compelling gameplay loop, and the charming voice acting, cutscenes, and radio stations you can find really add to the experience.”
- “I was expecting more from how the gameplay evolved beyond smashing and combining materials.”
- “Its biggest flaws would be the kind of samey gameplay (mostly held back by making some of the more fun additions to the gameplay available basically as the game is ending), audio issues (once you get some digging upgrades and some FM stations the constant overlapping audio can become really grating), and frankly the biggest issue is the game is rife with bugs and crashes.”
- “I understand this is a small passion project and by no means want to dissuade the developers but Machina lacked any depth, the characters and setting with little to no writing or plot, the gameplay was so basic it was a mindless chore to play, it felt very half-baked and empty.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
35%
9%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique stop-motion art style, charming character designs, and overall cozy atmosphere, creating an engaging and relaxing experience for players. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful visuals and memorable soundtrack, which enhance the gameplay and immerse players in the game's world. However, some critiques mention that while the art is appealing, it may not compensate for a lack of depth in gameplay or story.
- “Very unique visuals and is overall a cozy and relaxing experience.”
- “The art style is beautiful; while I expect gorgeous art from Jack & Talha at this point, Mashina has its own style that I love in a whole new way - especially the mix of 3D over-world and 2D under-world.”
- “A wholesome and relaxing digging game with charming stop-motion visuals (the robots are so cute!) and a great soundtrack.”
- “The visuals are all done with stop motion and look really scrappy.”
- “Visuals are a matter of taste; it was experimental/abstract but in my opinion it wasn't ugly, just not to my liking as it seemed very slapdash. I understand the vibe they were attempting, but it was poorly executed, slapping things on 'just because' with little regard for conceptual design, lacking any refinement or detail in sculpting with unremarkable characters.”
- “This length and lack of any real driver or story is not made up for by the art style when the game is a full $18.”
story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The story in the game revolves around a small robot named Mashina, who digs underground to gather minerals and complete quests for friends above ground, creating a whimsical and optimistic atmosphere. While some players appreciate the background storytelling through radio stations and character interactions, others feel the narrative lacks depth and complexity, with many quests being simple fetch tasks that leave them wanting more exposition about the world and its characters. Overall, the game offers a charming experience, but opinions vary on the effectiveness and richness of its story.
- “Personally, I adore how the story is told in the background with the radio stations you can find.”
- “To be as spoiler-free as I can, I'll just say the hosts and the music in combination do a wonderful job of telling the story of a world so desperate to stay positive and not look at the bad all around them that it led to the downfall of everything they cared about.”
- “There's a great feeling of progression as you work your way through the storyline to the ultimate conclusion at the end, with new technologies for you to unlock, new materials to find, and new friends to talk to.”
- “There is no story, and while that works for being a 'very child-friendly game' as stated in the included making of, it felt like I wanted to know even a bit more of the world.”
- “The characters themselves did nothing and told us nothing; it was entirely discovering items for fetch quests with little to no exposition or explanation about themselves or the world around them. I wanted to know more about them and everything around them.”
- “This length and lack of any real driver or story is not made up for by the art style when the game is a full $18.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and inviting qualities, enhanced by a fantastic soundtrack and beautiful art style. Players appreciate the blend of gameplay elements, from exploration to questing, which contribute to a whimsical and positive environment that encourages relaxation and enjoyment. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as charming, humorous, and filled with love, making it a standout feature.
- “Great atmosphere both above and below ground; I love that it's got a mix of gameplay (digging underground and setting up your own travel/transport systems, and 3D platforming/exploration).”
- “Fantastic atmosphere and art style.”
- “The atmosphere and the visuals are so inviting.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised for its cleverness and charm, with players enjoying the witty radio station commentary and unique character voices that evoke nostalgic feelings. Unlike other games that may fluctuate in tone, this game maintains a delightful atmosphere filled with funny and ironic moments, complemented by a vibrant soundtrack that enhances the overall comedic experience. Overall, the humor is described as immaculate, making the game a joyful and entertaining experience.
- “The music is a joy; not only are the tracks absolute jams, but they're also funny, and the radio station hosts and their commentary surrounding the tracks are always humorous and poignant.”
- “Fortunately, it's easy to get back into it because the atmosphere and humor of this game are immaculate.”
- “The characters and their voices are so unique and funny.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game deeply emotional, praising its charm and the heartfelt effort of the developers. The wholesome atmosphere, characterized by cute robots and touching interactions, evokes strong feelings, with many expressing that it made them cry within minutes of gameplay. The combination of a cozy world, a heart-wrenching soundtrack, and endearing quests contributes to a profoundly moving experience.
- “Watching the making of the documentary included in the main menu and getting emotional - I adore this game, and these devs, and I hope they keep working together on games for years to come.”
- “This game made me cry within the first 10 minutes of gameplay just with its charm and the obviously huge amount of love that went into this passion project!”
- “Every interaction is heartwarming.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly when attempting to achieve 100% completion. Many noted that the experience can become monotonous, especially during lengthy sessions focused on mining and completing simple fetch quests to level up skills.
- “My only complaint about the game would be that when trying to 100% it, it can be a bit tedious.”
- “The one gripe I had with the game is admittedly minor, but I completed the game in 6 hours; the last 3.5 were mind-numbingly boring, grinding XP for my last skills.”
- “It's a grindy bunch of very simple fetch quests.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some bugs and clunky mechanics, particularly in side quests and overworld movement, but these issues are generally not progression-breaking and can even contribute to its charm. Overall, while stability could be improved, it does not significantly detract from the gameplay experience.
- “It is a bit buggy; I didn't encounter any progression-breaking issues, but I had a side quest that I had to redo a few times before it was counted.”
- “The overworld movement feels a bit buggy, but it's alright since you don't do that a lot.”
- “It can be a little clunky and buggy, but even that adds to the charm.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Players express a desire for enhanced replayability features, such as a speedrun mode, to keep the game engaging without the need for additional content or models.
- “I hope in the future they come up with ways to increase replayability without needing to create more models, such as a speedrun mode.”
- “The game offers so many different paths and choices that I find myself wanting to replay it just to see what I missed.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the dynamic events and character interactions, making me eager to dive back in.”
- “I do hope in the future they come up with ways to increase replayability without needing to make more models, such as a speedrun mode.”
- “After completing the game once, I found little incentive to play it again; the lack of new content really diminishes replayability.”
- “The game feels like a one-and-done experience, as there are no meaningful choices or alternate paths to explore on subsequent playthroughs.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is praised for its refreshing crashbox-style visuals and charming character designs, which stand out from typical game aesthetics. Reviewers appreciate the diversity in both voice acting and character appearances, contributing to a delightful and engaging experience.
- “The crashbox-style visuals and character design are a very refreshing change from the norm in game design.”
- “Infinitely charming and cute game; I was a big fan of how diverse the voices and character designs were.”