McDROID
- September 5, 2014
- Elefantopia
- 5h median play time
McDroid is a game with plenty of charisma and sweet ideas. It takes a tired genre and throws it together with elements from elsewhere to create an engaging and charming hybrid. It's aesthetically excellent, with some provocative ideas, but technical problems in larger sections of the game hamper the overall experience. Difficulty spikes and repeated levels also let the game down and prevent if from being truly memorable, but underneath the issues lies an interesting game which provides quite a rush.
Get on Steam"McDROID" is a strategy game that combines farming, arcade, and tower defense elements into a unique blend. Players can enjoy single-player, multi-player, or co-op modes, controlling a farming robot that can be upgraded into a battle station. The game features Furry Worms, doggy bots, and giant lasers, with a charming and quirky aesthetic that has won over many players. McDROID has been optimized for the Nintendo Switch, ensuring smooth gameplay even on its itty bitty hardware.
Reviews
- Unique twist on tower defense with charming visuals and humor.
- Engaging gameplay that requires multitasking and strategy, making it stand out in the genre.
- Frequent updates from developers keep the game fresh and enjoyable.
- Poorly balanced gameplay with weak towers and overwhelming enemy swarms, leading to frustration.
- Bugs and glitches, especially in multiplayer mode, significantly detract from the experience.
- Lack of clear tutorials and explanations for mechanics, making it difficult for new players to understand.
- gameplay13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it unengaging due to a lack of interesting tower options and poorly explained mechanics, leading to frustration with the difficulty curve. While some appreciate the unique terrain mechanics and the challenge presented, others criticize the game for being laggy and lacking meaningful choices. Overall, the gameplay is seen as needing significant polish and balance, with some players feeling that it does not offer enough value for the price.
“The gameplay is deceptively challenging, with a number of different activities to balance in each level.”
“Fortunately, the gameplay is straightforward enough that you might not need it, though there is more depth than it appears to be at first glance.”
“You won't know what the hell is happening, but the gameplay is fun, exciting, and unique among tower defense games I've played.”
“Weird difficulty curve and poorly explained mechanics make this attempt at a tower defense game unfun.”
“Incredibly laggy (exploding barrels killed my Skylake/1070 system and at one point there was an infinite gem spawn bug that killed the network and soon took down the game); not that we got much of a chance to see the game mechanics, but there didn't seem to be any room for choice, or at least balancing and scale was neglected.”
“The gameplay is a harsh challenge, because its normal difficulty is high, and indeed there are two more hard modes: really no easy mode.”
- story9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as simplistic and somewhat childish, featuring a bizarre and silly narrative reminiscent of a Pee-wee Herman tale. Players noted a lack of depth in the storytelling, with the main focus being on gameplay rather than a compelling narrative, and the hub world felt plain and uninspired. Overall, while it may appeal to younger audiences, the story does not offer much substance for more mature players.
“As has a childish style and story, a co-op option, and doesn't show violence against humans (except for a poor scene about zombies), it is very recommendable for children. Surely its good reputation comes from their opinions.”
“Mcdroid is a very silly and bizarre game, with a setting that sounds like a story Pee-wee Herman would tell.”
“There's not much story.”
“The story is ... well ... odd.”
“As has a childish style and story, a co-op option and doesn't show violence against humans (except a poor scenery about zombies), is very recommendable for children; surely its good reputation comes from their opinions.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a vibrant and colorful art style, reminiscent of cel-shaded visuals, which many players find appealing and well-executed. However, it requires powerful hardware to run smoothly, especially during intense action sequences, which can lead to performance issues. Overall, while the graphics are praised for their distinctiveness and charm, they may not perform optimally on lower-end systems.
“This game provides a bright art style with adorable enemies.”
“Amazing cel-shaded graphics and robot characters reminiscent of Borderlands' Claptrap but without the annoying voice.”
“It is very lovely done, the graphics are really nice, kept in a comic-like style.”
“Graphics are colorful, but need powerful hardware to run, even on low quality; when the screen has plenty of action, it can cause lags and crashes.”
“Don't let the video or graphics fool you, this game can get really hard quite fast.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that the game features grindy elements, particularly in the need to farm resources like diamonds for upgrades and items, which can lead to a tedious experience. While the tower defense and farming mechanics offer fun and replayability, some users express frustration with the amount of grinding required to achieve completion, especially after paying a premium price for the game.
“You may read my initial review below; however, after completing the game on the second day with only 'achievements' left to gain by painfully grinding levels or waiting for people who actually play properly, I have had to change my review.”
“So I paid £13.50 for a few hours of gameplay, some of which were just painful grinding to get diamonds.”
“I seem to have to be grinding to get diamonds to unlock upgrades, etc. in single player.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by a quirky and light-hearted tone, often incorporating advanced comedic elements that can elicit genuine laughter. Overall, players find it amusing and enjoyable at times.
“I enjoyed the quirky sense of humor in this.”
“It's light-hearted, but certainly has some advanced humor.”
“It can be funny sometimes.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits some bugs and lacks polish, particularly in the tutorial, but it remains enjoyable and charming overall.
“The tutorial is so buggy!”
“It's a bit buggy and lacks some polish, but overall pretty charming and fun!”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has significantly improved compared to previous versions, offering better performance and balance, which enhances the overall gameplay experience. Players find it entertaining, especially with the new DLC, though some express a desire for more updates and a larger player base.
“I bought this game after wanting it for a long time, and it's very good if you like action. It's better optimized than the previous version, and with the new DLC, it's very entertaining.”
“It's a version of the game with much better performance and improved balance.”
“I bought this game after wanting it for a long time. It's very good if you like action, and it's better optimized than the previous version. The new DLC is entertaining, but there are not many players, so play it with me. If they just updated the game, it would be excellent.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability due to its engaging tower defense and farming mechanics, with numerous upgrades available. Players appreciate the potential for future DLC, as the current levels encourage repeated playthroughs despite a limited selection of tower options.
“Fun tower defense/farming game, lots of upgrades and replayability.”
“I can see the company easily publishing worthwhile DLC since levels offer replay value and there are fairly limited tower options so far.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Mcdroid features well-crafted character designs that enhance its worldbuilding, contributing to an intense and strategic gameplay experience. The characters are designed to evoke a sense of power and urgency, effectively complementing the game's overall atmosphere.
“Mcdroid has a smart use of character designs, a subtle feel of worldbuilding, and the hectic and intense strategy is hit home by the hefty, powerful feel of everything.”
