Mech Engineer

About

Mech Engineer is a single player tactical management game with mystery and science fiction themes. It was developed by KiberKreker and was released on May 21, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In this game you will try on the role of the chief mech engineer. You can design mechs, assembly and launch reactors, regulate weapons and, of course, send mechs into battle.

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73%

Audience ScoreBased on 489 reviews

story11 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game offers incredibly deep customization options for mechs, allowing players to tweak every aspect from weapons to reactors.
The atmosphere and art style create a unique and immersive experience, reminiscent of classic mech games.
Once players overcome the steep learning curve, the game becomes highly rewarding and engaging, with a satisfying gameplay loop.

The UI is obtuse and confusing, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and navigate the game.
The tutorial and in-game manual provide minimal guidance, leaving players to figure out many systems through trial and error.
The game can be punishingly difficult, with many players experiencing frequent losses and frustration due to unclear mechanics and sudden difficulty spikes.

story
129 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
87%
4%
The game's story revolves around players controlling an AI managing a walking city, sending mechs on missions to gather resources and uncover secrets to escape a ruined planet. While the premise is intriguing and offers a rich lore, many players find the execution frustrating due to a steep difficulty curve, lack of clear instructions, and poor mission design that often leads to quick failures. Despite these challenges, some players appreciate the depth of strategy involved in managing mechs and resources, suggesting that the story can be engaging for those willing to invest time in understanding the game's systems.
- “The basic premise is that you play the role of an AI with control of a walking city and must send your mechs out on missions in order to uncover secrets and resources that will ultimately help you to escape the ruined planet.”
- “Beyond the viewport you watch through, there is an entire world/story evolving behind the scenes with fascinating lore and an excellent premise.”
- “If you want a game to present its fictional world, to struggle with not being entirely sure whether you're making good decisions, and to really be immersed in what rapidly feels like a mechs vs bugs anime from the perspective of the mission controller, then there's really very little else out there that even attempts to match that feeling.”
- “The story looks like it was farted out of a Russian-speaking ass.”
- “It's easy to get overconfident in a build, only to realize it's useless in a different mission.”
- “It's definitely needs some kind of tutorial, you'll spend like 2-4 hours to get to know what to do to not get killed in the first mission.”
gameplay
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
75%
7%
The gameplay of this title is characterized by its deep mechanics and high customization, appealing to strategy and mech enthusiasts, but it suffers from a steep learning curve and a lack of clear tutorials. Players often find themselves navigating a confusing UI and obscure mechanics, leading to frustration, especially for newcomers. Despite these challenges, those willing to invest time in understanding the game can uncover rewarding gameplay experiences filled with strategic depth and emergent storytelling.
- “This game has some of the most unique and customizable gameplay.”
- “The game is a gem, and if you can get into it, you'll find a deep game with a lot of emerging gameplay like the original X-COM had, moments of tragedy or heroism with your soldiers.”
- “As long as you're open to some (satisfying) trial and error to get a hang of the gameplay loop, the game opens up into the joys of managing a post-apocalyptic giant walking robot colony much in need of repairs.”
- “During actual gameplay, I had no way to tell what was going on because enemies were tiny even when zoomed all the way in, and dark grey enemies on a black background are nearly impossible to see.”
- “The tutorial popups fail to explain basic mechanics, and places where you would think a tooltip should be, there just... aren't.”
- “The game is really obscure; many game mechanics are not explained at all, and you lack information to make good decisions.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
67%
8%
The graphics of the game are described as utilitarian and simplistic, prioritizing functionality over high-end visuals, which some players find immersive and fitting for the game's dark, sci-fi aesthetic. While the art style and interface are appreciated for their unique charm reminiscent of classic gaming, the lack of graphical fidelity and clarity in gameplay can be challenging for new players. Overall, the visuals may not appeal to those seeking cutting-edge graphics, but they effectively contribute to the game's atmosphere and depth for those who enjoy a more retro experience.
- “The overall aesthetic of the art, music, setting, lore entries, etc. has a dark, grimy, sci-fi apocalypse feel and it really pulls you in.”
- “First of all, this game has a beautiful art style which reinforces the gloomy and hopeless atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are wonderfully well done, and the UI is part of the gameplay (a little like Highfleet in that regard, although perhaps a little less so).”
- “Graphically, this is not some AAA style over substance game, quite the opposite.”
- “The graphics are... utilitarian.”
- “Lack of graphical fidelity in combat is also an issue in that you won't know what's going on unless you already know how to look for it.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
11%
17%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stylish interfaces, immersive sound design, and a compelling dark sci-fi setting that enhances the overall experience. While some players find the user interface confusing, many appreciate how it contributes to the game's unique ambiance and mood. Overall, the combination of a beautiful art style and a gloomy atmosphere creates a captivating environment that appeals to fans of mech tinkering and challenging gameplay.
- “Really nice atmosphere, intriguing setting, and fun (if a bit confusing) gameplay.”
- “If you like tinkering with mechs and a gloomy atmosphere, this is the game for you.”
- “Mech Engineer brings a very analog feel into the dark sci-fi atmosphere.”
- “First of all, this game has a beautiful art style which reinforces the gloomy and hopeless atmosphere.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The optimization of the game has received significant criticism, with users reporting poor performance even on capable systems, suggesting that the developers have prioritized minor updates over essential performance improvements. Players express frustration over the lack of a comprehensive performance assessment tool for mechs, which is crucial for effective gameplay, and call for better optimization to enhance the experience, especially for those with limited resources. Overall, the game's current state is seen as inexcusable for its size, indicating a pressing need for more focused optimization efforts.
- “Look, getting down into the nitty-gritty of tuning a reactor and applying different parts to affect the performance of the mechs is super interesting.”
- “Storm enemy bases, nuke the hellholes they crawl out of, adapt your armament for a variety of enemies, tease extra performance out of various modules by balancing power draws, train up your pilots and outfit them with perks to suit the needs of your team, cyborgize said pilots to trade away their humanity for reliability.”
- “Each component of each mech can be customized and tweaked for specific performance; your mobile base is huge and requires a lot of care to keep running. Your pilots need to be looked after and can be leveled up in complementary ways, emphasizing planning several moves ahead and picking your battles carefully.”
- “Inexcusable performance for an 80 MB game.”
- “Maybe it's just my laptop, but this game is very badly optimized.”
- “- the *real* problem is in the last update: "fixed wrong bookmarks" and then "optimized minimap rendering." totally focused on the wrong things.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the unique sound design and atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the overall aesthetic, others criticize the limited number of tracks, noting that two songs and silence can become monotonous during extended gameplay. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's dark, sci-fi ambiance, but a more extensive soundtrack would improve the experience.
- “The art, UI, and music really set a cool tone for the game.”
- “The overall aesthetic of the art, music, setting, lore entries, etc. has a dark, grimy, sci-fi apocalypse feel and it really pulls you in.”
- “Fantastic style, art, sound, music, and overall ambiance.”
- “An actual soundtrack would be nice; two songs and silence are not fun to listen to while you spend hours tweaking things.”
- “The overall aesthetic of the art, music, setting, and lore entries has a dark, grimy, sci-fi apocalypse feel, and it really pulls you in.”
- “Sound: extremely unique both in background sounds, UI sounds, and music.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The game is praised for its high replay value, offering players the opportunity to engage with different challenges and adapt their strategies. While it has a simplistic overall design, the depth and learning curve encourage experimentation with various playstyles and squad configurations, making it infinitely replayable. Recent updates have further enhanced its accessibility, appealing to both new and returning players.
- “I imagine there is loads of replayability after completion if you choose different challenges.”
- “It would add even more replayability, and encourage people to adapt their squads and experiment with new playstyles to make use of the gear.”
- “A fantastic game made by a single (very active!) developer with loads of depth, replayability and quite a steep learning curve.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often leading to a linear and save-scummy experience. While some appreciate the unique mechanics and immersive elements, the overall sentiment is that the time investment required for min-maxing and trial-and-error gameplay detracts from enjoyment. Many suggest that improved tutorials could alleviate some of the grind-related issues.
- “This makes the game very tedious and not worth my, or your dear readers, time!”
- “Having figured that out for myself after sinking dozens of hours into it, I can confidently say that even with enough 'know-how' this game will still be a linear, tedious, and save-scummy campaign.”
- “The early game can be frustrating and tedious.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players experience severe performance drops and freezing issues, particularly after the first mission, others report minor glitches that are manageable in full screen mode. Despite these bugs, the developer is actively addressing the issues, which has garnered some goodwill from the community.
- “I would really enjoy this game, but after completing the first mission it always drops to 1 fps and basically freezes, making it unplayable.”
- “Buggy as hell, but it's got that 'thing' that most AAA games lack: love for the game. I bought it in early access to support the developer, as I rarely ever purchase an early access game anymore since most turn into vapor.”
- “It is buggy, but the developer is fixing them enthusiastically.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional impact of the game to be profound, particularly in the new game plus mode, which reveals deep, hidden lore that resonates on a personal level, reminiscent of the subtle emotional depth found in works like Evangelion.
- “The new game plus hits hard emotionally; the game is rich in hidden lore - think a less in-your-face Evangelion.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters left me in tears; their struggles felt so real and relatable.”
- “The story's twists and turns tugged at my heartstrings, making me feel a profound connection to the characters.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users generally find the humor in the game to be effective and enjoyable, with comments highlighting its ability to deliver funny jokes and moments.