Mecha Knights: Nightmare
- August 29, 2021
- Damian Kubiak
- 9h median play time
Get on SteamIn Mecha Knights: Nightmare, play as a pilot in the year 2049 amidst a cold war and apocalyptic chaos caused by otherworldly creatures. Battle these monsters in customizable Mechs across 20 campaign missions, upgrading and equipping your Mobile Armor with new weapons and resources. Experience a single-player story of survival and large-scale operations during humanity's fight for survival.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Great mix of Armored Core and EDF gameplay, providing a satisfying mech customization experience.
- Fast-paced action with hordes of enemies, making for thrilling combat moments.
- Impressive for a solo developer, showcasing a lot of passion and effort in the game's design.
- Voice acting and writing can be cheesy and cringeworthy, detracting from the overall experience.
- Limited enemy AI and ally functionality, making some missions feel repetitive and less engaging.
- The game is relatively short, with only 20 missions and limited replayability after completion.
- story1,460 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "Mecha Knights" is generally described as simple and somewhat cliché, often serving as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a focal point. Players appreciate the engaging elements, such as character diary entries that add depth, but many find the voice acting and dialogue to be cheesy or cringeworthy. While the campaign consists of 20 missions that can feel repetitive, the overall narrative and character interactions keep players invested, with some expressing a desire for more content and a deeper exploration of the story in future updates or DLC.
“I became really invested in the story and wanted to know the mystery behind the reds and whether the conflict would end up being resolved but before I knew it the 20 campaign missions were already over!”
“The story, while simple, keeps you following along mission to mission, with your character Ethan's diary entries before each mission adding more context and detail to the situation.”
“The story...exists?”
“The story is simple but effortlessly charming and really quite gripping, and the cast of characters you meet along the way are fun and surprisingly deep.”
“The story is nothing special and the voice work is obviously not professional but they did what they could.”
- gameplay376 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a blend of mech customization and horde-based combat, drawing inspiration from titles like Earth Defense Force and Armored Core. While it offers a fun and addictive experience with a variety of weapons and enemy types, many players note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth over time. Overall, the mechanics are solid and enjoyable, but some players feel the game could benefit from more variety and polish.
“A truly unique mecha experience, with interesting worldbuilding and lovely mechanics!”
“The gameplay is fast and hectic, with deep hordes of various horrific monsters standing between you and victory.”
“The gameplay is very addictive, even before you unlock and customize your mech with badass weapons.”
“The gameplay is primitive; it's an alien shooter from first person all over again, with waves of dumb monsters coming directly at you.”
“Gameplay is very repetitive; health does not scale with difficulty, the game just throws more and more enemies at you.”
“Although it is a great indie game made by a solo dev, the gameplay is too dull for my taste.”
- graphics185 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they are dated and reminiscent of early 2000s titles, often described as "PS2 era" quality. While some appreciate the nostalgic art style and find the visuals functional, others criticize the sparse environments, graphical glitches, and lack of variety in design. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics are not a strong point, the engaging gameplay compensates for their shortcomings.
“The graphics, lighting, and textures remind me a lot of the PS2 era Armored Core titles, notably Last Raven and Silent Line, which is far from a bad thing.”
“Mecha Knights is a pure example of why games do not need AAA/$70 level graphics to be good.”
“The gameplay is solid, the graphics are dated but look good, the swarms of monsters are reminiscent of EDF as others have said and hugely fun to fight against.”
“The graphics are not great, but the combat and customization very much makes up for it.”
“The graphics are barebones, the UI is horrible but functional.”
“I don't want to tear down a one man project, I will however be honest with my gripes, the visuals are indistinct and muddy, everything is dark, the enemy types are likewise indistinct and blend in with everything else as the color palette used here is far too earthy, it's all muted browns, greens and greys, it feels very mid 00s.”
- grinding72 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a significant part of the experience, with players noting that while it can be repetitive and overwhelming at times, it is also enjoyable and rewarding. Many reviews highlight the need to grind for weapons and mech parts, especially to progress through tougher missions, but some players appreciate the fun mechanics and variety in loadouts. Overall, the game offers a solid balance of grinding that may not appeal to everyone, but is well-received by fans of the genre.
“So.. fun, but way too grindy and repetitive, which is made worse by the drab and also very repetitive scenarios that offer no interaction at all.”
“There will be times when a level is literally impossible unless you've done enough grinding, and what's worse, you won't realize the level is impossible until you're 15 minutes into it and the last wave arrives and you finally realize that you're just not equipped well enough.”
“The main issue is the unlocks and upgrades as you will have a lot of grinding to do in order to unlock everything, which I didn't.”
- music64 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 88 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it generic and repetitive, particularly noting that each stage features the same battle theme. While some appreciate the orchestral style that fits the genre, others feel it lacks variety and can be overshadowed by sound effects or gunfire. Overall, players often resort to external soundtracks to enhance their experience, indicating a desire for more memorable and stylized music.
“In the defiant final stand, I had music blasting and even found myself battle crying a little bit.”
“The music is a pretty typical orchestral, epic fare that evokes the feeling of standing against an endless tide of death.”
“As for the soundtrack, I'd say it fits the genre if you can manage to hear it over all the gunfire.”
“As for music, unfortunately each stage has the same battle theme.”
“The music is the definition of generic.”
“The gameplay is fun, music is repetitive, and voice acting is laughably bad, but has a charm to it.”
- replayability50 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
Replayability in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the inclusion of horde mode and the ability to replay missions with different gear or objectives, others find the overall replay value limited due to a short campaign and lack of difficulty options. Many suggest that players can create their own challenges, but the game may not satisfy those seeking extensive replayability. Overall, the game offers some replay potential, particularly through its raid missions, but it falls short for those looking for a more robust experience.
“Got endless horde mode for replayability and you can use the money and items you get during the horde mode for the campaign.”
“There are many different types of enemies you face in combat in both missions and waves mode, giving replay value after completing the main game.”
“It's a hidden gem of a game, gameplay is solid, there's replay value by replaying missions with better gear or by doing a raid where you fight increasingly difficult waves of enemies while collecting gear.”
“This game has a rather abrupt ending with no real replayability, and no difficulty increase option (game doesn't really need it).”
“The price is reasonable considering the effort put in by one dev, but the game is pretty short with minimal replay value so waiting for a sale isn't outlandish.”
“There is no difficulty selection, content is linear and there's no reason to replay the campaign missions once completed - overall replay value is low.”
- optimization34 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report solid performance and enjoyable mech upgrades, others highlight significant issues such as graphical glitches, invisible walls, and a need for further polish. Despite these concerns, many agree that the game can handle a large number of enemies without major frame drops, suggesting that optimization is generally effective but still requires improvement.
“Your legs determine your load, which is how much mass you can have on your mech before it starts to affect your performance.”
“The performance is solid; none of the missions are going to have you stuck for too long, and your mech does feel very noticeably improved in a gradual way over the course of the missions.”
“The game is quite optimized; while having minor bugs on terrain collision, it doesn't pose any difficulties towards playing.”
“Story and voice acting are cheesy, just like they should be in this type of game. There is only one serious problem with this game - poor optimization.”
“Optimization really needs some buff and polish.”
“When this many enemies need to be rendered on screen, there usually has to be a happy medium for the sake of performance.”
- humor33 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its campy and intentionally bad voice acting, which many players find hilariously entertaining, though some feel it can become grating. The absurdity of the dialogue and the janky animations contribute to a fun, albeit chaotic experience, appealing to those who appreciate a lighthearted, over-the-top style. However, the humor may not resonate with everyone, as some players find certain elements push the boundaries from funny to annoying.
“It does definitely have a bit of indie game jank with it in terms of the enemy animations as well as the main character's hilarious voice actor, but honestly, it sort of adds to the fun factor for me.”
“I loved it and was laughing my ass off through the whole thing, but you have to be able to tolerate that level of camp.”
“While I would love multiplayer and maybe some more dangerous enemies in later levels, the campaign is both fun and hilariously cliched in a good way.”
- stability26 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 85 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report minor graphical glitches and occasional performance issues, many have not experienced any game-breaking bugs. Most agree that the game is generally playable and enjoyable, with only minor annoyances that do not significantly detract from the experience. A few users noted that the game feels polished, especially considering the small development team behind it.
“Almost bug free.”
“This is a true love letter to mech games of old, and I salute the creator of the game for such a fun experience. Thank you, Damian Kubiak, for pushing the release date back and giving us something polished and bug-free.”
“The game is almost bug free, which enhances the overall experience.”
“It's unbalanced, mildly buggy, and the graphics are on the low end, but if mindless mecha violence is what you're looking for, this is it.”
“Visuals are meh, with lots of visual glitches and a hilarious mismatch of size for different assets: there's a barn on one of the levels, and not far from it there's a railroad that could happily go through that barn's window.”
“Thanks for the great game, just still buggy for PC players; can't rebind commands after the last update.”
- atmosphere22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its "grimdark" feel, effectively capturing a sense of impending doom reminiscent of titles like Muv-Luv. Players appreciate the well-built environments, engaging lore, and the emotional weight conveyed through journal entries and voiceovers, which enhance the overall experience. The combination of customization, tactical gameplay, and a darker narrative contributes to a compelling and immersive atmosphere.
“The atmosphere is nice, feels like the end of the world.”
“Story is not something to write home about, but the atmosphere from the game gives it a 'grimdark' feel.”
“Well-built environments, locations, and lore contribute to building a plausible atmosphere.”
“Between each mission, you can read journal entries detailing how the war effort is going (or not), how your character feels after the last harrowing mission, and just get a general atmosphere of how badly things are turning for humanity.”
- emotional12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players have noted that the game features strong voice acting and emotionally resonant interactions, with some moments evoking genuine sadness, such as the loss of a character named Danforth. The combination of customization options and engaging gameplay creates a sense of joy and fulfillment, while the community's support adds to the overall emotional experience, making it feel like a promising title with depth.
“Everything is fully voiced and really well done for that matter, and some of the back and forth between people on the field can be genuinely heartfelt and interesting at times!”
“I cried when we lost Danforth.”
“With promising updates of its content and a wholesome community, I would say that this game is a rough diamond in the making.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is criticized for being clichéd, with predictable arcs that lead to telegraphed plot twists, such as a character's death that feels obvious due to their abrupt development within the same mission.
“Some of the writing is a bit cliché, and there's a death that's massively telegraphed before it happens due to the sudden character development that the character undergoes in the same mission.”
