Mechajammer
- December 1, 2021
- Whalenought Studios
- 228h median play time
Get on SteamMechajammer is a single-player cyberpunk horror CRPG with simultaneous turn-based combat, set on a gritty off-world colony. Freely explore the city, jungle, and syndicate hollows, recruiting companions and building large squads to help you escape. The Refracted Update brings new features and improvements, making it an ideal time to dive into this atmospheric, music-enhanced game, despite some remaining bugs.
Mac OS
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Reviews
- The game has a unique and immersive cyberpunk aesthetic, with a gritty atmosphere and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the experience.
- It offers deep character creation and customization options, allowing players to create unique builds and playstyles.
- Despite its flaws, many players find the game enjoyable and rewarding, especially for those who appreciate challenging, old-school RPG mechanics.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including game-breaking issues that can force players to reload frequently.
- The user interface and controls are often confusing and unintuitive, making navigation and interaction frustrating.
- Many players feel that the game lacks sufficient guidance and quality of life features, leading to a steep learning curve that can be off-putting.
- graphics70 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their unique and charming aesthetic, drawing comparisons to retro styles and creating an engaging atmosphere. However, some players find the color palette lacking and the low-resolution visuals can lead to confusion during gameplay. Overall, while the art style and soundtrack are highlights, the execution may detract from the experience for some users.
“The art style is really cool and makes the game feel special and different.”
“The atmosphere and the art style are awesome.”
“It's visual aesthetics work well with its atmosphere, and the soundtrack feels like a grimier Blade Runner - like someone introduced Vangelis to industrial music, and the whole package comes together as a smooth, modern take on the influences I grew up with.”
“I'm also not impressed with the style of graphics, and it's mostly because they need a slightly more robust color palette.”
“In this game, through a combination of unclear UI elements and the low-resolution graphics, I don't know if I'm swinging at a fridge, an explosive barrel, a crate that won't hurt me, a box that might have loot in it, or a box that enemies might pop out of; it's so muddled and unclear.”
“The aesthetic feels like I'm a homeless vagrant wandering around a trash heap.”
- gameplay70 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this indie title is marked by a mix of turn-based and real-time mechanics, but is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that significantly detract from the experience. While the character creation and squad customization features are praised, the AI struggles with managing multiple companions, and many core mechanics feel unbalanced or poorly implemented. Overall, despite some improvements since launch, the gameplay remains inconsistent and often frustrating, leading to a lack of immersion and enjoyment.
“The gameplay itself of Mechajammer is very fun; I've always been looking for a game similar to Fallout 1, and this exactly hit the spot.”
“The world building, game mechanics, and the setting all click.”
“I'm really loving the dice rolling mechanic in this game; very old school.”
“Stutters, visual, audio, and gameplay glitches happen often and detract from the already thin immersion the game world offers.”
“On launch it was riddled with bugs; saves not working, and many gameplay elements like the combat and driving vehicles just didn't work very well.”
“Game is nothing like the trailers, gameplay is messy, unfinished and really buggy.”
- story52 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and immersive, while others describe it as bland and lacking depth. Although the main quest offers a unique world and interesting character interactions, many users criticize the absence of side quests and the game's non-intuitive mechanics, which can hinder story progression. Overall, while the narrative has potential, it suffers from bugs and a lack of guidance, leaving some players frustrated.
“Tough game but becomes enjoyable once you learn more and the story is fun!”
“Over the course of the game, you will learn tidbits about the founders of the world and utilize that knowledge in working out puzzles to unlock and access the final areas needed to complete your mission.”
“Absolutely loving this game so far, the agency given to the player in progressing the story is very engaging, and the art and environment is fantastic.”
“The game is barebones in content, with no side quests at all and zero interaction with the world.”
“The story so far feels a bit bland.”
“I had to backtrack and do the same thing three times because a crucial item didn't drop, and since there's almost no guidance as to what you're supposed to do to advance the story, it's impossible to tell if you're doing the wrong thing or if bugs are preventing progress.”
- stability50 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and a problematic interface that disrupts gameplay and immersion. Players report problems such as disappearing items, inconsistent mechanics, and a finicky save system, leading to a frustrating experience. While some users have encountered fewer issues, the overall consensus is that the game remains unfinished and requires significant fixes before it can be recommended.
“Extremely buggy; money and items disappear or become unusable randomly, forcing you to reload constantly.”
“In addition to crashes and glitches, the snail-like pace and repetitive nature of the game left me quite disappointed.”
“Worst of all, the quick saving system is buggy: I loaded some saves in the old town, and twice in a row, all the enemies respawned, containers were full again, and key items respawned.”
- music48 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its outstanding synth soundtrack that evokes comparisons to Vangelis and John Carpenter, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and art style. However, some players have criticized the in-game music as being terrible, suggesting that it detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the music remains a key highlight for many, enhancing the game's unique aesthetic and engaging world.
“The game's soundtrack is fantastic and I adore the game's art style.”
“The music and art direction is one of a kind.”
“It's visual aesthetics work well with its atmosphere, and the soundtrack feels like a grimier Blade Runner - like someone introduced Vangelis to industrial music, and the whole package comes together as a smooth, modern take on the influences I grew up with.”
“Music is terrible.”
“I had some YouTube music playing on low volume in the background while I could still hear the in-game music, and boy is that in-game music atrocious.”
“If I was going to play this, then I would mute the in-game music.”
- atmosphere32 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and gritty design, with many players noting its unique art style and compelling soundtrack that evoke a strong sense of place. The world feels rich and detailed, often described as "dripping with atmosphere," reminiscent of classic influences while maintaining a modern edge. Despite some initial challenges with gameplay mechanics, the overall atmospheric experience is considered a standout feature that enhances the game's appeal.
“The world they created really oozes atmosphere.”
“It's visual aesthetics work well with its atmosphere, and the soundtrack feels like a grimier Blade Runner - like someone introduced Vangelis to industrial music, and the whole package comes together as a smooth, modern take on the influences I grew up with.”
“The art, atmosphere, and music are extremely well done and the main draw of the game.”
“Some alleys I swore I could smell right through the screen; the game drips with so much atmosphere.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to limited NPC interactions, a lack of meaningful rewards from combat, and cumbersome navigation tools. Farming for supplies feels like a chore, with many enemies dropping little to no loot, leading players to rely on recruiting NPCs to progress. Overall, while the game has appealing aesthetics, the grinding experience detracts significantly from enjoyment.
“Interaction with the world is limited; there's no real talking with NPCs (they will repeat the exact same three things and give you various hints). Farming money to get the supplies you need is also a chore, and most NPCs you encounter don't even drop anything when you kill them. This is especially true when fighting enemies, as you won't get much back. The only reliable way is to go around and spam recruit the hobos and use them as cannon fodder while they do the work for you.”
“I really want to play this game; I just wish finding items and moving forward wasn't so tedious and hard, mostly because of the awful map and navigation tools you get.”
“The game has some nice aesthetics, but the abstractness and the lack of context on what, where, and how to manipulate and navigate is extremely tedious.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization, with players experiencing significant stuttering even on high-end systems capable of running more demanding titles smoothly. Despite the ability to complete challenges with minimal skill optimization, the overall performance issues detract from the experience.
“The thing is that I can run games like The Witcher 3 on high at 45-60 fps but can't run this game without stuttering all along.”
“You can kill every enemy in the game with throwing knives and some patience, so don't stress too much about whether you've optimized your skill enough.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game starts off strong, eliciting initial laughter, but quickly diminishes as players encounter frustrating mechanics, such as uncontrollable character behavior triggered by PTSD, which can persist indefinitely. This shift from humor to annoyance suggests that while the game may have comedic potential, it can also lead to player frustration.
“What a funny start! I thought to myself, my smile slowly fading as my character continued being uncontrollable for 2 straight minutes before I checked the Steam forums and found out that if PTSD is triggered out of combat, it just lasts forever.”
