Meltdown
- June 5, 2014
- Phenomenon Games
- 23h median play time
"Meltdown is a tactical arcade shooter with both singleplayer and multiplayer options for up to 4 players, local or online. Experience intense action, sci-fi settings, and randomly generated levels as you collect loot, level up, and specialize in Soldier, Specialist, or Medic. With 30 levels, 3 boss battles, and wave-attack arena challenges, Meltdown offers sensational music, delightful visuals, and engaging gameplay."
Reviews
- Highly addictive gameplay with a satisfying upgrade system for weapons and character.
- Great co-op multiplayer experience that enhances the fun and challenge.
- Solid graphics and sound design, with a fun arcade feel reminiscent of classic shooters.
- Repetitive level design and enemy types can lead to boredom over time.
- Some technical issues, such as connection problems in multiplayer and occasional bugs.
- The game can feel grindy, requiring players to replay levels to progress and unlock upgrades.
- gameplay75 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized as simple and addictive, with a focus on fast-paced action and a variety of upgradeable weapons and mechanics. While some players find it repetitive and reminiscent of mobile game mechanics, others appreciate its engaging combat and strategic elements. Overall, the gameplay is generally well-received for its accessibility and enjoyable mechanics, despite some criticisms regarding depth and originality.
“The gameplay is solid, and the controls are tight using an Xbox 360 controller.”
“The gameplay is fun and the music is fantastic.”
“The gameplay is excellent; in fact, more expensive titles have a lot to learn from this game, it's extremely smooth and responsive.”
“Then one day playing it, I suddenly had a realization that this isn't a game; it's just mobile game mechanics with decent graphics and edgy hip music.”
“Meltdown is an isometric shooter with repetitive gameplay and almost no story.”
“The difficulty of the gameplay increased rather rapidly, like on mobile games that are 'free' when they want you to purchase virtual currency to proceed. That gameplay mechanic is quite obvious when you die; if you have obtained 1-ups, you can use them when you die in a level to proceed; otherwise, you have to restart the level, losing progress and things you have obtained during the level.”
- graphics53 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive a mixed but generally positive reception. Many users appreciate the vibrant colors, stylized visuals, and polished appearance, especially for a mobile port, while some criticize certain aspects like clunky animations or bugs that detract from immersion. The aesthetic is often described as charming and fitting for the game's theme, contributing to an enjoyable overall experience.
“Highly polished controls, graphics, and sound, and it runs great on Linux!”
“The graphics are amazing when rezed up to ultra.”
“Meltdown is pretty to watch, and for a mobile port, it's graphically great.”
“Then one day playing it suddenly had a realization that this isn't a game, it's just mobile game mechanics with decent graphics and edgy hip music.”
“This is the worst game ever on Steam, clunky combat, very hard enemies, awful stuns, bad graphics.”
“...some of the graphics...like when near death red flashing overlay etc.. doesn't quite stretch correctly for it.”
- story52 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting that it feels more like a backdrop to the action rather than a central element. While the gameplay is praised for its fun and addictive nature, the absence of a compelling narrative or character development leaves it feeling repetitive and shallow. Overall, players recommend enjoying the game for its mechanics and multiplayer experience rather than expecting a rich storyline.
“The only thing keeping this game from being 'the best ever' is a larger story that kind of ties the game together...there's a bit of lip service to the robots on a space station malfunctioning and you having to clear them out, blah blah blah...it's all the game needs but to make it a best-of contender it would be cool to know more about Zed.”
“Isometric 3D sci-fi shooter, a bit bland in solo due to lack of story, but fun in co-op.”
“So TL;DR, Bastion in space minus the charm, great soundtrack, story, great gameplay and stunning stylized visuals.”
“Pure action game with no story.”
“Meltdown is a really solid indie RPG twin-stick shooter in a futuristic setting devoid of any story.”
“Unfortunately, the game has no story to speak of, at least for the most part.”
- music47 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its energetic and fitting electronic soundtrack, particularly appealing to fans of dubstep and EDM. Many players noted that the music enhances the gameplay experience, making it more enjoyable and immersive, although some found it repetitive over extended play sessions. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the standout features, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and excitement.
“You wind up just grooving along to the music as you blast your way through each level.”
“The music is also fantastic, plenty of dubs and wubs that match the sci-fi action feel of the game, and was an awesome way to pump you up while playing.”
“The music really gets you pumped up.”
“Then one day playing it suddenly had a realization that this isn't a game, it's just mobile game mechanics with decent graphics and edgy hip music.”
“The soundtrack is boring, and with repetitive gameplay, it gets annoying.”
“- if you hate electronic music with an insidious resolve of hatred you will not feel comfortable here.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while many players find it satisfying to repeatedly tackle levels for upgrades and loot, others criticize it for being overly repetitive and tedious. The need to grind for character and weapon enhancements can lead to a sense of accomplishment, but it may also deter those who prefer a more streamlined experience. Overall, if you enjoy grinding for progression, this game could be a good fit, but be prepared for some monotony.
“Before you buy, keep in mind this game is repetitive and grindy.”
“It's very tedious and all the levels look the same in order to save space on your modern PC gaming system.”
“There are 4 levels of difficulty, but once you promote to a new level, you lose all perks and equipment. Regaining perks is not too hard, but having to purchase equipment again is just terrible and nonsensical and leads to unnecessary grinding.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers significant replayability through character customization, gear upgrades, and multiplayer modes, which enhance the experience. However, some players find the level design and controls frustrating, and the difficulty spikes can detract from enjoyment, particularly in single-player modes. While many appreciate the replay value, especially in multiplayer, there are concerns about potential repetitiveness and whether the game remains engaging after completing the main story.
“Easy to learn and good to start enjoying right away, yet customizable and replayable enough to keep you going.”
“High replayability, good team lobbies, and a lot of fun.”
“It has a nice character progression system and a great replay value.”
“It's only really fun in multiplayer because the difficulty spikes drastically after mission 20 and for wave attack after wave 15. Also, enemies tend to spawn on top of you very often and can kill you before you can react. It does have replay value and is hectic when there are a lot of enemies, but it's so-so.”
“For this, replayability could be the bad side of this game. I'm actually at the 3rd (and last) prestige level. I don't know if once I beat the story I will keep playing it (currently at 10 hours of gameplay, I was supposed to reach 12).”
“A little multiplayer action game with lots of upgrades, but it's a bit short and somewhat repetitive. However, it has a fair bit of replayability. 8/10 - would like an expansion with loads of new content.”
- stability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability with highly polished controls, graphics, and sound, particularly on Linux, where it runs smoothly. However, some users have reported occasional glitches, especially in multiplayer, suggesting that while the game is generally stable, there are underlying bugs that become more noticeable over time.
“Highly polished controls, graphics, and sound, and it runs great on Linux!”
“Did I mention that the co-op runs great too?”
“A few occasional glitches in multiplayer.”
“Though when you have played it for a little while, you can notice how buggy this game actually is.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted as both chaotic and entertaining, with players enjoying moments of absurdity and laughter, particularly during multiplayer sessions. The use of slow-motion effects adds to the comedic experience, making for memorable and hilarious gameplay moments.
“The slow motion is hilarious too; once I had a level where we were all leveling right after each other.”
“I almost fell out of my chair laughing; it was great.”
“Really funny, especially in multiplayer mode.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is commendable, especially for a mobile port, allowing it to run smoothly on older hardware with high settings and stable frame rates. However, some players express frustration with the performance rating system, which can feel arbitrary and impact their overall experience.
“The optimization is really good for a port of a mobile game; you can play with an old computer without any problem. For example, I run the game with my laptop on 'high' settings at 60 fps all the way.”
“Meltdown is a very well-optimized game (seriously, it was stabilizing at 1080p60 ultra on my A8-6600K + Titan + 16GB) that turns my room into a sauna while looking seriously beautiful. It's a top-down shooter meant for one thing - resting your frontal lobe.”
“It's rarely enough to overpower, but it's often enough to frustrate you, especially since this is one of those games that rewards end-of-stage currency and XP based on an arbitrary star-based performance rating.”
“The optimization feels half-baked, leading to frequent performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
“I often find myself struggling with the game's mechanics due to poor optimization, which makes it hard to enjoy the gameplay.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features no paid microtransactions, but players criticize the steep difficulty curve that necessitates grinding through earlier levels to acquire better gear for progression. This design choice has led some to liken it to a free-to-play model, suggesting it could benefit from the inclusion of ads.
“While there are no paid microtransactions here, the difficulty ramps up horribly, forcing you to grind earlier levels so you can get good enough gear for later levels.”
“All it's missing is a few pop-up ads and it would be perfect for the iOS App Store.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is minimal, as players focus on straightforward gameplay and upgrading weapons rather than engaging with a narrative. The lack of a compelling story allows for a more action-oriented experience, which some may find lacking in emotional depth.
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmospheric music is highly praised, standing out as superior to that of popular titles like Call of Duty and Battlefield, creating an immersive experience that highlights the shortcomings of many other games in this regard.
“The atmospheric music is well beyond par compared to well-played games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield, and almost makes you cringe at the unrefined level most games have.”