Meltdown
- June 5, 2014
- Phenomenon Games
- 23h median play time
Get on Steam"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."
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Windows
Android
Linux
Mobile Platform
Ouya
Tablet
Reviews
- Highly addictive gameplay with a great upgrade system and character customization.
- Fun multiplayer experience, especially in co-op mode, making it enjoyable with friends.
- Solid graphics and sound design, with a vibrant art style that enhances the overall experience.
- Repetitive level design and enemy types can lead to a grindy experience.
- Some technical issues, such as bugs in multiplayer and controls that can feel unresponsive at times.
- Lack of variety in environments and a weak story can detract from long-term engagement.
- gameplay150 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized as a simple, addictive, and often repetitive isometric shooter with a variety of weapons and upgrade options, appealing to players looking for quick and accessible action. While some reviewers appreciate the fun mechanics and vibrant graphics, others criticize the gameplay for being grindy and reminiscent of mobile game mechanics, leading to a lack of depth and engagement over time. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable combat and straightforward controls, but may not hold long-term interest for all players.
“The gameplay is solid, and the controls are tight using an Xbox 360 controller.”
“The gameplay is fun and the music is fantastic.”
“Very good arcade-style shooter with simple, easy-to-learn gameplay, an amazing soundtrack, and a complex item system.”
“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.”
“Playability is low - plenty of poorly designed concepts, like a weird upgrade system, useless items, bad aiming mechanics (aiming on the ground where the enemy stands), and weird auto-guarding mechanics (why not a key to duck?).”
- graphics106 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the vibrant colors, stylized visuals, and overall aesthetic appeal, particularly for a mobile port. However, some users note issues such as clunky animations and bugs that detract from immersion. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good and polished, there are calls for improvements in movement mechanics and consistency.
“Highly polished controls, graphics, and sound, and it runs great on Linux!”
“The graphics are amazing when rez'd up to ultra.”
“Meltdown is pretty to watch, and for a mobile port, it's graphically great.”
“This is the worst game ever on Steam, clunky combat, very hard enemies, awful stuns, bad graphics.”
“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.”
“...some of the graphics...like when near death red flashing overlay etc. doesn't quite stretch correctly for it.”
- story104 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, with many players noting that it feels more like a series of repetitive missions rather than a cohesive narrative. While there are some elements of a plot involving malfunctioning robots on a space station, it is often described as mere lip-service, leaving players wanting a more engaging storyline to enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the focus is primarily on action and multiplayer fun, rather than a gripping or thought-provoking plot.
“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.”
“So tl;dr, bastion in space minus the charm, great soundtrack, story, great gameplay and stunning stylized visuals.”
“Isometric 3D sci-fi shooter, a bit bland in solo due to lack of story, but fun in co-op.”
“Pure action game with no story.”
“Meltdown is an isometric shooter with repetitive gameplay and almost no story.”
“However, the game has no story to speak of, at least for the most part.”
- music94 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its energetic and fitting EDM/dubstep soundtrack, which enhances the gameplay experience and keeps players engaged. While some players may not enjoy the genre outside of the game, many agree that it perfectly complements the sci-fi action theme and adds to the overall fun. However, a few reviewers noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time, suggesting a desire for more variety.
“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 :D”
“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.”
- grinding44 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a significant focus, with many players noting that it can feel repetitive and tedious, particularly due to the need to replay levels for upgrades and resources. While some enjoy the satisfaction of leveling up and acquiring new gear, others find the grind excessive and detrimental to the overall experience. Overall, the game appeals to those who appreciate grinding mechanics, but may deter players looking for a more balanced gameplay experience.
“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.”
- replayability20 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 20 % 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 control issues detract from the enjoyment, particularly in single-player mode. While the game is fun and engaging, especially with friends, concerns about repetitiveness and difficulty spikes may affect long-term replay value.
“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 10 hours of gameplay, I was supposed to reach 12).”
“A little multiplayer action game with lots of upgrades, a bit short and somewhat repetitive, but has a fair bit of replayability. 8/10 - would like an expansion with loads of new content.”
- stability10 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 users report no significant bugs or glitches. However, some players have noted occasional glitches in multiplayer and a general sense of underlying bugs that become more apparent after extended play. Co-op mode also runs smoothly, contributing to a positive stability experience.
“Highly polished controls, graphics, and sound, and it runs great on Linux!”
“Did I mention that the co-op runs great too?”
“Though when you have played it for a little while, you can notice how buggy this game actually is.”
“A few occasional glitches in multiplayer.”
“A few occasional glitches in multiplayer.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highly praised, with players finding it particularly entertaining in multiplayer mode, often leading to moments of uncontrollable laughter. The use of slow-motion effects adds to the comedic experience, creating memorable and funny scenarios that resonate with users.
“I almost fell out of my chair laughing, it was great.”
“Really funny, especially in multiplayer mode.”
“The slomo is hilarious too, once I had a level where we were all leveling right after each other.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % 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. Players report impressive performance, even at ultra settings, though some express frustration with the game's arbitrary performance rating system affecting rewards. Overall, it strikes a balance between accessibility and visual quality.
“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 on my laptop in 'high' settings at 60 fps all the way.”
“Meltdown is a very well-optimized top-down shooter game that stabilizes at 1080p60 ultra on my A8-6600K + Titan + 16GB, turning my room into a sauna while looking seriously beautiful.”
“The game rewards end-of-stage currency and XP depending on an arbitrary star-based performance rating, which adds an interesting layer to the optimization aspect.”
“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 in this game feels half-baked, leading to inconsistent performance and frequent crashes that ruin the experience.”
“Despite the potential for a great game, the lack of proper optimization makes it feel sluggish and unresponsive, detracting from the overall enjoyment.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game features no paid microtransactions, but players criticize its steep difficulty curve that necessitates grinding through earlier levels to acquire better gear for progression. This grind-heavy approach has led some to liken it to a monetization model that could benefit from ads, similar to those found in mobile app stores.
“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.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely absent, as players note a focus on straightforward gameplay and mechanics rather than a compelling narrative or emotional engagement. The experience is characterized by a lack of depth in storytelling, emphasizing action over emotional connection.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmospheric music is highly praised, with many reviewers noting it surpasses that of popular titles like Call of Duty and Battlefield, creating a more immersive experience that highlights the shortcomings of other games in this aspect.
“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.”
