Mindustry

About

Mindustry is a single player and multiplayer open world puzzle game. It was developed by MarKhusaenov and was released on September 26, 2019. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Mindindustry is an open-world factory-building game with tower defense and RTS elements, offering single-player, co-op, and PvP multiplayer modes. Create intricate supply chains, generate resources, build defenses, and command units to conquer enemy bases and protect your core from waves of attackers. With challenging production management, hilarious gameplay, and fantastic replayability, this game boasts amazing visuals and masterful music, though it can be quite grinding.

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95%

Audience ScoreBased on 10,183 reviews

gameplay280 positive mentions

story27 negative mentions

Mindustry offers a unique blend of tower defense, real-time strategy, and factory management mechanics, providing a deep and engaging gameplay experience.
The game features an extensive tech tree and a satisfying gameplay loop that rewards strategic planning and optimization, making it highly replayable.
Players appreciate the game's minimalist pixel art style and atmospheric music, which enhance the overall experience and allow for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.

The game has a steep learning curve, with some mechanics being unintuitive and menus difficult to navigate, leading to a frustrating experience for new players.
Many players find the grinding aspect tedious and time-consuming, detracting from the enjoyment of the gameplay.
The lack of a compelling narrative and depth in the story mode leaves players feeling that the experience can become repetitive over time.

gameplay
804 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
62%
3%
The gameplay of Mindustry is characterized by its unique blend of tower defense, real-time strategy, and factory management mechanics, offering a deep and engaging experience that rewards strategic planning and optimization. Players appreciate the game's intuitive controls, extensive tech tree, and the ability to pause and plan, although some find the learning curve steep and certain mechanics unintuitive. Overall, the game is praised for its addictive gameplay loop, variety of content, and continuous updates that enhance the experience, making it a standout title in the genre.
- “Fun gameplay loop and interesting tech tree progression!”
- “The satisfaction of watching a smoothly running, sprawling factory network hum alongside the adrenaline of defending it from swarms of hostile creatures creates a compelling balance of strategic foresight and reactive gameplay.”
- “Mindustry combines most of the build-your-own-chaos of satisfactory with a sense of urgency as only tower defense gameplay can provide.”
- “Gameplay gets repetitive and boring very quickly.”
- “The game was a cool concept but the introduction of game elements was not at all intuitive, the menus were hard to navigate, the gameplay feels clunky for this reason.”
- “I thought I hated this game, I found certain mechanics very confusing and playing multiplayer seems extremely brutal for me, being this much of an outsider.”
graphics
293 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist pixel art style that, while not visually stunning, effectively conveys the game's sci-fi industrial atmosphere and allows for clear identification of structures and units. Many players appreciate the simplicity and functionality of the graphics, noting that they enhance gameplay rather than detract from it, although some find the visuals too basic or repetitive. Overall, the art style is seen as charming and fitting for the game's mechanics, making it accessible even on lower-end systems.
- “The game can be hard but it's super rewarding when you win, and spending a lot of time on a level is no issue with the pleasing graphics and smooth sound design.”
- “The visuals are very neat; it's an art style with geometric designs that look like you took pixel art and bumped up the resolution while smoothing out the corners.”
- “Don't let the simple graphics fool you; this game has depth.”
- “While the graphics may not dazzle, the art style effectively conveys the game's sci-fi industrial atmosphere and allows for easy identification of structures and units, which is essential during hectic moments.”
- “The graphics look like something from an old Adobe Flash game.”
- “Don't let the minimalist graphics turn you away - there is a deep game under those simple graphics.”
story
250 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
81%
11%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting that there is little to no narrative driving the missions. While some enjoy the gameplay mechanics and variety of mission types, they express disappointment over the absence of a compelling storyline, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, the consensus is that the game could greatly benefit from a more developed narrative to enhance player immersion.
- “The campaign is the 'story mode', light on actual story, but it takes you through the different game types, structures, enemies, resources and everything else at a decent pace that leaves you feeling like you're getting somewhere every time you finish a level.”
- “It's a great game with the same format of landing on planets every time, but it's enjoyable every time as you unlock new technologies as you progress throughout the missions.”
- “The detail is also astounding, such as when you fail a mission, the ruins of your previous structures will be scattered around the map, which is very cool!”
- “There's no interesting story hooks, there's no emotion behind the cold and barren worlds; it's just you and the resources you collect in an endless attempt to take a planet from a relentless AI, while you yourself are a relentless AI builder.”
- “I was somewhat disappointed when I went into the campaign, finished the first 4 missions and it was just mostly waiting around watching anime while the numbers go up and I finished building my 'army' (it was like 15 units) and just move them over to the enemy's base.”
- “There is virtually no story except small excerpts and whatever you can infer, which disappoints me as a lore lover.”
music
131 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
51%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance gameplay, creating a tense or calming ambiance as needed. However, some users note that the soundtrack can be repetitive and minimalistic, with a desire for more variety and depth. Overall, while the music is generally appreciated for its fitting style, there are calls for improvements to avoid monotony during extended play sessions.
- “The soundtrack complements the gameplay well, creating a tense atmosphere during waves and a calming ambiance during downtime.”
- “The music is great, fairly chill atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is on point, along with the music and sound design.”
- “Finally, the soundtrack and sound effects, though adequate, are somewhat minimalistic and could benefit from more variation to enhance immersion.”
- “The music is grim, the visuals are both unpleasant to look at and poor at conveying information.”
- “My one flaw with the game though is the soundtrack is horrible, like downright terrible, it's either depressing or difficult on the ears, my solution to this is just turn off the music and play stuff in the background like educational YouTube videos.”
grinding
115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
12%
85%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and time-consuming, with many players feeling that it requires an excessive amount of time to progress. While some enjoy the resource management and base-building elements, others find the repetitive nature of grinding for resources and the introduction of new materials to be frustrating and detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable mechanics but is often marred by its grindy gameplay, leading to a polarized reception among players.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The minutia can get a little tedious at times as you forget to compensate for something small that ends up costing you hours of time.”
- “But the whole concept of this game—building, upgrading and defending your base while extending out and harvesting resources—can get very very tedious and unfun.”
- “The new campaign mode makes a once enjoyable game extremely grindy and disappointing.”
replayability
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
52%
3%
Mindustry is widely praised for its exceptional replayability, attributed to its extensive modding community, custom game modes, and procedural map generation, which ensure a fresh experience with each playthrough. The combination of deep mechanics, multiplayer options, and a robust map editor further enhances its replay value, making it a compelling choice for fans of strategy and tower defense games. While some players note a steep learning curve and occasional bugs, the overall consensus is that the game offers countless hours of engaging gameplay.
- “Mindustry is an impressively ambitious and engaging hybrid that deftly combines elements of tower defense, resource management, and factory automation into a cohesive and endlessly replayable experience.”
- “With its excellent gameplay mechanics, challenging level design, high replayability, strong community support, and innovative approach to genre-blending, Mindustry provides a rich and satisfying experience.”
- “The procedural generation of maps and the ability to design and share custom maps with the community significantly enhance the game's replay value.”
- “The combination of organic strategic gameplay, co-op and PvP modes, and a solid map editor provide lifetimes of replay value.”
- “There isn't lots and lots of content here - there's enough to have fun, but once you've finished the campaign I don't think there's an awful lot of replayability.”
optimization
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
Mindustry is praised for its strong optimization, allowing it to run smoothly on a wide range of devices, including low-end PCs. Players appreciate the game's depth in resource management and factory optimization, which encourages creativity and strategic planning. While some technical issues exist, regular updates from the developers help maintain performance, making it an engaging experience for fans of optimization-focused strategy games.
- “This factory-building aspect injects a rewarding puzzle element where optimization and spatial planning are crucial for survival and progression.”
- “The game’s expansive tech tree offers a variety of upgrades, buildings, and units to unlock, making it a dream for players who love micromanagement and optimization.”
- “Mindustry is an excellent factory & resource management sim which scratches the itch of optimization and tower defense planning alike.”
- “Mindustry is a deeply complex tower-defense factory builder where optimization is god, spaghetti is inevitable, and my little unit is fighting a constant battle to understand what the hell is going on.”
- “Maybe I'm just not good at optimization, but I'll spend up to an hour just waiting for my resources to fill up so I can start the next level without getting screwed over immediately.”
- “The game is less about optimization and more about retrofitting.”
humor
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
8%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it both entertaining and chaotic, often highlighting funny moments involving robots, explosions, and quirky mechanics. Many reviews mention the game's ability to evoke laughter through its absurd scenarios and playful design, making it a fun experience, especially when played with friends. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted charm to the gameplay, enhancing the enjoyment of its factory-building and tower defense elements.
- “Funny game with big lance spam; my power generators got blown up like 70,000,000 times.”
- “It's like that hilarious friend who makes you laugh till your belly aches, even if they occasionally pull a prank that leaves you questioning your life choices.”
- “The game is really great; it combines harmony and chaos, a calm and at the same time exciting game, you can create a lot of interesting and funny things in it.”
- “It happens so frequently, it's not funny.”
- “The jokes fall flat and feel forced.”
- “I expected more clever humor, but it was mostly cringeworthy.”
monetization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
28%
44%
The monetization model for the game is highly praised, particularly on mobile where it is free and devoid of ads or in-game purchases, contrasting sharply with typical mobile games. Players appreciate the absence of microtransactions and DLC, viewing the game as a refreshing departure from the prevalent cash-grab mentality in the industry. However, there are mixed opinions, with some users expressing frustration over the game's visibility and marketing, suggesting that its quality is overshadowed by a lack of promotion.
- “Absolutely no ads, no DLC, no microtransactions.”
- “A game with fun gameplay, no microtransactions, battle pass, etc., just plain old fun.”
- “It's actually free and has no ads or in-game purchases that I've seen so far!”
- “Unbelievable that such games still exist in this era of monetization.”
- “Update: one of the worst games ever created, just a cash grab full of people whose IQ isn't reaching even the bare minimum. Avoid at all costs.”
- “Only reason I bought it on Steam was for the bigger screen and to support a developer who released a mobile game that wasn't a shameless cash grab.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
71%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report minimal glitches and smooth performance, particularly in single-player modes, there are notable issues in multiplayer, including desynchronization and visibility problems. Some users appreciate the developers' ongoing efforts to address bugs and improve the experience, but frustrations with specific features, like the resource management system and the tutorial, persist. Despite these concerns, the game is generally praised for its performance on various devices.
- “Excellent game and runs great in co-op play as well.”
- “The game runs great, even on my old laptop, making it perfect for playing on the road with minimal internet connectivity.”
- “The game is small, runs smoothly, and does a lot with the 100 MB it takes up on your PC.”
- “Slinging resources is buggy, extremely electricity consuming, and a pain to manage.”
- “The game itself is good, but I have to question the decision to move onto a second campaign after a year+ of still very buggy gameplay instead of extending the original.”
- “Only problem with the game that I can spot is that there are some pretty weird glitches in multiplayer (things on your screen that other players can't see, unit production failures, and other desync issues).”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its effective sci-fi industrial art style, which enhances gameplay by allowing easy identification of elements during intense moments. The music and sound design contribute significantly, creating a blend of tension during action sequences and a calming ambiance during quieter times. Overall, the atmosphere is described as immersive and enjoyable, with updates further enhancing its depth and appeal.
- “The atmosphere is on point, along with the music and sound design.”
- “The soundtrack complements the gameplay well, creating a tense atmosphere during waves and a calming ambiance during downtime.”
- “This behavior reinforces a distrustful atmosphere, encouraging veteran players to band together while pushing out newcomers who might not understand the game’s unspoken rules.”
- “This atmosphere creates inequities rooted in proficiency, with newer players often struggling to match the efficiency and strategies developed by the community over time.”
- “While the graphics may not dazzle, the art style effectively conveys the game's sci-fi industrial atmosphere and allows for easy identification of structures and units, which is essential during hectic moments.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight a strong emotional response to the game's themes and mechanics, with players expressing feelings of distress and frustration, particularly in relation to the game's challenging enemy waves and the relentless nature of resource management. The emotional weight is further emphasized by the game's grim thematic elements, portraying a sense of soullessness in the player's role as a machine-driven resource gatherer. Overall, the emotional experience is marked by highs and lows, reflecting both the excitement of gameplay and the potential for overwhelming setbacks.
- “I am distressed both emotionally and physically.”
- “Take all the grim thematic material of Factorio and distill it; you are a soulless machine scavenging resources from worlds afar, and unemotionally eliminating threats to your ongoing operations.”
- “You'll go 30 waves without the enemies touching your defenses and then suddenly you'll have a god wave that destroys your entire base.”