Mother Machine

About

Mother Machine is a single player and multiplayer action game. It was developed by Maschinen-Mensch and was released on March 26, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Steamdeck Verified New FREE DLC : The Creators' Ruins!Get ready for a massive, free lifetime updateBeing the chaotic gremlins we are, we're thrilled to unveil this lifetime-free Biome DLC for your enjoyment! Gather your friends and prepare for mayhem: the Creators' Ruins are waiting to be explored (and most likely wrecked) by you! The Creators' Ruins seamlessly extends the base game of Mother…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+10

Skip User Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 34 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features adorable character designs and a deep customization system that allows players to create unique gremlins.
Gameplay is fun and chaotic, especially in co-op mode, with enjoyable mechanics like climbing and exploration in procedurally generated caves.
The developers are responsive to player feedback and have provided solutions for bugs, enhancing the overall experience.

The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes, poor optimization, and frame rate drops, which detract from the experience.
Combat mechanics can feel clunky and frustrating, with players getting stuck or overwhelmed during encounters.
Solo play lacks the charm and excitement of co-op, making it less enjoyable for those who prefer playing alone.

story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
77%
14%
The story is generally regarded as decent and interesting, with a satisfying conclusion that enhances the multiplayer experience without disrupting it. Players noted that the narrative unfolds over approximately 10 hours, featuring a variety of missions that unlock as the story progresses, including unique boss encounters. Overall, the story effectively engages players, encouraging them to explore and complete missions while providing a solid backdrop for cooperative gameplay.
- “The finale cleverly wraps the story with a satisfying conclusion that is both impactful, but still allows the multiplayer to continue indefinitely without feeling odd, reversing events or spoiling other co-op players that have yet to experience it.”
- “The available mission variety will increase as you progress the story.”
- “With my testing experience and not knowing what the full game scope was going to be, it took me 10 hours to complete the main story playing alone.”
- “I did optimize for unlocking customizations and abilities at first (which means clearing out large caves very thoroughly), but eventually started to speedrun them once the later half of the story had me curious how it would end (which means picking specific medium sized mission types and ignoring everything that doesn't get you to the finish line).”
- “To be more specific about those, there is one main boss fight that is mandatory during the story missions twice (and gets an upgrade along the way), but can return (and be skipped) in normal missions as well as a mini boss and a DLC boss that can always be skipped.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The gameplay is characterized by its smooth mechanics, engaging traversal, and vibrant graphics, offering players a satisfying experience with a variety of interactive elements and character customization options. Players enjoy experimenting with unique mechanics, including throwable and edible items, which enhance the fun, especially in multiplayer settings. Overall, the game provides a blend of challenge and mastery, reminiscent of titles like Little Big Planet.
- “Very smooth gameplay with great traversal, lovely graphics, and delightful character customization.”
- “I had so much fun just experimenting and goofing off with the mechanics.”
- “Gameplay has some interesting elements—throwable and edible items with various effects, lots of interactive elements in the environment, and probably more I haven’t found yet.”
- “Gameplay reminiscent of Little Big Planet.”
- “In other words, there is a good chunk of satisfying mastery to be had in the base mechanics.”
- “Onto some standout mechanics that tie the multiplayer in particular together.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by the cute gremlins and their amusing sounds, contributing to a chaotic and enjoyable co-op experience that often leads to laughter. Players appreciate the funny emotes and entertaining movement mechanics, with hopes for additional humorous creatures in future updates. Overall, the game promises plenty of comedic moments and lighthearted fun.
- “The gremlins are cute and make funny noises when they jump or fall.”
- “It nails that kind of dumb-fun co-op chaos I love, where you're all laughing too hard to play properly.”
- “Prepare for some funny moments!”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The graphics are generally praised for their smooth performance, appealing art style, and engaging environments that blend organic and man-made elements. While some users noted minor graphical glitches and suggested the need for further optimization, the overall visual experience is considered very good, complemented by enjoyable character customization and cool mechanics.
- “Very smooth gameplay with great traversal, lovely graphics, and delightful character customization.”
- “The art style is great; environments that blend organic cave elements and man-made structures are cool to look at.”
- “Lovely graphics, cool mechanics, sounded well, and the story is also quite interesting.”
- “I encountered some minor graphic glitches; nothing major, but I do think it requires further optimization.”
- “The visuals feel like a strange mix between Oddworld and various creatures.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game's optimization is notably poor, with frequent stutters and low frame rates that detract from the overall experience. While some quality-of-life improvements, such as rebindable controls, are desired, the performance issues, particularly in areas like the misty grove DLC with heavy fog effects, remain a significant concern.
- “There are a few quality of life improvements I would like to see, such as rebindable controls and performance enhancements, but that hasn't detracted from my gaming experience so far.”
- “It does a decent job at what it is, but the performance could use some improvement.”
- “The Misty Grove DLC area, especially with its strong fog effect, can significantly impact performance.”
- “Very poorly optimized with stutters and low frames overall.”
- “Performance-wise, it's a bit disappointing.”
- “The misty grove DLC area, especially with its strong fog effect, can tank performance.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers significant replayability due to its extensive customization options, allowing players to experience varied gameplay each time they play.
- “There is a lot of replay value and extensive customization options.”
- “The game offers endless replayability with its diverse choices and paths.”
- “Each playthrough feels unique thanks to the various character builds and strategies.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is highlighted by the charming and endearing designs of the characters, which can be customized with a variety of quirky accessories, showcasing a high level of creativity and appeal in character aesthetics.
- “So many cute little guys – the character designs are ridiculously endearing, and you can customize them with all sorts of weird little accessories.”
- “Best creature character design I've seen for quite a while.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with users reporting minor graphic glitches and occasional bugs that do not significantly impact gameplay. While some optimization is still needed, the developers are actively addressing feedback to improve the experience.
- “I encountered some small graphic glitches; nothing major, but I do think it requires more optimization.”
- “You will encounter a few bugs or visual glitches here and there, but none of it is game-breaking, and the devs are absorbing all the feedback they can get.”