Nodebuster
- August 13, 2024
- Goblobin
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Nodebuster is a single-player strategy game with a focus on ingenious gameplay and resource management. Pretty visuals and exceptional music enhance the experience as you harvest nodes, acquire upgrades, and climb the skill tree to become all-powerful. Be prepared for lots of grinding as you work towards godhood."
Reviews
- Fantastic game for just $3, providing around 3-5 hours of enjoyable gameplay.
- Great graphics and soundtrack, creating a relaxing and satisfying experience.
- Addicting progression system that keeps players engaged and wanting to unlock more upgrades.
- The game is quite short, with many players completing it in under 4 hours, leaving them wanting more content.
- The endgame can feel grindy and repetitive, especially after reaching the final upgrades.
- Some players experienced issues with the upgrade menu navigation and found the flashing effects overwhelming.
- gameplay134 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as simple yet engaging, offering a satisfying incremental loop of acquiring and upgrading that keeps players hooked for around 3-5 hours. While many appreciate the game's mechanics and visuals, some reviewers express a desire for more depth and variety, particularly in later stages and prestige levels. Overall, it is seen as a fun, casual experience that balances idle and active gameplay, though it may feel repetitive towards the end.
“You're constantly being given interesting choices to make as the game's mechanics evolve in unexpected ways.”
“The gameplay is satisfying and well-designed with a smooth progression system.”
“The upgrades really change the dynamic of the gameplay, the unlocks bringing in new dimensions to the whole experience.”
“The gameplay is repetitive, upgrades are uninteresting and run out very quickly, the game is very short.”
“It probably was, but it felt like little more than a grind-fest after the first hour or so without much gameplay outside of clicking on the upgrades and leaving your mouse in the same spot while enemies die.”
“Unfortunately not a lot of game :/ it really lacks more gameplay or at least making it harder to progress so quickly.”
- music111 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and chill qualities, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the well-composed soundtrack, which complements the visuals and satisfying sound design, creating an immersive atmosphere. While some suggest that additional tracks could improve variety, the existing music is generally considered a highlight, making the game enjoyable and engaging throughout its playtime.
“The music is relaxing and the gameplay is quite intuitive.”
“With its pleasant lightshows, rewarding progression, and beautiful soundtrack, it's hard not to be relaxed and forget about the stress of life for a few hours.”
“The music was well done and quite relaxing.”
“The music goes way too crazy for no reason but gets repetitive by the end of the game.”
“The music is very chill albeit a bit monotone - additional songs would be a big boon for it, but not a requirement.”
“It would be cool if the game had some sort of jukebox feature so you could select faster tempo songs later on.”
- graphics60 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their simple yet appealing aesthetic, often described as charming and cohesive, with a retro or neon style that enhances the overall experience. Many users appreciate the combination of visuals and sound design, noting that they contribute significantly to the game's addictive nature and immersive quality. However, some players have mentioned issues with eye strain and motion sickness due to the flashy effects, indicating that while the graphics are enjoyable, they may not be suitable for everyone.
“Very much worth the 3 bucks, nice graphical style, awesome soundtrack and addicting progression.”
“The visuals and sounds are so crisp that it just makes you wanna play it.”
“Beautiful graphics, great soundtrack, and fun progression.”
“The actual gameplay isn't fun, the art style isn't appealing, it's very short.”
“There's nothing special about the graphics or gameplay, and there is no incredibly smart idea that justifies the price.”
“This is the first time I've ever been motion sick looking at a video game, and that was after I made all the graphics as simple as possible.”
- grinding49 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While many appreciate the game's pacing and engaging progression, some note that the endgame can become tedious and grindy, particularly during the final hour or after reaching higher prestige levels. However, most agree that the grinding is manageable and does not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Nice aesthetic style, great sound effects, not too long and not too grindy either.”
“Its smooth, not too grindy.”
“Fun little incremental game, satisfying, not grindy.”
“Finished the game in just under 3 hours, however the final hour where you're just grinding for boss points and more money isn't very fun to me.”
“Prestige 25 is the highest you can get, making your only option to either completely start a new game from scratch, or keep farming resources you literally cannot spend anymore.”
“2 hours of fun grinding and 1 hour of boring grinding.”
- replayability28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 39 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is generally regarded as enjoyable and worth the low price, but it suffers from a significant lack of replayability. Many players express a desire for additional content, upgrades, or modes that would encourage multiple playthroughs, as the game typically offers only a few hours of gameplay without meaningful incentives to return. While it provides a satisfying experience initially, the absence of replay value leaves many feeling that it could benefit from future updates to enhance its longevity.
“Super fun game with some replay value if you like blowing up shapes.”
“I would have liked more upgrades or different paths to allow more replayability, but those aren't really detractors from a game this inexpensive.”
“An enjoyable, relaxing game that reminded me of a classic flash game in terms of its length, difficulty, and replayability.”
“Just no replay value.”
“In my opinion, this game should be free; it's not worth any money for a couple of hours of play with no replayability at all.”
“While it's a great little 'shut your brain off' dopamine-farming time-killer, it doesn't offer any replayability, making you feel like you wasted $3.17 (after tax).”
- story24 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as minimal and lacking depth, with players expressing a desire for more narrative elements to enhance the experience. While some appreciate the ambient storytelling and find the existing narrative satisfying enough, many reviewers believe that additional storytelling could significantly improve the game's emotional payoff and replayability. Overall, the potential for a richer story is recognized, but the current execution leaves room for improvement.
“It doesn't have to be in-depth, but something like the story of Superhot would do well in this game, and it would give the final moments of the game a bigger payoff, as it did feel a bit lackluster right now.”
“Overall, 8.5/10, even the little bit of story the game has is kind of neat.”
“I love the ambient storytelling; the completion of my first full run felt satisfying and solid.”
“Firstly, I would love a little more storytelling in the game.”
“Perhaps there could be a new game+, or a mega prestige that after you release the virus it unlocks a new part of a bigger story... there's so much potential with this game.”
“I would love to see a sequel to this that's a little more story-driven and gave more choices than just 'this is the cheapest next upgrade.'”
- optimization10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with smooth performance and low resource usage on older hardware. However, some users noted issues with drop spawning and idle gameplay that could benefit from further optimization, particularly for AFK scenarios. Future updates are anticipated to address these concerns, including potential improvements for platforms like the Steam Deck.
“The game runs smoothly and is beautifully stylized.”
“I tend to enjoy them for the optimization of upgrades and trying to minimize the hours spent waiting.”
“Very optimized, low CPU & GPU use on a 6-year-old PC, only too much resources on the ground lower performance.”
“Looking forward to future updates; it needs work on some things like a pause menu and heavily needs optimization for the idle style it becomes at the end.”
“Slightly bad optimization that only really happens if you go entirely AFK, which is not the point.”
“Only hope would be Steam Deck optimization.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it entertaining enough to provide hours of enjoyment and laughter. Many users discovered the game through YouTube content creators, highlighting its comedic appeal despite limited gameplay options. Overall, it is recommended as a lighthearted experience perfect for a casual gaming session.
“Damn, I need updates and more content! 11/10, it was very funny and helped me shut my brain off for 4 hours.”
“However, I absolutely loved this game! I saw it played by Dangerously Funny on YouTube and just had to get it. 100% recommend.”
“Nice little funny game for one evening.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for additional content or a sequel, indicating that the current monetization strategy may not fully satisfy their expectations for ongoing engagement and value.
