Plasma

About

Plasma is a single player simulation game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Dry Cactus and was released on September 13, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

"Plasma" is a single-player Simulation game that allows players to build and control their own devices using a visual programming tool. With a focus on creativity and engineering, players can construct robots, factories, game worlds, and more, and share their creations with the community through the Steam Workshop. However, the game's gameplay has received poor reviews, with completion taking around 30 hours.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 741 reviews

graphics10 positive mentions

gameplay22 negative mentions

The game offers endless creativity and allows players to build and program a wide variety of devices and robots.
The visual programming system is intuitive and accessible, making it easy for both beginners and experienced users to create complex projects.
Despite being abandoned by the developers, the game remains fun and engaging, with a strong community and plenty of user-generated content available.

The game has been abandoned by the developers, leading to concerns about its long-term viability and lack of updates.
There is a steep learning curve, which can be overwhelming for new players who are not familiar with programming or engineering concepts.
The game lacks a clear progression system or objectives, which may lead to boredom for some players after the initial excitement.

gameplay
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
51%
30%
The gameplay of this title is primarily sandbox-oriented, offering extensive building and programming mechanics reminiscent of games like Scrap Mechanic and Trailmakers, but with greater depth and customization options. While the game excels in technical innovation and creative freedom, it lacks a structured progression system and can be daunting for newcomers due to its complexity. Overall, it appeals to players who enjoy mechanical engineering and coding, though some may find the learning curve steep and the absence of guided content a drawback.
- “It's amazing, the devs put a lot of work into perfecting all the mechanics and overall feel of the game.”
- “Excellent sandbox game with cool and unique building and programming mechanics.”
- “The building mechanics are intuitive and have a lot of freedom; the Lua and sketch programming is great, and the articulation bodies instead of rigid bodies (no joint wobble) are awesome!”
- “There is no real purpose of the game and it's not easy to get going like Scrap Mechanic.”
- “You have a lack of documentation for some things; it's a very unguided game if you're not using the internet, which makes a lot of knowledge and things to learn based on how many hours you have. Like, I have 50 hours in the game and I still haven't dug deep enough to be entirely efficient with certain things (like programming and certain mechanical features).”
- “It's a literal sandbox with no other gameplay loop that I can find in my first experience.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
44%
13%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their appealing aesthetic, described as cute, bright, and polished, which enhances the overall experience. However, some users note issues with optimization, leading to performance problems even on lower settings, and express a desire for better compatibility with various hardware. While the visuals are a strong point, they emphasize that impressive graphics alone are not enough to compensate for gameplay shortcomings.
- “The graphics in this game are really quite good, which at least makes the game look more appealing.”
- “I love the design aesthetic of this game - everything is cute, bright, and neat, so even when your own creations are kind of ugly, it is still an amazing experience to see them come to life within this world.”
- “A game with very nice graphics that stimulates your creativity to an impressive degree.”
- “My only complaints are that it has been abandoned by the devs and that the playful graphic style doesn't really match its technical nature.”
- “Lastly, the bad optimization of the game doesn't help at all; none of these cute and simple looking graphics are easy on your computer.”
- “Performance was quite poor in the tutorial level, with framerates struggling even on the lowest graphics, but outside of that it's been alright.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many users noting that it lacks a traditional narrative or campaign. While some find the tutorial engaging and reminiscent of a story, others express a desire for more structured challenges or a narrative to enhance motivation and creativity. Overall, the consensus is that the game would benefit from a more defined storyline or missions to enrich the experience.
- “This game is great and the story it went through to eventually be this abandoned software with so much untouched potential is the saddest thing since KSP2 getting the same treatment. Still fun as hell to play though.”
- “I hope to see the developers look at games like Scrap Mechanic and give the player motivation by adding some sort of story or fun open-ended challenges in the future.”
- “Sure, it doesn't have an 80-hour long storyline with an absurd amount of fetch quests, but you also get the same feeling of playing for what feels like a few minutes only to realize it's already 4 AM, and the gratification of making something in-game that finally works is probably better than any Steam achievement you ever unlocked.”
- “It would be cool if there were more prebuilt devices and story in the default game.”
- “There are community-made games you can get off the Steam Workshop, but there's no campaign or official missions or that sort of thing.”
- “Sure, it doesn't have an 80-hour long storyline with an absurd amount of fetch quests, but you also get the same feeling of playing for what feels like a few minutes only to realize it's already 4 AM.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
34%
44%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, particularly for users on minimum specs, with reports of poor GPU performance, long load times, and stability issues. Additionally, the lack of a native Linux port exacerbates performance problems when using Proton. While the gameplay experience itself is generally smooth, the overall optimization leaves much to be desired, impacting the game's ability to handle complex mechanics effectively.
- “Game performance is quite good.”
- “As cool as this game is, due to the lack of funding the developers have abandoned this game in an unfinished and poorly optimized state.”
- “Lastly, the bad optimization of the game doesn't help at all; none of these cute and simple looking graphics are easy on your computer.”
- “I can't believe how the game is supposed to run extremely complex machines with this kind of optimization.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
83%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players find it enjoyable and feature-complete, they report frequent bugs and crashes that can disrupt gameplay. Some users, particularly younger players, may require troubleshooting assistance, indicating that the game is still in development and has room for improvement. Overall, it shows potential but currently suffers from stability issues.
- “It's a very good game, almost no glitches!”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or major issues.”
- “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it enhances the overall experience.”
- “The game is super buggy.”
- “It is very feature complete, but the building workflow leaves a lot to be desired and is a bit buggy at times.”
- “Good game, still a bit buggy and a lot of crashes, but it's early in development and has a lot of potential.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Players consistently express that the grinding required in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it feels like a second job or life is necessary to keep up with the demands.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized as a cash grab, with users advising against spending money on it. However, the advertising is deemed accurate, showcasing the game's potential for creating various devices and projects.
- “There are no microtransactions, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.”
- “I appreciate that the game doesn't rely on microtransactions to progress.”
- “The absence of microtransactions allows for a fair and balanced gameplay experience.”
- “The game is obviously just meant to be a cash grab, so don't waste your money.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game deeply impactful, often describing it as heart-wrenching and moving. The narrative and character connections evoke strong feelings, with some moments prompting tears and a profound sense of attachment. Overall, the emotional depth is highly praised, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “And it's almost heartbreaking to even think about how it is leaving.”
- “With a beautiful message that made me cry.”
- “Looked at the code in the spider thing that follows you and I cried... 5 stars!”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users generally find the humor in the game to be effective and enjoyable, contributing positively to the overall experience.
- “It's really good and it's funny.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is described as eerie and minimal, creating a sense of unease that can make players feel isolated. However, some users suggest that adding calming background music could enhance the overall experience.
- “Scary, it is so quiet I often think I am not alone. Please add calming music to the background.”