Smelter

About

Smelter is a single-player fantasy platformer game with stunning game mechanics, graphics, and stellar music. As Eve, you explore a dangerous world with your living suit of armor, Smelter, in a quest to find Adam. Alternate between top-down strategy levels and side-scrolling platforming action, unlock and upgrade elemental skills, and defeat bosses in the Boss Rush Mode.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+10

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 206 reviews

gameplay37 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The art and music are outstanding, creating a memorable atmosphere.
The platforming gameplay is challenging yet rewarding, with well-designed levels and unique abilities.
The combination of action and strategy elements offers a refreshing twist, keeping the gameplay varied and engaging.

The tutorial is overly long and intrusive, hindering the initial gameplay experience.
Controls can feel clunky and unresponsive at times, leading to frustrating moments during platforming sections.
The RTS elements are simplistic and repetitive, lacking depth compared to the more engaging platforming segments.

gameplay
117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
65%
3%
The gameplay of the game combines action platforming reminiscent of Mega Man X with real-time strategy elements, creating a unique experience that some players find enjoyable while others criticize for its complexity and tutorial overload. While the platforming mechanics and level design are generally praised for their challenge and creativity, the strategy components are seen as underdeveloped and tedious, leading to mixed feelings about the overall gameplay experience. Despite these issues, many players appreciate the integration of different gameplay modes and the nostalgic feel of the mechanics.
- “The gameplay is properly challenging and the art is good, and there's a good amount of content for the price.”
- “The gameplay regarding the platformer is absolutely amazing!”
- “You fuel your empire and your empire fuels you, and this cycle between the two gameplay types is very satisfying.”
- “Unfortunately, the game has a ton of very specific mechanics that all claim to interact with each other, and in the time I spent playing, about 2 hours of it was mind-numbing amounts of tutorials and game entry backstory.”
- “Aggravating enemies that have way too much health, sluggish player movement, lead-heavy jumping, and inputs that cross over mechanics that actually clash with each other (parry bullets with the same button that causes you to dart towards the ground while in midair) all add up to make this game a controller-smasher in the making.”
- “The thing about Smelter is that it's a really good platformer, but there is a lot of story and tutorial shoved into the experience to support the strategy features, especially the first 2 hours or so it tends to interrupt gameplay a lot - not as much later on.”
story
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
70%
6%
The story of "Smelter" follows Eve and her sentient mask, Smelter, in a post-apocalyptic setting, but it is often criticized for being basic, predictable, and lacking depth. While some players appreciate the charming dialogue and humor, many find the narrative disjointed and the character development lacking, particularly for Eve, who feels more like a silent protagonist overshadowed by Smelter's excessive dialogue. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative, leading to mixed reviews regarding its execution and engagement.
- “The story of the game isn't particularly cohesive, but it's cute and surreal, and it's just strong enough to add to the sense of progress.”
- “The story is good but the tone is even better; it reminds me of animes of the early 2000s with levity and humor to it.”
- “With great music, graphics, and a great story, Smelter combines the platforming and real-time strategy genres with great success.”
- “The story had so much potential, but what you end up with is so basic, lackluster, and predictable that it really turned me off.”
- “This game's story doesn't feel very complete.”
- “The gameplay is further bogged down by that kind of self-awareness that comes when you don't necessarily believe you're making a good game, so you point out all the flaws and plot holes in a sarcastic manner.”
music
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
42%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy, upbeat tracks that evoke a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic SNES games. The soundtrack, composed by Evader, is described as outstanding and diverse, enhancing the gameplay experience and leaving a lasting impression on players. Overall, the music is considered a highlight of the game, with some tracks being strong enough to feature on personal playlists.
- “The music is fantastic, and would easily put some of the songs on my daily playlist.”
- “The soundtrack (courtesy of evader) is absolutely excellent, and it's one of the best I've had the joy of listening to in quite a while.”
- “It genuinely feels like it belongs to a classic SNES game, and there are tons of catchy tunes that are guaranteed to get stuck in your head if you're a fan of that genre (and era) of music.”
- “I will probably keep playing it after this review to give it more of a fair shot, but you won't get a refund after 2 hours of constant tutorials and little meat, even if I'm alright with the story/writing and love the music.”
- “This game has awesome style and music and ideas but the platforming feels bad.”
- “The music, most of the graphics, most of the physics, the power unlocking, and especially the strategy/sim mode, are extremely well done.”
graphics
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
29%
7%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their retro, cutesy style that evokes nostalgia for the SNES and GBA eras, with many reviewers praising the outstanding pixel art and animation quality. The visuals are described as inspired and beautifully drawn, complementing the game's engaging music and overall design. Overall, the aesthetic presentation is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
- “Absolutely outstanding OST and retro visuals!”
- “The proceedings feel confident, original and polished, with gorgeous graphics and an outstanding soundtrack that calls to mind the likes of Mega Man X4 for its action stages.”
- “The graphics and the style are extremely inspired and amazingly drawn.”
- “The music, most of the graphics, most of the physics, the power unlocking, and especially the strategy/sim mode, are extremely well done.”
- “The quality of aesthetics and gameplay really brings me back to the days when these types of games were the bread and butter of companies like Nintendo, just pumping out hit after hit on handhelds.”
humor
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94%
6%
The humor in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its tongue-in-cheek dialogue and meta-humor, while others find it unfunny and overly reliant on predictable story elements. While some enjoy the levity reminiscent of early 2000s anime, others feel that the attempts at humor detract from the overall experience, suggesting that the dialogue could be skippable. Overall, the humor is seen as a charming aspect for some, but a significant drawback for others.
- “The game has a sense of humor.”
- “It's a challenging but fun platformer with an amusing sense of humor.”
- “The dialogue is very tongue-in-cheek, packed with meta-humor and the NPCs are woven into the gameplay loop.”
- “The strategy element (which badly imitates ActRaiser) is also bad, with most of the gameplay bogged down by unfunny story dialogue written by at least one person who is very, very impressed with their wit.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly in the city management component, which initially seems engaging but quickly becomes monotonous. This contrasts with the traditional challenge of the Mega Man X series, which is noted for its difficulty without the added burden of tedium.
- “The city management started off interesting but very quickly became tedious and annoying.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is inconsistent, with character attacks sometimes causing freezing issues that vary in duration and severity. Players have reported frequent bugs that further detract from the overall experience.
- “Attacking freezes your character in place for the entirety of the animation, but not always, and not always to the same degree.”
- “Not to mention buggy!”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The character development in *Smelter* is praised for its well-balanced design, striking a perfect harmony between being visually appealing and not overly complex. Reviewers appreciate the unique flair reminiscent of *Kill la Kill*, contributing to the game's engaging aesthetic without detracting from gameplay.
- “The character design was A+, it wasn't too extra and it wasn't too barebones.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its immersive qualities that complement the engaging platforming mechanics.
- “Great platforming and atmosphere!”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The game has limited replayability, but it compensates with a variety of collectibles and optional challenges that can keep action-platformer fans engaged for an extended period.
- “The game offers a wealth of collectibles and optional challenges, providing enough content to keep action-platformer fans engaged for a significant amount of time.”
- “With numerous collectibles and optional challenges, the game ensures that players have plenty to explore, enhancing its overall replayability.”
- “While the core gameplay may not have high replayability, the abundance of collectibles and challenges offers a satisfying experience for players looking to dive deeper.”
- “There's not much in terms of replayability, but it does offer a lot in terms of collectibles and optional challenges, so it should keep the average action-platformer fan satisfied for quite a while.”