Steam Marines

About

Steam Marines is a single player tactical role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by WorthlessBums and was released on September 24, 2014. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Steam Marines" is a turn-based tactical game where players control a squad of steampunk marines fighting through procedurally generated ships filled with enemies. With a variety of weapons, items, and upgrades, players must strategize and adapt to survive each encounter. The game features permadeath, adding a layer of tension and challenge to every decision.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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50%

Audience ScoreBased on 274 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

music4 negative mentions

Steam Marines offers a challenging and engaging tactical experience, requiring players to think strategically about their moves and positioning.
The game features a unique blend of roguelike elements and squad-based mechanics, providing a fresh take on the genre.
The pixel art style and atmospheric sound design contribute to an immersive experience, enhancing the overall gameplay.

The user interface can be clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for players to manage their squad effectively.
The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and bugs, particularly on Windows 10, which can hinder the overall experience.
The difficulty curve is steep, with some players finding the game overly punishing, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.

gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
72%
11%
The gameplay of this indie title has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it slow, clunky, and lacking clarity in mechanics and UI. While some appreciate the tactical elements and potential for strategic depth, others criticize the repetitive nature and poor execution of core gameplay features, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game shows promise but requires significant refinement to enhance player engagement and enjoyment.
- “The gameplay itself can be surprisingly satisfying.”
- “Discovery and the simple mechanics of the game are what shine brightest.”
- “The difficulty is punishing, but like most games in this genre, mastering the mechanics is a rewarding experience.”
- “The gameplay feels far too one-dimensional for a turn-based rogue-like title.”
- “The actual game mechanics are centered around counting tiles your enemies will move next turn, staying out of their way and guarding to shoot them when they advance.”
- “Many of the poor gameplay elements, admitted to by the dev, were supposed to be changed before launch.”
graphics
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
56%
18%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the retro 8-bit pixel art style and its aesthetic charm, while others criticize the visuals for being confusing and lacking clarity, leading to gameplay issues. Many note that the graphics are below average, with glitches and alignment problems detracting from the overall experience. Overall, while the art style has its fans, it is often described as unpolished and in need of improvement.
- “The aesthetics are okay - the amount of detail in the characters and background is decent.”
- “Nice pixel-art style graphics and a well-chosen score set the mood for this broody journey through a spaceship taken over by killer robots!”
- “It's got lovely pixel graphics and a very appropriate sense of gallows humor, but more importantly, it's a textbook example of classic turn-based design, applying the very best lessons from Sid Meier, to a small but very clever roguelike.”
- “This is a below average indie game, nothing special about it, no great music, no good visuals, no enjoyable gameplay, nothing unique.”
- “Graphics don't lend themselves towards differentiating items and terrain.”
- “Total shit graphics, I can't even see what my units are doing.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
58%
24%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players finding it below average and repetitive, often opting to mute it in favor of their own playlists. While some appreciate the minimalistic and ambient tracks that enhance the survival experience, others criticize the lack of variety and instances where the music stops entirely. Overall, the soundtrack fails to leave a lasting impression, contributing to an overall sense of mediocrity in the game's audio design.
- “I still hum the soundtrack every time I think of this game.”
- “The game is accompanied by minimalistic/ambient music that adds to the survival/isolation experience.”
- “It has aliens and sci-fi horrors, and you'll feel trapped with great music and nice gameplay. What else is there to ask?”
- “These are wholeheartedly terrible.”
- “Often times the music stops working entirely, leaving you in silence, listening to the 8-bit 'pew-pew' noises of your guns.”
- “There is no music, there is no variety; the tutorial in no way prepares you for the amount of missing information you'll find in the game.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous game-breaking bugs, glitches, and control issues that significantly hinder gameplay. While some minor graphical and sound glitches are noted, the overall experience is marred by frequent crashes and unresponsive controls, leading to frustration among players. Despite being in beta, many feel the game is not yet stable enough for a full release.
- “Though Steam Marines was always a buggy mess not worth investing in.”
- “That's exactly what he did, leaving tons of game-breaking bugs and glitches.”
- “After the release, the game still features numerous bugs, glitches, and even crashes.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding the story aspect, with some players noting a lack of a substantial narrative and uninteresting bosses, while others appreciate the intriguing backstory and world-building. Although the story is often described as minimal or unclear, many find the gameplay engaging enough to overshadow these shortcomings. Overall, the game seems to cater more to gameplay than to a rich narrative experience.
- “Interesting backstory and world.”
- “Try halfway, it’s very similar but seems to have dropped the complete randomness for a better storyline and a much more enjoyable play.”
- “If you are looking for story, it seems that's all you're getting, but the gameplay is so engrossing you'll forget that pretty quickly!”
- “There is no story at all.”
- “Story is virtually non-existent, and the bosses aren't very interesting, either.”
- “Unclear missions.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game is praised for its immersive and dark atmosphere, effectively utilizing audio and pixel art to enhance tension and evoke a sense of dread reminiscent of classic titles. Reviewers note that it successfully captures the essence of a derelict spaceship setting, making it a compelling experience for fans of atmospheric strategy roguelikes.
- “Overall, the game is very atmospheric.”
- “It is a dark, atmosphere-filled strategy roguelike that works very well, taking in a lot of inspiration from classic games.”
- “The audio adds to the atmosphere with dark, slow, and eerie effects that remind you of X-COM.”
- “It creates an opposing atmosphere and builds the tension very well.”
- “It is a dark, atmospheric strategy roguelike that works well, taking a lot of inspiration from classic games.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its quirky humor, featuring odd collectibles and a blend of gallows humor that enhances its challenging gameplay. Reviewers highlight its funny elements and clever design, making it an engaging and replayable experience, particularly in short gaming sessions. Overall, the humor complements the game's steampunk aesthetic and tactical depth.
- “Awesome little rogue-like steampunk with a kick of humor.”
- “The result is an at times funny, challenging, thrilling, and replayable team-based tactics game that is perfect for short gaming sessions.”
- “It's got lovely pixel graphics and a very appropriate sense of gallows humor, but more importantly, it's a textbook example of classic turn-based design, applying the very best lessons from Sid Meier to a small but very clever roguelike.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Replayability in this game is a mixed bag; while some players enjoy the endless possibilities offered by procedurally-generated levels and the freedom to explore and destroy, others find the lack of variety in items, characters, and enemies leads to boredom after a few playthroughs. Overall, the game's design allows for engaging short sessions and encourages players to refine their strategies, contributing to a generally positive replayability experience.
- “The procedurally-generated levels, combined with the ability to completely demolish walls and carve out your own path, gives this game a great deal of replayability.”
- “Randomly generated levels provide endless replayability to perfect and level up your squad.”
- “Even after only a couple of playthroughs, you will probably be bored of the repetition. The lack of item, character, and enemy variety further impairs replayability.”
- “Already spent multiple hours in the game thanks to randomness and replayability possibilities.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unengaging, characterized by a monotonous progression through levels and a lack of meaningful challenges. Despite the lengthy playtime, many felt that it did not involve traditional grinding, as the experience was more about waiting for enemies rather than actively engaging in combat or leveling up.
- “It's neither of these, and just a boring slog through levels, tediously opening up rooms and waiting for enemies to come to you.”
- “It took me over 20 hours to beat the game on normal, and none of those hours were from grinding or wasting my time.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy has been criticized as resembling a cash grab, with users expressing skepticism about the developers' focus on advertising rather than delivering value.
- “Looks like another Kickstarter cash grab to me.”
- “Good job with the advertising, devs.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game's optimization has seen ongoing improvements from the developers, enhancing performance and adding new animations. However, players who take a cautious approach may find themselves receiving negative scores despite successfully completing levels, indicating a potential imbalance in the scoring system.
- “The developers continue to enhance performance, making the game better with new features and animations.”
- “At the end of every level, you're rated on your performance, and if you're a careful player like me, you'll likely end with a negative score even if all your marines survived the level.”
- “At the end of every level, you're rated on your performance, and if you're a careful player like me, you'll most likely end with a negative score even if all your marines survived the level.”
- “The optimization in this game is lacking, leading to frustrating performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the optimization problems make it difficult to enjoy, as frequent lag and crashes disrupt gameplay.”