Survival Machine

About

Survival Machine is a multiplayer casual action adventure game. It was developed by Grape Pickers and was released on May 7, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Survival Machine is a 4-player co-op third-person adventure where you explore vibrant, ever-changing landscapes aboard a colossal moving fortress. Gather resources, craft upgrades, and build structures to survive while overcoming platforming challenges, combat arenas, and hidden secrets. Play solo or with friends to uncover mysteries and navigate diverse biomes.

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 204 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game has a unique concept of a moving base, which adds a fresh twist to the survival genre.
Exploration and resource gathering are enjoyable, with a good balance of challenges and rewards.
The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, showing commitment to improving the game.

The combat mechanics feel clunky and unbalanced, making encounters with zombies frustrating.
The game can become repetitive quickly, with limited content and a lack of meaningful progression.
Multiplayer functionality has issues, including connection problems and bugs that hinder the experience.

gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
61%
9%
The gameplay offers a large, explorable map and a unique survival mechanic centered around a giant machine, providing a mix of crafting, combat, and exploration. However, many players find the core gameplay loop becomes repetitive and simplistic after a short period, despite the initial charm and variety in playstyles. While the game has engaging elements and potential for fun, it suffers from bugs and awkward mechanics that detract from the overall experience.
- “The map is large and fun to explore, and the gameplay doesn’t feel too repetitive.”
- “I like that you can customize your gameplay to be extremely difficult with zombie waves or super easy if you just want to chill and explore or build.”
- “The gathering, crafting, building gameplay loop is satisfying and familiar while being atop a goliath construction driving through the end of the world.”
- “The concept is great, the first few hours are fun, but after that, the gameplay becomes repetitive and frustrating.”
- “The core gameplay loop gets stale fast.”
- “The forced toggle sprint, the beyond annoying jumping mechanics, and all the platforming you need to do is just not fun and way too annoying to deal with.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The story in the game has been criticized for feeling empty and lacking purpose, with players expressing frustration over the lack of intuitive quests and a compelling narrative. Many found the survival premise unconvincing and the game world uninspiring, while others noted technical issues that detracted from the experience. Overall, the quest design and storytelling elements seem to require significant improvement to enhance player engagement and cohesion.
- “The premise of maintaining a massive vehicle and being on a permanent escort mission can be stressful.”
- “I think the idea is good, but it requires a much larger story and essence to bind the players together.”
- “There are quests specifically designed that progress requires all players to complete before continuing, and zombie attacks are significantly easier with more players, yet still challenging.”
- “The game felt empty and artificial and the quests were not intuitive to me.”
- “There is nothing to build up to; you get basic tools and hit stuff and explore a boring, ugly wasteland with no real story or purpose.”
- “And there’s no real reason in the story for it to even exist.”
optimization
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users noting performance issues, particularly in combat and progression. While some players report a smooth experience, others highlight the need for refinement and frequent hotfixes to address ongoing bugs. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from typical early access optimization challenges.
- “They have also released their roadmap and have been addressing performance and launch issues with frequent hot fixes.”
- “People complain about performance, but it's been pretty smooth sailing for me so far.”
- “So far, I have had 0 performance problems at all; the game runs smoothly and I didn't run into any game-breaking bugs (yet).”
- “Needs refinement, especially in combat, performance, and meaningful progression.”
- “That wouldn’t be a problem if the game were well-optimized, but performance is rough.”
- “Not worth the price, has some performance issues but that's to be expected from a day 1 release.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the low-poly art style and its distinct atmosphere, while others criticize the visuals as lacking depth and being poorly executed. Despite the varied opinions, many agree that the art direction contributes positively to the overall experience, even if it may not appeal to everyone.
- “Nice visuals and great art direction.”
- “Those kind of voxelly, soft color graphics, the chill music, the way the gathering and building works... and that's a good thing, I love Salt 2.”
- “The low-poly art style works brilliantly here — it’s clear, visually appealing, and gives the game a distinct atmosphere despite its post-apocalyptic setting.”
- “Graphics are crappy, and I'm not talking about low poly.”
- “Art style is lame; the only cool thing is the big truck itself.”
- “Visuals are pretty bad.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it can feel tedious at times, it is also integral to the fun and progression. Engaging in activities like farming and battling enhances the enjoyment, and the generous resource requirements, along with the ability to revert to previous saves, help mitigate frustration. Overall, grinding is seen as a necessary part of the gameplay that contributes to the overall experience.
- “Any exploration that you do becomes a frenzied rush to find a blueprint as fast as possible so you can get back to grinding basic resources.”
- “Collecting resources quickly becomes tedious.”
- “I admit, initially I died a lot, but with some grinding and resource gathering I was able to get better and enjoy the nights to the fullest.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's stability is currently a mixed bag; while it is still in a buggy state with occasional glitches, the developers are responsive and actively releasing hotfixes. Overall, it runs well, but players who are sensitive to bugs may want to wait for further updates.
- “Runs great so far.”
- “The game has been incredibly stable, with no crashes or major bugs.”
- “I've experienced smooth gameplay without any interruptions or lag.”
- “But if you're someone who cannot handle occasional bugs, don't get it, as the game is still in a very buggy state.”
- “Does have some bugs and glitches, but what do you expect when it's not even a week old?”
- “On the simple fact that the devs are listening to the community in the Discord and within a few hours there is a hotfix pushed for any glitches or bugs that are found, this game has huge potential to be one of the greatest base builders and survival games out there.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The music in the game is described as forgettable, with one reviewer noting they couldn't recall any of it after several weeks. However, the overall atmosphere, complemented by the chill music and graphics, contributes positively to the experience.
- “Those kind of voxelly, soft color graphics, the chill music, the way the gathering and building works... and that's a good thing, I love Salt 2.”
- “As for the music, I can’t remember any of it, which says enough (played 5/6 weeks ago).”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game offers enjoyable content, certain limitations prevent it from achieving strong long-term replayability.
- “There is a lot to enjoy, but there are a few things that are holding it back from achieving long-term replayability.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play it again.”
- “The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying the game feel redundant.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized as chill and enjoyable, enhanced by a visually appealing low-poly art style that effectively creates a distinct ambiance, even within its post-apocalyptic setting.
- “Chill and enjoyable atmosphere.”
- “The low-poly art style works brilliantly here — it’s clear, visually appealing, and gives the game a distinct atmosphere despite its post-apocalyptic setting.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a bright and carefree tone, setting it apart from similar titles that often lean towards darker themes. Players appreciate the lightheartedness that adds a layer of enjoyment to the overall experience.
- “It stands apart from similar titles with a much brighter, less depressing setting and a layer of carefree humor behind it.”
- “And a sense of humor.”