The Mobius Machine
- March 1, 2024
- Madruga Works
- 15h median play time
The Mobius Machine is a fine Metroidvania with an emphasis on sci-fi shooting, but its map issues and weak upgrades drag it down.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"The Mobius Machine" is a 2D adventure game with 3D visuals, set in a vast alien world filled with hostile creatures and machines. Explore the open world of Isolaria moon, discovering its breathtaking environments through land, underwater and skies. Combat various enemies, acquire new weapons, and evolve your character to defeat epic bosses and uncover the game's mysteries.
PC
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features beautiful 2.5D graphics and a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in an alien world.
- Exploration is rewarding, with a sprawling map that encourages players to uncover secrets and collect upgrades.
- The combat is fun and challenging, with a variety of weapons and abilities that enhance gameplay.
- The map design can be confusing and overwhelming, leading to excessive backtracking and aimless wandering.
- Enemy variety is limited, with many enemies feeling like reskins of each other, which can make combat repetitive.
- The lack of fast travel options and long runbacks to bosses can be frustrating, detracting from the overall experience.
- graphics62 mentions
- 79 % positive mentions
- 16 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beauty and artistic style, with many praising the smooth animations and atmospheric design that enhances the overall experience. However, some reviewers noted a lack of variety in environments and repetitive graphical assets, which detracted from the visual appeal over time. Overall, the game is recognized for its impressive visuals that complement its engaging gameplay, despite some criticisms regarding repetitiveness.
“The graphics are beautiful like so many have said and the music is powerful as well, it really gives you a feeling of being all alone on an alien planet, not knowing what is in store for you.... except when you enter a boss room.”
“On the plus side: the game has super smooth animations, beautiful graphics, the game world is really, really large, the controls are very responsive and precise, platforming never got frustrating, there are tons of shortcuts to unlock, secret locations to find, zero performance issues at 4k.”
“Stunning graphics and the musical ambience suits the game brilliantly.”
“While the graphics are technically proficient, they could use more variety between areas.”
“One criticism I have is that some graphical assets are repeated way too many times, which makes some areas look boring.”
“The game was also made with a poorly optimized Unity game engine, and there is only one graphic setting of low to ultra.”
- music41 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as atmospheric and fitting, enhancing the overall experience with a haunting and mysterious quality. While some players appreciate the ambient soundtracks for their ability to set the mood, others find the music to be generic and lacking in variety, with a few noting that it doesn't stand out or elevate the gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a solid complement to the game's visuals, though opinions vary on its memorability and excitement.
“The music is haunting, enhancing the loneliness and mystery.”
“The final piece to this ornate puzzle is the soundtrack - the audio tracks created for each of the sectors align superbly to their visual counterparts and are genuinely enjoyable and never distracting or annoying, along with sound effects that are satisfyingly crunchy - especially when dispatching your foes or interacting with some of the more deadly environmental hazards.”
“Stunning graphics and the musical ambience suits the game brilliantly.”
“The graphics are cool to look at, but after 1.5 hours of the same backgrounds, the same enemies, the very generic music and the not very engaging level design, I decided it wasn't worth it.”
“The soundtrack is also pretty rough, never elevating beyond light synths.”
“Jeesh, in my opinion, terribly generic music, hyper-generic intro cut scene, same platforms copy-pasted 300 times and recolored makes this feel like a generic asset flip game.”
- gameplay38 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a classic metroidvania experience with enjoyable mechanics, a well-designed interconnected world, and a variety of enemy encounters that keep exploration engaging. While the game features polished controls and a visually appealing aesthetic, some players noted that weapon upgrades felt less impactful and certain mechanics could be repetitive. Overall, it offers a solid and fun experience for fans of the genre, though it may not resonate with those who prefer more traditional gameplay elements.
“Classic metroidvania in space, highly enjoyable gameplay, hard enough to keep it interesting, nicely balanced.”
“The world/level design is top of the class and just superbly adjusted to the abilities you unlock, and while the abilities you get are not out-of-this-world, some are not your standard metroidvania fare.”
“The biomes, game mechanics, new abilities, different 'tumor' types, and various weapons add a lot of diversity that makes every corner you delve into interesting.”
“It felt like the weapon upgrades didn't have much impact on the gameplay.”
“The traversal mechanics are a little disappointing.”
“Environments and gameplay are very samey/repetitive, but it's a massive map to explore and I had a lot of fun doing that.”
- story20 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its minimal presence and lack of depth. While some appreciated the light and functional narrative, others criticized it for being almost nonexistent, feeling that it detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as more focused on gameplay mechanics than storytelling, leaving players wanting more narrative engagement.
“There is a nice little story, also lighter than your usual 'Metroid' or 'Castlevania'.”
“They did a great job with the aesthetics and I'm interested in seeing how the story pans out.”
“The story was mostly perfunctory but still functional enough to establish the premise.”
“This translates into a feeling that you're drifting aimlessly a bit and mapping out a game, rather than exploring a story.”
“On the neutral side: there’s almost no story.”
“There is the absolute minimum of story and narrative in this game.”
- grinding15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- -13 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
Players consistently find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, with many citing slow traversal, uninspired combat, and a lack of fast travel options as major contributors to the frustration. The need to farm resources and backtrack through largely featureless environments detracts from the enjoyment of exploration, making the overall experience feel like a chore rather than an engaging adventure. While the game has its fun moments, the grinding elements significantly hinder its appeal.
“Grinding in this game feels rewarding, as each effort brings you closer to unlocking powerful upgrades.”
“The grind is balanced perfectly, making each session feel productive and engaging.”
“I appreciate how the grinding mechanics encourage exploration and strategy, rather than just mindless repetition.”
“Unfortunately, this seems to require farming - in my playthrough, I killed almost every enemy I came across and found quite a few of the secret areas, but after scouring the map, I still had 134 credits to go before I could buy the last upgrade.”
“Fun game, definitely more on the platformer side than anything else, its biggest flaw is that it does not have enough fast travel points, forcing you to go through basically all the levels to grab missed upgrades, which makes it tedious and very repetitive.”
“All the fun of exploration is sucked dry by widely spaced save points, tedious endless combat, cheap contact hits with 0 i-frames, stingy power-ups, and general banality.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 93 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, reminiscent of classic titles like Metroid, with a blend of deep space visuals, engaging music, and a unique art style that balances cuteness with grotesque elements. Players appreciate the atmospheric soundtrack, which enhances the feeling of loneliness and exploration, although some feel it could benefit from more variety. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's enjoyment despite some critiques regarding combat impact.
“It's very fun and has the same atmosphere as Metroid, being lost on an alien planet, if that's something you're looking for.”
“The music, the atmosphere, and the art are top notch; the bosses were challenging but not too difficult, and there are some fun mechanics in the game.”
“I love the unique presentation with a cute character but also grotesque monsters and atmospheric music.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it features beautiful graphics, smooth animations, and responsive controls, many users report that it is poorly optimized, particularly due to its reliance on the Unity engine. Despite these issues, players have noted that it runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck and performs flawlessly at 4K resolution. Overall, the optimization experience varies significantly among users.
“The game has super smooth animations, beautiful graphics, the game world is really, really large, the controls are very responsive and precise, platforming never got frustrating, there are tons of shortcuts to unlock, secret locations to find, and zero performance issues at 4K.”
“Performance - runs great on Steam Deck.”
“Smooth performance, gorgeous graphics, and great controller response.”
“Another issue I had is that this game is poorly optimized.”
“The game was also made with a poorly optimized Unity game engine and there is only one graphic setting of low to ultra.”
“The game is not optimized.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a well-balanced blend of humor and seriousness, highlighted by a funny hero and amusing animations, particularly the comical reactions of flying squid when encountered. Players appreciate the smooth graphics and deep space atmosphere that enhance the overall comedic experience.
“A good balance of humor and seriousness.”
“The expression that you get from these flying squids after blasting one from nearby, as it realizes you are there and floats its way over to you, is hilarious. The fluidity of movement in the creatures is one of the most thorough pieces of animation I've ever seen.”
“Gorgeous and smooth graphics, deep space atmosphere, funny hero.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a high level of stability, noting smooth controls and a polished art and sound design without any bugs or glitches. The game performs particularly well on the Steam Deck, enhancing the overall experience.
“The performance is outstanding; it runs great on the Steam Deck.”
“The game maintains a stable frame rate, providing a smooth experience.”
“I've experienced no crashes or bugs, which really enhances the overall stability.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the overall experience.”
“There are numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay, leading to frustrating moments.”
