"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.
The game features beautiful graphics and a unique art style that enhances the overall atmosphere.
Exploration is rewarding, with a large interconnected world that encourages players to uncover secrets and shortcuts.
The controls are responsive and the gameplay mechanics, including the use of various weapons and abilities, are engaging and fun.
The map design can be confusing and overwhelming, leading to excessive backtracking and a lack of clear direction on where to go next.
Combat can feel repetitive and some enemies are considered bullet sponges, making encounters tedious.
There is a lack of variety in enemy design and environments, which can make the gameplay feel monotonous over time.
graphics
124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
19%
2%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beauty and smooth animations, with many praising the unique 2.5D art style and atmospheric design that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some reviewers noted a lack of variety in environments and repetitive graphical assets, which detracted from the overall visual appeal over time. Overall, the visuals are considered one of the standout features of the game, contributing significantly to its immersive atmosphere.
“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.”
music
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The music in the game is generally described as atmospheric and fitting, enhancing the overall experience with a haunting and mysterious quality that complements the visuals. 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 desire for more engaging and memorable compositions. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a solid but not standout element, contributing to the game's immersive atmosphere.
“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.”
gameplay
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
65%
11%
The gameplay is characterized as a classic metroidvania experience set in space, featuring enjoyable mechanics and a well-balanced difficulty that keeps players engaged. While the game boasts polished controls, beautiful visuals, and a variety of enemy types, some players feel that weapon upgrades lack significant impact and that traversal mechanics could be improved. Overall, it offers a dynamic and addictive experience, though it may not appeal to those who do not enjoy the genre.
“Classic metroidvania in space, highly enjoyable gameplay, hard enough to keep it interesting, nicely balanced.”
“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.”
“I think the developers did a fantastic job creating a compelling world and fun gameplay with limited resources, and I can only recommend giving it a shot if it sounds like the kind of thing you might enjoy.”
“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.”
story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
55%
20%
The game's story is generally perceived as minimal and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it feels more like a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a central element. While some appreciate the lighter narrative and intriguing elements, others criticize the absence of a substantial plot, expressing a desire for more context and character development. Overall, the story is described as functional but not engaging, leaving players wanting more.
“There is a nice little story, also lighter than your usual 'troid or 'vania.”
“- intriguing story line”
“They did a great job with the aesthetics and I'm interested in seeing how the story pans out.”
“On the neutral side: there’s almost no story.”
“There is the absolute minimum of story and narrative in this game.”
“The one thing I forgot to mention is that this game has no story.”
grinding
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many expressing frustration over slow traversal, uninspired combat, and a lack of fast travel options. The need to farm resources and backtrack through largely featureless environments detracts from the enjoyment of exploration, making the experience feel like a chore rather than an engaging adventure. Overall, while the game has its fun moments, the grinding elements significantly hinder its appeal.
“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, but its biggest flaw is that it does not have enough fast travel points. Since you can't fast travel between save stations, it forces you to go through basically all the levels to grab missed upgrades when you get a new ability, 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.”
atmosphere
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
7%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, reminiscent of classic titles like Metroid, with a deep space setting that evokes feelings of loneliness and exploration. Players appreciate the combination of gorgeous graphics, atmospheric music, and unique character design, although some note that the soundtrack could benefit from more variety. Overall, the atmosphere is described as engaging and well-crafted, enhancing the overall gaming experience despite some minor criticisms regarding combat impact.
“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.”
“The atmosphere is perfect, and it has all the trappings you could ask for.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it features stunning graphics and smooth performance, particularly on platforms like the Steam Deck, many users report that it suffers from poor optimization issues, largely due to its reliance on the Unity engine. Despite these concerns, players appreciate the responsive controls and the expansive game world, with no significant performance issues at 4K resolution.
“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.”
“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.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a well-executed blend of humor and seriousness, highlighted by a funny hero and amusing animations, particularly the hilarious reactions of flying squid when they notice the player. The graphics enhance this comedic experience, showcasing smooth visuals and fluid creature movements that contribute to the overall charm.
“A good balance of humor and seriousness.”
“The expression that you get from these flying squid after blasting one from nearby as it realizes you are there and floats its way over to you is hilarious, and 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.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, with smooth controls and no reported bugs or glitches. Players have noted that it runs exceptionally well on the Steam Deck, complemented by polished art and sound design.