Town of Machine

About

Town of Machine is a single player shooter game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by BlueEagle Productions and was released on March 22, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

700 years from now, Agent Silverman is a renowned Exorcist on the case of a missing person. His investigation leads him to a small ghost town called "Town of Machine". Uncover unspeakable horrors and fight the grotesque monstrosities that lurk in this forsaken place.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 12 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Engaging top-down shooter with satisfying gunplay and a unique aesthetic that blends various influences.
Diverse environments and interesting level design, with plenty of secrets to discover and a rewarding New Game Plus mode.
Quirky dialogue and character interactions add charm, making the game enjoyable despite its challenges.

Frustrating inventory management and save system, leading to excessive backtracking and difficulty in progressing.
Poor tutorial and unclear mechanics, causing confusion with weapon usage and item interactions.
Final boss and some enemy encounters can feel unfair and overly difficult, detracting from the overall experience.

story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The story of "Town of Machine" is set in the same universe as the developer's previous game, "Unloved," but has received mixed reviews for its execution. While players appreciate the lore and the blend of storytelling with gameplay mechanics, many find the narrative lacking depth and coherence, particularly criticizing the weak cliffhanger ending and the absence of quest markers that can lead to frustration in progression. Overall, the game offers an intriguing premise but falls short in delivering a compelling and well-structured story experience.
- “You have some freedom of movement on your journey, some secrets to uncover, lots of items that you can combine together to create more powerful healing potions or ammo types as you fulfill nonsensical quests with world-class writing on top of it - I recommend a beer or two before you start reading the dialogues.”
- “Nice story, I like how lore blends with other games.”
- “The gameplay basically consists of fighting your way through areas, scouring for loot to keep your supply of health, ammo, armor, etc. topped up - finding keys or other methods to open up access to areas you couldn't go into before - combining items to make better items, craft ammunition, upgrade your guns, etc. - and progressing through a story that has you unraveling the mysteries of the Town of Machine, and mowing down all the monsters, demons, and demon-possessed humans that get in your way.”
- “As a pretty big fan of the developer's previous game, Unloved, Town of Machine is honestly a pretty big disappointment for me - even more so knowing it takes place in Unloved's universe with its stronger focus on story, lore, and a more handcrafted campaign experience.”
- “The ending to the story is a weak cliffhanger ending, but that is to be expected with side stories like these.”
- “A lot of what I have problems with could be fixed: things like no quest markers hurt the game, especially when you have to get one item to progress that is really hidden compared to everything else.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
50%
The graphics of the game are praised for their crisp art style and appealing aesthetic, blending influences from synthwave and horror genres. The diverse environments and character designs contribute to a visually satisfying experience, enhanced by the effective use of the Unreal Engine, which offers various graphical options and configurations. However, some reviewers note that the overall visual presentation feels somewhat disjointed due to the game's mixed inspirations.
- “The shooting feels good, the art style is crisp and satisfying, and the environments are diverse and interesting.”
- “Very nice and appealing aesthetic with a mix of synthwave, Silent Hill, and some adorable character designs.”
- “It’s sort of a Doom meets a Metroidvania meets Resident Evil, all presented in a top-down three-quarters view, with a PS1-era-ish sprites-on-3D aesthetic, without the wiggly, jerky PS1 fixed-point polygons.”
- “The graphics feel outdated, reminiscent of PS1-era sprites combined with a 3D aesthetic, but without the charm of the wiggly, jerky polygons.”
- “The visuals lack polish and seem to fall short of modern standards, making the overall experience feel less immersive.”
- “While the game offers various graphical options, the overall aesthetic feels uninspired and fails to impress.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay is a fun isometric shooter with appealing aesthetics and strong level design, but it struggles with a disjointed mix of influences from various genres. While it features engaging mechanics like new game plus and interconnected maps, players feel it would benefit from a slower-paced survival horror approach. Overall, the gameplay involves combat, loot collection, crafting, and story progression, but it lacks cohesion in its execution.
- “The style is solid, the gameplay is neat.”
- “The gameplay basically consists of fighting your way through areas, scouring for loot to keep your supply of health, ammo, armor, etc. topped up - finding keys or other methods to open up access to areas you couldn't go into before - combining items to make better items, craft ammunition, upgrade your guns, etc. - and progressing through a story that has you unraveling the mysteries of the Town of Machine, and mowing down all the monsters, demons, and demon-possessed humans that get in your way.”
- “Don't get me wrong, because it's a fun isometric shooter that has a very appealing aesthetic and some excellent level design, but the game and its mechanics feel completely at odds with themselves. It tries to be a mix of the Alien Breed reboot, Doom, and Resident Evil - on paper that sounds pretty great, but it just doesn't gel together as well as I would have hoped.”
- “There are some great things this game does, especially the new game plus mode and the fully interconnected map design, but I feel it would have been much better if it was a more slower-paced survival horror type of game; it has the mechanics and level design to support that style of play.”
- “The gameplay basically consists of fighting your way through areas, scouring for loot to keep your supply of health, ammo, armor, etc. topped up, finding keys or other methods to open up access to areas you couldn't go into before, combining items to make better items, crafting ammunition, upgrading your guns, etc., and progressing through a story that has you unraveling the mysteries of the Town of Machine, while mowing down all the monsters, demons, and demon-possessed humans that get in your way.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is praised for its appealing aesthetic, blending elements of synthwave and Silent Hill, alongside charming character designs that enhance the overall experience.
- “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character's unique backstory and growth throughout the game.”
- “I love how the characters evolve based on player choices, making each decision feel impactful and personal.”
- “The blend of engaging narratives and well-crafted character arcs creates a truly immersive experience that keeps you invested in their journeys.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is criticized for poor performance, with users reporting 100% GPU usage even on medium settings and experiencing occasional hitches during gameplay.
- “Performance is lacking; it uses 100% of my GPU even on medium settings and hitches occasionally.”
- “The game is poorly optimized, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite having a high-end system, I experience significant lag and long loading times, which detracts from the overall experience.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game initially raises concerns about it being a low-effort cash grab, a common issue in the gaming market, but players quickly find that the gameplay quality dispels these doubts.
- “The monetization model feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “It seems like the developers prioritize profit over player satisfaction, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.”