REVIEW - Manic Mechanics offers unhinged co-op action with predictably feisty interactions
Plenty of AngerFun.
By Jonathan Garrett
11/03/24
Reviewed on Xbox Series X.
Review copy provided by 4J Studios.
Manic Mechanics takes the fixed camera chaos of Overcooked and spices up said formula with enough tweaks to more than justify taking a look. Barking orders for spare parts and avoiding various escalating hazards are to be expected, but the unique inputs for prepping each component and the gradual drip feed of new challenges elevate it further.
If anything, 4J Studios are asking quite a bit more from you than perhaps the initial levels imply. Once you start having to consider rotation bays and combining elements to output unique items, it becomes trickier to secure that coveted three cog rating. In playtesting the co-op with my step daughter, some of our favourite moments came from the lightbulb realisations that occur when flapping around mid match; throwing items over hazards, and stocking up pre-made items off the conveyor belt, were things she took great delight in discovering organically.
It has a whimsy not unlike an old school Rare game, with the acerbic wit of Team 17’s Moving Out; the acoustic themed banjo soundtrack is instantly a win and adds to the sense of levity throughout. The lack of voice acting is a shame when the writing is so sharp, and the character models lack a distinctive art style, but the overall presentation is clean and without clutter.
The addition of a sabotage filled versus mode made for an extremely tense exchange (which I lost), as the Shock Bombs (which blow apart your opponents half complete vehicle) and Iron Dash (which bumps items out of their hands) led to some… raised voices (in the best way possible). Support for both couch and online co-op ticks the boxes.
There’s gradual progression and incentive to revisit and perfect previous runs. Boss fights up the difficulty significantly. Levels are themed to ensure variation. You can even play as a monkey. As far as we’re concerned, Manic Mechanics is exactly the kind of low stakes, high intensity co-op game we’ve been looking for.
The cat is jolly.
WORTH IT?
At the bottom of every game review, we ask the question: Worth it? And the answer is either “Yeah!” or “Nah”, followed by a comment that sums up how we feel. In order to provide more information, we also have “And” or “But”, which follows up our rating with further clarification, additional context for a game we love, or perhaps a redeeming quality for a game we didn’t like.
YEAH!
Manic Mechanics ticks all the right boxes and offers a frantic and thoroughly enjoyable co-op experience.
AND
You’ll appreciate the well balanced learning curve that keeps you coming back for more.
TARPS?
At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.
