In case you’re wondering about the ‘Extended’ suffix to Unmechanical’s title, it exists to highlight the additional chapter that developer Grip Games have stuck on the end of the game for this console release. The end result is an atmospherically isolated experience that provides pangs of loneliness and melancholy in a way that very few games (especially puzzlers), really manage to achieve. With a deft mixture of tonally haunting sound effects and music, it’s clear that developer Grip Games have elected to tell as much of Unmechanical’s story through the game’s environment and its accomplished aural presentation as it possibly can and it proves rather effective too. Unmechanical’s Unreal Engine rendered labyrinthine caverns and underground industrial wastelands are often a sight to behold their mostly silent wonder bolstered by detailed textures, buttery smooth animation and some great looking lighting effects as our propellered hero glides through its substantial depths.Įlsewhere, the audio side of the equation fares well also. While the lack of a true narrative or characters proves to be a blow for player engagement initially, developer Grip Games attempts to make up for such shortcomings with an audio-visual presentation that pointedly errs on the atmospheric in an effort to immerse folks instead.
Similar to its deceptively cunning problems though, Unmechanical’s hidden depths can be glimpsed in other aspects of its craft. The issue though, is that our protagonist’s tractor beam can only snag one item at a time and with five or so rocks to pick up at some distance from said body of water, the process can get tedious pretty quickly indeed. One such example is a scenario that requires the player to raise the water level by dropping rocks into a pool. While some are well-thought out puzzles, others tend to be frustratingly obtuse and worse still, they so often require a fair whack of back and forth exploration to sort out. Where the puzzle-solving element comes unstuck however, is in the inconsistent quality of the numerous conundrums that the player will face. Thankfully, for those who struggle with some of Unmechanical’s more difficult problems, a visual tips guide is occasionally available to nudge folks in the right direction. Sure, there isn’t really anything here that hasn’t been done before but what is present is challenging and whether you’re a new or veteran puzzle solver, Unmechanical certainly taxes the brain in a way that belies its initially simplistic seeming, single-button approach.
Sure enough, fleeting glimpses of other robots and characters occur but the player never gets to interact with them as they seem just out of reach, or flee as you approach, thereby cementing a palpable feeling of loneliness and isolation rarely seen in puzzle games. Thrust into an alien subterranean realm of discarded scrap, jagged rock and rusty tubes, our robotic, propellered protagonist (who is never named), must escape its current predicament with all due haste. The first thing players will immediately notice is that there is no sort of narrative set in place. Still, you shouldn’t hold that against it as beneath its distinctly po-faced veneer and single-button inputs is a game that’ll provide a decent challenge for anyone who fancies straining the old grey matter a bit.
Unmechanical extended edition Pc#
A prettier and somewhat lengthier take on the PC game of the same name, which released back in the mists of 2012, Unmechanical Extended is as much a straight-up, relatively no-frills puzzler as you’re liable to get these days.
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