Who doesn’t love a good party game? Nothing beats grabbing a few mates, a bunch of controllers and throwing down a challenge, for some good old school couch gameplay. Games like Overcooked, Moving Out and Catastronauts have all been big hits with my mates and me. That blend of co-op play and versus woven seamless together tends to hit the spot. So when we heard of Manic Mechanics, we couldn’t wait to give it a bash.
Developed by Dundee-based 4J Studios, it’s fair to say this is a bit of a change of direction for them. The devs are best known as the team behind the console versions of a little game called Minecraft.
Manic Multitasker
Manic Mechanics takes the multitasking formula and puts a fresh spin on it, as you find yourself on Octane Isle. Here you’re quickly put to work repairing everything from old beat-up cars to trucks, choppers, and even UFOs.
Things start out nice and easy as you have to paint the odd door and change a few tyres. But just as you start getting to grips with things, it quickly starts to ramp up the challenge.
Across the 25 different garage themed levels, the game steadily adds in new elements for you to master and tasks to complete. While also throwing in more than a few workplace dangers to dodge and avoid; like molten metal being poured, lasers and whirlpools.
Head Mechanic
And there are “boss” levels, that up the challenge that little bit more too. Manic Mechanics changes things up a little by having each task needing you to focus on them, as you can’t just button bash your way to victory. There is a sweet spot on each task you will want to hit, to get best and fastest results.
Though you can play the game in solo, it truly comes to life with your mates in four-player co-op. And this co-op works both on the couch and online, which is a nice touch. Although playing with randos is a bit hit and miss I found, as communication is often a key element.
Seasoned Pro
If you’re a seasoned fan of these types of games, you may find it a little bit easier than Overcooked on the difficulty scale. Which isn’t a bad thing I would say. The levels of enjoyment in Manic Mechanics outweigh the levels of stress most of these games instil in you.
When not on the job you get to blast to your next challenge in a cute over world map. And in a really smart move everyone playing has their own dinky car. And this leads to impromptu races sometimes happening between levels. Another lovely touch.
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Visually, Manic Mechanics is chunky, bright and colourful with some real charm to it. Be it meeting new mentors, tackling jobs or naviagting the overworld, the game is dripping in whimsy.
Satisfied Customers
It must be said that loading times were a bit on the long side. You could get to the kitchen grab a beer, open that beer, get back and stt down before the game started. Additionally, if you and your crew really nail your duties, Manic Mechanics is quite short.
But overall, Manic Mechanics is a fun and fresh spin on a well-used formula. Manic Mechanics does nothing massively groundbreaking but it has plenty of nice touches that make it an easy choice to add this to your party-night games roster for players of all ages.