I’d been watching MOTORSLICE with nice anticipation for awhile now. Was watching MOYA HORROR’s and HauntedPS1’s EEK3 2025 indie sport showcase reside in January 2025, and principally marveling on the variety of rad as heck indie horror video games that had — and have been — popping out on the time. Evening of the Shopper, The Remake of the Finish of the Best RPG of All Time, which isn’t fairly out but, however will likely be quickly, Sorry We’re Closed and Judero, the final two are at the moment out there on PSN, and I nonetheless adore Sorry We’re Closed. I nonetheless haven’t but performed Judero sadly, but it surely additionally seems completely fascinating. Then, after the trailer for a sport the place you play as a crow, a very placing trailer struck. A younger lady in a jumpsuit, working throughout a desert with a chainsaw, main into her being attacked by a human sized excavator — and going from there.
It’s now Could of 2026, a… lot has modified since then, to say the least, however my curiosity in and curiosity about MOTORSLICE was a kind of small issues that maintained. So, after I acquired the prospect to provide it a better look, and the prospect to professionally take a look at and evaluation it in a scene the place smaller titles are getting larger photographs? So, as we take that nearer look, what precisely do we now have right here? That’s… a little bit of a troublesome factor describe, so apologies if I’m going on a little bit of a ramble right here. As ordinary, in the midst of this evaluation, I’ll attempt to restrict any visible spoilers to the primary few chapters, so, let’s limber up and get on this journey, we could?
The Beating Solar, A Beating Coronary heart
The story, as it’s, begins with a communication between our playable character, P, and an individual who appears to be her handler, G. It’s a easy premise; P goes into what’s deemed, and, as will likely be readily noticeable upon seeing it, a megastructure. A megastructure’s mainly a large constructing advanced, if that identify didn’t make it apparent. P’s job is easy, to destroy each machine within the construction in noticeable brilliant yellow textual content, and that “failure is forbidden.” Shortly after, the digicam drone that G despatched alongside along with her malfunctions, and also you, because the participant, don’t have entry to the total vary of the digicam resulting from environmental points, with the orb formed digicam drone relatively rapidly getting gunked up.
This, essentially, results in P needing to restore the drone, which will likely be known as Orbie from this level ahead. You’ll get a reboot from Orbie’s standpoint with a… frankly worrying variety of unfixed errors, locked features, and the observe that Orbie is managed by an autonomous AI, which simply so occurs to have the participant’s identify. So far as you already know, on the very least. There’s a bit extra speaking on P’s half, earlier than we get into the sport correct and get used to the digicam, which you management as you’ll anticipate with the suitable analog stick.
Oh, and earlier than we get into the right gameplay, that’ll be within the subsequent part, I’ll observe a number of issues. P is voiced by Kira Buckland, a reputation that, should you’ve performed any variety of video games prior to now 21 years, you’ll know. Buckland has been in loads over time, I first heard her within the sci-fi horror title the white chamber for the PC, to what’s in all probability their most well-known work as 2B in Nier: Automata, and as Queen Dizzy in Responsible Gear Attempt. A Buckland voiced character is usually an indication that you just’re in line for one thing that’s on the very least relatively fascinating. Usually.
A Twitch, A Sprint
The sport itself begins the tutorial correctly after P fixes up Orbie, and within the subsequent couple of minutes you’re going to get a reasonably fast impediment course of how the sport goes to work. From the moment you’re given the power to direct P, you’re given loads of freedom when it comes to motion, with each her and the digicam. The digicam begins in “floaty” mode, and should you’ve not been having delicate points along with your controller’s proper analog stick having stick drift, like I’ve been just lately, it’s as fluid and cell as P’s motion. If in case you have been, it nonetheless is, however that responsiveness could be a bit bit too fluid, resulting from technical points that aren’t the sport’s fault. If you’re, there are two totally different Contemplating what her job requires her to do, and what she’s going to come across all through this journey, that may be a very, excellent factor.
MOTORSLICE is essentially a parkour platformer, ala the PS2 Prince of Persia releases or Mirror’s Edge, with barely extra of a deal with how harmful P’s complete existence is, and the atmosphere that our lead traverses isn’t precisely hospitable to her. One of many first belongings you study to do is the “clean touchdown,” which is her bracing herself as she falls. This… is one thing she goes to be doing a good bit all through the sport as a part of the primary conceit. There isn’t precisely harm on this sport, for P, at the least. P can die actually, actually simply and messily on a missed leap, in any of the terrain hazards you’ll be able to come throughout, or within the fight that there’s fairly a good little bit of. To not the Tomb Raider reboot ranges that Lara might, loads faster, within the pretty literal “blink and also you’ll miss it” sense.
Attention-grabbing factor about that, nonetheless, is that assertion applies fairly readily to what you’re going to be going up in opposition to as nicely. As a result of P, apparently, has a chainsaw, and she or he’s actually, actually good at utilizing it, each within the platforming sections — you’re going to be utilizing your chainsaw to chop by pipes and grind up and alongside partitions loads and it doesn’t get previous for the participant, or this participant, at the least — and within the aforementioned fight. You’re gonna be utilizing it in opposition to various kinds of machines, a substantial quantity of it being some type of building tools in some kind or one other, from the primary enemy you discover being a human-sized excavator, to the flying energy saws that fireside their saws at P. These she will be able to parry and fling again at them, and that’s not together with some completely large Shadow of the Coloss-esque bosses on the finish of a given chapter.
A Murmur, A Sudden Sound
Loads of the story is environmental, however you do get considerably common moments all through every degree the place P takes a break and talks to Orbie. Slice of life segments, because it have been. The sport itself made that joke earlier than me and that’s the one purpose that’s not the title of this evaluation, not about to steal it’s circulation, because it have been. Usually nothing too large, it is a job and mercy is aware of what occurs if breaks go on too lengthy on stated job, however little moments to get a really feel for her P(ersonality). You typically get one or two selections of what Orbie can “say,” however, Orbie being an autonomous AI, she tends to not pay a lot heed. Nor ought to she, actually. Particularly contemplating sure behaviors from Orbie throughout these.
As such, a great deal of what you’ll get is from what you see as you climb the megastructure, how P reacts to stimuli and the way this whole ordeal is seen by her megalophobia. I cannot element that additional, however contemplating the premise of the sport you might be having some ideas as to how this whole state of affairs feels to her with that extra bit of knowledge. I discussed that I first noticed this sport at EEK3, a largely horror sport targeted indie showcase, and you may really feel that. The megastructure is imposing, and the darkish hallways and crimson doorways that may have issues behind them add to a constant pressure all through. I glanced down after a number of particular sections and my palms have been legit sweating and I hadn’t seen whereas they have been occurring.
A very good a part of it’s that this could be a relatively troublesome sport, if that reference to Prince of Persia earlier didn’t make that abundantly clear. Usually not unfairly so, though I can see and suspect individuals will see components of this being trial and error, like they don’t have unimaginable management over each P’s and Orbie’s motion, to see within the second and look forward on the state of affairs. Additionally to take selfies with P, the directional buttons allow you to do this at most instances, doubtlessly any however self-preservation took precedence at lot of the time so I didn’t really strive in larger strain conditions. Simply be conscious to not unintentionally blind P with the flashlight, it’s helpful for the darkish tunnels, however she doesn’t respect it being directed in direction of her.
It’s typically a reasonably quiet, atmospheric sport with simply the wind, P’s respiratory and varied mechanical whirring sounds of varied levels of hostility, however when tenser conditions — typically within the fight areas and boss battles — ensue, London-based DnB/Jungle producer/composer Pizza Hotline‘s music makes the state of affairs really feel… fascinating. You are feeling very, very a lot within the second, fittingly for P’s ongoing deal as a gal in opposition to the machines, if that is sensible?
A Second To Breathe
So, general, what do I believe? Properly, contemplating I’m not the most important fan of 3D platformers or platformers normally, as a non-PSXE-related private return to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Shovel Knight left me a bit chilly, even acknowledging their each being actually good video games and adoring their respective aesthetics and music, simply typically not being my kinda factor? I actually loved my time with it!
I didn’t point out it earlier, however the low-poly artwork model is sort of pretty, and I personally suppose it provides to the texture of a principally barren and deserted panorama, with the occasional spots of magnificence. Principally slightly bit after a boss, there’s a sq. circle with shade, greenery and a bench. This does call to mind sure spots in different titles, or it did to me, at the least, and would possibly rouse suspicions of what MOTORSLICE is resulting in in the long run. Who am I to say although? I’m not the type to spoil issues, particularly after I do need individuals to provide the sport a strive if they’ve the prospect to.
When the gameplay clicks, and it does loads, you’ll be schmoovin’ alongside, avoiding and coping with the numerous risks all through. There are some slower areas, with it being a reasonably linear title, and it having a reasonably good sense of pacing, when to decelerate and pace up. I did have some areas the place I used to be caught for a bit, however these have been largely my being cussed, refusing to study and both not wanting round or repeatedly throwing myself in opposition to the wall. Or into the mines. Or into the gears being I mistimed or misaligned a leap. It may be a irritating title, however my common assumption is that I must be pissed off with myself in these conditions and never blame the sport except it’s one thing egregiously painful that couldn’t be defined by my being dense.
I believe Luqui and Saiki at Common Studio did one thing fairly dang cool right here, and Prime Hat Studios — for his or her half — are doing a reasonably dang good job of discovering and giving small devs photographs at getting fascinating video games on the market. that is one thing that I’m all the time grateful for, particularly since they’re at the least partially accountable for one among my favourite video games of final yr, Labyrinth of the Demon King, making it onto “cabinets.” They’ve additionally revealed and are publishing fairly a number of titles, all of which look fairly distinctive. In the intervening time, nonetheless, MOTORSLICE is a reasonably dang fascinating parkour platformer, and I might genuinely recommend checking it out!
