Review: Unmechanical: Extended

Unmechanical: Extended is a game known for being very different. The concept is simple: a game in the style puzzle and platforms, loved by countless players from all over the world and which recently arrived at Playstation 4 with an interesting novelty, the edition “Extended“, which contains even more puzzles and mysteries for you to solve. However, does the game leave something to be desired in any aspect? Find it out!

The story is very simple and objective, it starts when you are kidnapped and transported to a secret underground world full of unknown machines. The detail here is that you can fly freely through this strange world, to solve a huge variety of puzzles and mysteries. The journey in search of freedom has begun!

The adventure begins when a small robot with a propeller on top and a tractor beam at the bottom is captured by a pipe that sucks it deep into the Earth. There, this little robot will have to solve several puzzles if he wants to find his friends again.

The game is all about solving small puzzles involving physics. In most of them, the robot must carry stones to activate devices. Many puzzles also involve time as another variable in the “equation”. However, without any type of tutorial or tips, Unmechanical: Extended Edition becomes a very particular experience.

Right from the start, you can see how unique the proposal is. The game, unlike other games, does not even teach the buttons to be used to move the character. Little by little, the player discovers that it is enough to move the analog stick to move the character and use a single button to use the tractor beam.

The beginning of the game is slow and the first challenge just consists of removing some stones from the path to proceed. Fortunately, it doesn't take long for the first major puzzles to be presented to the player. One quality of Unmechanical is that it never becomes impossible to solve, even when the player makes the biggest mess.

While some specific puzzle games seek to require a great mental exercise, Unmechanical: Extended Edition challenges the player enough to push you towards a definitive solution, without forcing constant frustrations. The game has a constant rate of progression, which is quite satisfying.

Originally, the game was announced and initially released on steam and Android/iOS. However, there were new versions, for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The look remains identical to the original, with a slight change in some rock textures, something that is almost imperceptible. Despite the 3D visuals, the game maintains the same classic 2D gameplay.

The soundtrack stands out for the lack of great sound effects and the feeling of loneliness can seem somewhat sad. However, towards the end of the game it is possible to find other robots and interact with them, which is really cool.

Unmechanical: Extended, despite the name, is a very short game. It takes around three hours to reset it. Additional stages are accessed after finishing the game, but they only add another 30 minutes (approximately) of fun. This extended version was expected to add new elements to the menu, such as the possibility of selecting previous areas, something that is not possible in the game, as it only has one large phase with several checkpoints.

And you, what do you think of the game? Share your opinion with us!