Main Assembly – Preview
Sandbox games have always been the most fun genre if you enjoy the freedom to do what you want. Mostly there is a limit to the depth of these games, this being limited to the amount of useable slots or resources. This is where Main Assembly shines in, there are seemingly no limitations. You will build your vehicles from scratch and can even program these to your liking. If this sounds difficult, you don’t have to worry, this game is really accessible for all types of players.
Main Assembly is a sandbox game where you have the absolute freedom to your creations. The game starts with a tutorial that teaches you the basics step by step, from controlling your drone to building a working vehicle. As the tutorial progresses, you will be taught to program certain parts. If this seems cumbersome, you don’t have to worry, newly created bots will always have basic programming to them, so you can just build and drive. The programming gives new dimensions to control your vehicle and you can make fine adjustments to the setup, such as having a switchable 4×4.
During the main campaign, you will be pitted against many challenges. To complete these objectives, you will have to modify your bot. You can decide to either modify your current vehicle or spawn multiple bots for various uses. Resources are unlimited, the only thing that limits you is your fantasy. At first, you will only have a few basic parts, but by completing challenges you will be granted some amazingly interesting items.
The whole game is presented in a very colorful world, the facility you begin in is very futuristic looking and you feel welcome from the start. After gaining access to the outside, you will notice the nice tropical beach and the lovely sun shining on the map. Most games are pretty grim these days, which makes Main Assembly much better as it is just sheer sandbox freedom. The overall graphics are of very decent quality, there is a lot of attention to detail but don’t expect a 4K title. When you crash into stuff or your vehicle gets damaged you will notice the many dents and damage to your chassis. Wheels will get bent or you lose the tire, many small things are incorporated into the graphics and physics engine of the game.
The game’s narrator is fully voiced and will guide you through the objectives and when you hit dummies, they will also respond in a funny way. The voices are robotic and this really fits the setting. The background music is soothing and fits the game great. Currently, the game is in Early Access, yet there is plenty of content for you to go with. This also means that there still might be bugs present, yet the game seems spared from this. There is only one thing and that is that you can sometimes print your vehicle anywhere (instead of the designated station), yet it is unsure if this is a bug or feature.
Content-wise you can select between the campaign and sandbox. In the campaign, you will be posed with many challenges and when you complete all of them, you will unlock extra parts. These parts are both cool to own but will also give you an advantage in tackling other challenges. In the sandbox mode, you are free to build and destroy your bots however you please. During your adventures, you will need to create vehicles for different occasions, yet thinking out of the box gets rewarded.
As earlier mentioned the game emphasizes having free reign on how you build and control your robot. In the beginning, this seems difficult, yet with the many build-in assists this will become a very fun task. You build the robot starting from a pre-made chassis, you just stretch out parts, add joints and make it how you want it. At first, this will be a bit difficult, but you will master this pretty quickly. The game also mirrors parts, so wheels and boosters are always perfectly aligned. As you decide what button does what, you fully adjust the controls to your needs. The game does play well with both keyboard and controller, yet it feels like the controller just is a bit more accessible.
Conclusion
Main Assembly is a really fun game where you have absolute freedom to build what you want. Due to the nature of this game, everything is very accessible for newer players and a challenge for experienced ones. The graphics are pretty and there is a decent amount of detail. You stylize your vehicles as you please, while running over dummies and laughing at their comments. The story mode has some fun challenges where you can earn new parts and the sandbox allows for endless amounts of fun.
Main Assembly - Preview,
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