REVIEW | Machine Party

Holy shit. These were the first words that left my mouth when booting up Machine Party by Mike Klubnika and GDeavid. For such a small game, the level of polish, attention to detail, animation work, and overall atmosphere that has gone into creating Machine Party is simply staggering. I’ve played many AAA games in my time, but every single little detail from the start was incredible.

If you are familiar with the work of these talented developers, you may have heard or even played their previous title, Buckshot Roulette. A simple game of Russian Roulette, except it is played with a shotgun, and every turn you get to equip modifiers to help throw off your enemy, and also help you claim victory. It was incredibly well received, and really showcased what the two could achieve with the Godot Engine. Machine Party proves once again that their creativity knows no bounds, and the Mario Party-esque mini games are some of the most disturbing, and outrageously funny I have played in my life. Sure, it adds a certain level of pressure I never thought I would feel when playing a video game, but it comes with the territory. Published by Oro Interactive, let’s see what horrors we have in store for us below.

Things I liked!

• The Mini Games | Machine Party has a total of fifteen minigames, and each one is added to the game lobby. You can run customised matches if you want, which focus on certain ones, but the normal game mode sees you play through each one in a randomised order. After each stage is completed, you will be given points based on how well you performed, and the player with the most points at the end is the winner. It is a simple concept, but it is supported by the content of the minigames themselves.
  
  Whilst there are too many to go into detail, what I can say is that my top three contained some of the most outrageously gory deaths I have seen in a video game. The Minefield mini game saw James and I making our way through a minefield using a detector to see where the mines were. Halfway through the match, just as the end is in sight, they turn the dial up to eleven and have a huge meat grinder start chasing you. What quickly becomes a simple game of avoiding mines, soon becomes a rush filled with panic and desperate attempts to run blindly towards the exit.
  
  The second game I enjoyed was eating my food without getting caught. The concept is a simple twist on red light, green light where you must put food on your fork using left click, and then eat said food with right click. Simple enough. However, if the guy at the head of the table catches you eating the food, you get your head blown off by his Desert Eagle.
  
  Finally, my favourite game out of them all was the Duck Hunt game. One player takes on the role of the hunter, while the others have to escape through the exit by running, and hiding behind cover. This was quite different from the rest, and the game rotated as well, allowing multiple players the chance to be the hunter. Body shots will let the escapees survive one more shot, but headshots take them down instantly. It was surprisingly fun to play, and also fun hearing James get upset because he lost.

• Chaotic Gameplay | Overall, Machine Party contains about an hour to two hours of non-stop chaos. Some games even allow you to push other players over in an effort to steal their spots, push them into obstacles, or even blast them into pieces. With two players you always know who your enemy is, which is why ideally Machine Party works best with a full party of four. If you don’t have a full team, you can browse lobbies which will let you join other games, and it is my recommendation that you do this to get the full effect of the game.
  
  Since the games are very small five to ten-minute experiences, the energy and chaos never seems to stop, and you’ll be witnessing your limbs, your guts, and your brains flying all over the place if you don’t have what it takes to win. I love how it makes you go against your friends, and because of this, halfway through the game, you can no longer trust them.
  
  
• Graphics | Graphically, Machine Party doesn’t look anything special. It’s a low-poly, grungy, dirty, low-lighting presentation, but it suits the game well. Call me old-fashioned, but I love retro graphics. There is something unique about the old-style look combined with modern-day gameplay mechanics that just fits so well. The low resolution textures, combined with the blood and gore feel right at home.
  
  
• Fantastic Presentation | Machine Party delivers a fantastic overall presentation that feels polished, cohesive, and full of personality. Its striking visual style immediately grabs your attention, while the energetic audio perfectly complements the chaos unfolding on screen. The animation is damn good too, with a wonderfully tactile quality that often makes the action look like stop-motion. Every element works together to give the game a distinctive identity that is easy to appreciate and difficult to forget. From its menus to the moment-to-moment action, Machine Party consistently looks and sounds excellent.
  
  
• The Deaths | Each death is unique, and it doesn’t just use a generic blood splatter and die. You’ll get your head blown off, you’ll be cut into pieces, you’ll be blown up, blown in half, fall to your death, turned into paste, and even get your spine snapped like a twig. Even though you lose, the deaths feel like part of the prize. Getting to see the carnage is part of the allure of Machine Party, and even though I lost the overall game, I was still surprised by what I saw every time.
  
  
• Audio Design | While there isn’t any music heavily featured in the game past the main menu, the audio design is fantastic. Each bone snap, each gunshot, explosion, and object interacted with has this visceral-sounding audio cue that compliments the overall presentation of the game. For example, when getting shot in the face and falling onto your plate of food, the plate rattles, cutlery falls to the floor, and the chair scrapes backwards. It’s all well coordinated and delivers this perfect presentation that I mentioned in my opening.
  

Mixed & disliked!

• Host Privileges | During my playthrough with James, we noticed that on a few instances it seems that the host will get the benefit of the doubt. What I mean by this is that it seems Machine Party will sync more closely with the host, allowing for a slightly updated game even if it is pure milliseconds. Since James was recording footage for a video, we noticed that during Duck Hunt, I was able to shoot James through a wall, at least according to him. For me, he was just about to hide, but upon looking at the recording, I am inclined to agree with him. The recording clearly shows him getting shot through a wall, showing clear signs of desync during online play.
  
  Another game where you had to dodge these spinning blades seemed to give me much greater distance than it did James before killing him, again showing signs of desync. It created a little frustration overall, but other than these two games and maybe one more, it was largely okay.

• No Practice | Unlike in Mario Party, where you are given a little practice run as the game is being explained to you, Machine Party does not. Instead, it settles for extremely simple on-screen instructions, and can be a little confusing at first. Because of this, on minigames where there are no rotations involved, it is imperative that you get this right almost immediately, as losing a match can put you on the back foot quickly.
  
  I think moving forwards, if more minigames are to be added, a video demonstration could be added at least, which shows what you need to do, as these games are better explained visually.
  
  
• Designed for 4 players | Machine Party is clearly at its best when played with a full group of four players, where the chaos and competition can truly come alive. While playing with two people is still enjoyable, the matches feel a little quieter and less-unpredictable. With fewer players, some of the frantic energy that makes the game so entertaining is noticeably diminished. Ideally, this is a game you will want to bring out when you have three friends ready to join you.
  
  

• How long did I play the review before publishing? 4 hours
• How long to beat the story? No Story
• How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 5/15
• How long to get 100%? | 12 hours
• You’ll love this game if you like these | Mario Party, Wario Ware, Buckshot Roulette

Score: 80/100

Machine Party is a fantastic game. It embraces chaotic multiplayer fun without ever taking itself too seriously. Its gory, fun-filled minigames are incredibly addictive, constantly tempting you into playing just one more round. The fantastic presentation, stop-motion-style animation, and competitive mayhem give it a personality all of its own. Gather four players together, and Machine Party becomes an absolute blast that is difficult to put down.

Aaron

Gaming is in my blood.  Be it handheld games, Xbox, PC, Switch or Playstation, I am all over it.
I make my own games as part of my profession and love playing co op games with friends in my spare time. Avid dog lover and camper van enthusiast.