MOTORSLICE PS5 Evaluate — Rev(view)ing Up

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 shall be quickly, Sorry We’re Closed and Judero, the final two are at the moment accessible on PSN, and I nonetheless adore Sorry We’re Closed. I nonetheless haven’t but performed Judero sadly, however it additionally seems to be completely fascinating. Then, after the trailer for a sport the place you play as a crow, a very putting 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 more in-depth look, and the prospect to professionally take a look at and evaluation it in a scene the place smaller titles are getting greater pictures? So, as we take that nearer look, what precisely do now we have right here? That’s… a little bit of a troublesome factor describe, so apologies if I am going on a little bit of a ramble right here. As typical, in the middle 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, lets?

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 shall be readily noticeable upon seeing it, a megastructure. A megastructure’s mainly an enormous constructing complicated, if that title didn’t make it apparent. P’s process 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 together with her malfunctions, and also you, because the participant, don’t have entry to the total vary of the digicam as a result of environmental points, with the orb formed digicam drone relatively rapidly getting gunked up.

This, essentially, results in P needing to restore the drone, which shall be known as Orbie from this level ahead. You’ll get a reboot from Orbie’s perspective with a… frankly worrying variety of unfixed errors, locked capabilities, and the observe that Orbie is managed by an autonomous AI, which simply so occurs to have the participant’s title. So far as you understand, 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 appropriate analog stick.

Oh, and earlier than we get into the correct gameplay, that’ll be within the subsequent part, I’ll observe just a few issues. P is voiced by Kira Buckland, a reputation that, in case you’ve performed any variety of video games up 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 most likely their most well-known work as 2B in Nier: Automata, and as Queen Dizzy in Responsible Gear Try. A Buckland voiced character is mostly an indication that you just’re in line for one thing that’s on the very least relatively fascinating. Typically.

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 quite a lot of freedom by way of motion, with each her and the digicam. The digicam begins in “floaty” mode, and in case 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 cellular as P’s motion. If in case you have been, it nonetheless is, however that responsiveness is usually a bit bit too fluid, as a result of technical points that aren’t the sport’s fault. If you’re, there are two completely different Contemplating what her job requires her to do, and what she’s going to come across all through this journey, that could be a very, excellent factor.

MOTORSLICE is basically a parkour platformer, ala the PS2 Prince of Persia releases or Mirror’s Edge, with barely extra of a give attention to how harmful P’s whole existence is, and the surroundings that our lead traverses isn’t precisely hospitable to her. One of many first stuff you be taught 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 principle conceit. There isn’t precisely injury on this sport, for P, a minimum of. P can die actually, actually simply and messily on a missed bounce, in any of the terrain hazards you possibly can come throughout, or within the fight that there’s fairly a good little bit of. To not the Tomb Raider reboot ranges that Lara may, loads faster, within the pretty literal “blink and also you’ll miss it” sense.

Attention-grabbing factor about that, nevertheless, is that assertion applies fairly readily to what you’re going to be going up in opposition to as effectively. 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 via pipes and grind up and alongside partitions loads and it doesn’t get previous for the participant, or this participant, a minimum of — 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 development tools in some type or one other, from the primary enemy you discover being a human-sized excavator, to the flying energy saws that fireplace their saws at P. These she will parry and fling again at them, and that’s not together with some completely huge 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 cause that’s not the title of this evaluation, not about to steal it’s movement, because it have been. Typically nothing too huge, it is a job and mercy is aware of what occurs if breaks go on too lengthy on mentioned job, however little moments to get a really feel for her P(ersonality). You usually 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 complete ordeal is seen via her megalophobia. I cannot element that additional, however contemplating the premise of the sport you might be having some ideas as to how this complete scenario feels to her with that further bit of knowledge. I discussed that I first noticed this sport at EEK3, a largely horror sport centered indie showcase, and you may really feel that. The megastructure is imposing, and the darkish hallways and crimson doorways which may have issues behind them add to a constant stress all through. I glanced down after just a few particular sections and my palms have been legit sweating and I hadn’t observed whereas they have been happening.

A very good a part of it’s that this is usually a relatively tough sport, if that reference to Prince of Persia earlier didn’t make that abundantly clear. Typically not unfairly so, though I can see and suspect folks 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 scenario. Additionally to take selfies with P, the directional buttons allow you to try this at most instances, probably any however self-preservation took precedence at lot of the time so I didn’t truly strive in larger stress conditions. Simply be conscious to not by chance blind P with the flashlight, it’s helpful for the darkish tunnels, however she doesn’t admire it being directed in the direction of her.

It’s usually a fairly quiet, atmospheric sport with simply the wind, P’s respiratory and varied mechanical whirring sounds of assorted levels of hostility, however when tenser conditions — usually within the fight areas and boss battles — ensue, London-based DnB/Jungle producer/composer Pizza Hotline‘s music makes the scenario 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? Effectively, contemplating I’m not the largest 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 usually not being my kinda factor? I truthfully loved my time with it!

I didn’t point out it earlier, however the low-poly artwork fashion is kind of beautiful, and I personally suppose it provides to the texture of a principally barren and deserted panorama, with the occasional spots of magnificence. Principally somewhat 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, a minimum of, and may rouse suspicions of what MOTORSLICE is resulting in in the long run. Who am I to say although? I’m not the kind to spoil issues, particularly after I do need folks 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 fairly linear title, and it having a fairly good sense of pacing, when to decelerate and velocity 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 be taught 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 bounce. It may be a irritating title, however my basic assumption is that I must be annoyed with myself in these conditions and never blame the sport until 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 fairly dang good job of discovering and giving small devs pictures at getting fascinating video games on the market. that is one thing that I’m at all times grateful for, particularly since they’re a minimum of partially accountable for one in all my favourite video games of final yr, Labyrinth of the Demon King, making it onto “cabinets.” They’ve additionally printed and are publishing fairly just a few titles, all of which look fairly distinctive. In the intervening time, nevertheless, MOTORSLICE is a fairly dang fascinating parkour platformer, and I might genuinely recommend checking it out!