Unmechanical: Extended Edition Reviews
Unmechanical Extended meets its ambition: the designers fully explore the potential of the template and do so with elegance. But perhaps, in the new context of the newer consoles, that ambition wasn't quite enough. This is a slight, simple, often delightful game that displays moment-to-moment ingenuity but which now obviously lacks a broader conceit to bring its ideas together.
Unmechanical: Extended is a puzzling game, in every sense of the word. In that manner there are puzzles, each of which must be surmounted before you can progress, but equally its lack of any true storytelling, beyond that which you create yourself, or indeed any hand-holding to point you in the right direction almost cause too much confusion. However, there is a wonderful spirit to the game, created by the beautiful aesthetic and meaningful sound design, both of which really warrant experiencing.
Overall, Unmechanical: Extended is a cute little experience. The stories are told in a way that takes at least a little bit of effort on the player's part. For those willing to put that effort in, and the effort to get through the puzzle rooms, escaping from the tiny robot gulag is a worthy way to spend a day.
Unmechanical: Extended's presentation will please, and its puzzles will challenge you for a few hours, but don't expect it to do much more.
In summary, this is a neat little puzzle game that will keep puzzle aficionados content. You won't know anything more about the world that you leave behind, nor will you know why you were ever there, but you will be satisfied at a job well done. Even if the journey is a bit short, the easy gamerscore is sure to be a bonus.
An enjoyable and attractive, if overly-familiar physics based puzzler, Unmechanical Extended could be just the ticket for puzzler aficionados looking for a game to burn the hours away.
Unmechanical: Extended's hands-off approach works wonders in the gameplay department, and the well designed puzzles – which are testing without being frustrating – make this something of a surprise treat. It would have been nice if the experience was a little longer, and we're a bit agitated that it doesn't come to a decent conclusion, but the personality throughout every aspect of its artistic design helps to overcome these modest shortcomings. As a result, if you're up for a puzzle game – but are normally turned off by more complex entries in the genre – then this is well worth beaming into your collection.
Unmechanical took me by surprise. Sure, we've all seen 2.5D puzzle games before, but this one really did a great job with the variety of the puzzles while keeping the main game simplistic enough to never keep me guessing for too long. The pacing is fantastic and the visual style is superb. While it may be on the short side, I still highly recommend picking up Unmechanical Extended. Like me, you may have a really fun time with it.
I fear that a smaller, simpler game such as this might get overlooked in the blockbuster-world of console gaming. Being priced very reasonably for what you get, Unmechanical: Extended is definitely worth the investment. I had fun playing it, and hope for more to come. My only request for any future instalments that may be planned would be for somebody to please turn on the frickin' lights…
Unmechanical Extending offers gamers a puzzle game with a story told though its setting, more thought provoking than games with hours of pre-recorded dialogue. Come for the puzzles; stay for the hours and hours of time you'll spend writing Unmechanical fan fiction.
Despite featuring some creative brainteasers, Unmechanical: Extended is hampered by its lack of meaningful plot, little replay value and unfortunately brisk length.
Unmechanical Extended on a fundamental level fails to address the shortcomings of the original game, and even though the extended episode tries it's best to do something interesting, it's against the clock and the mechanics of the game. Extended isn't worth the asking price for what it offers, especially over the original version.
Unmechanical: Extended Edition is a mostly rewarding and wonderfully atmospheric puzzler with only a few significant flaws. A few of the puzzles just seem poorly designed, which clash with the great puzzles that thankfully populate most of the game. The complete lack of a narrative is only a little disconcerting; even though I'd want to learn a bit more about the world and my odd character, I'm usually too busy thinking.
Unfortunately the incredibly short length of the campaign means that it is hard to recommend the game at full price to absolutely everyone, but if you want to experience a rather peculiar place than you should definitely consider diving into the quirky world of Unmechanical Extended.
A wholly solid game.
Unmechanical: Extended is a beautiful game. The graphics and landscapes are simply stunning and the character has real heart, despite being a little helpless. It's a pity that it leaves the door open to questions about the quality of puzzles, however. Alone, they might not be as compelling as they are within the confines of this game. But overall, it's a good indie when it comes to the artwork; it just doesn't really add anything to the puzzle genre.
If you're on the market for an afternoon's worth of casually-paced entertainment and want to put your problem-solving skills to the test, then you should gear up for a bit of Unmechanical. It respects both the genre and your time, and for that — along with plenty of other reasons — there's quite a satisfying experience to be had.
Unmechanical Extended is just as short and sweet as the original; a gentle yet compelling use of four hours that's best enjoyed in a single sitting. I'd recommend it to newcomers, but the disappointing new episode isn't enough to warrant picking up for old hands.