My First Impressions of the Robot Building Game MAIN ASSEMBLY
Main Assembly is a new game from Bad Yolk Games and Team17 and it’s currently available on Steam via Early Access. Team17 was kind enough to send me a code to check out and I thought I’d share some of my first impressions. The game is one where you can build and create robots to do all kinds of things. In addition to designing them, you have to program the robots using a clear user interface and it’s very clever. The game’s features include:
Freeform crafting: Construct any robot or contraption imaginable and customize them with 65+ cosmetic parts
Solo & multiplayer sandbox gameplay: Work individually to collect 106 stars in single-player challenges or compete against each other in online multiplayer activities. Share inventions over Steam Workshop, and enjoy endless gameplay possibilities
Power visual programming: Harness the power of Main Assembly’s visual programming language to set up unique controls for creations, and even automate them with various types of sensors
Advanced physics: Experience aerodynamics and robot destruction; fly, drift, and destroy your creations
I loaded up the game and went to the tutorials and I think they’re pretty solid. They show you the basics of creating a robot, controlling the robot, and more. I later learned that the one thing they didn’t teach me was how to change the material or color of my robot. After you learn the basics, you can go into a Sandbox mode to just build things by yourself or with friends. You can also go into the Challenges mode where you can build robots to try to accomplish set challenges. Pretty simple.
This game is not for everyone. There’s no story, no real characters, just the ability to build robots for you to pilot and some challenges you can face. Granted, most of the robots are really just cars and similar vehicles, but I’m sure there’s a lot more that I just haven’t explored yet. If you like building things with friends and don’t care about meaningful uses for what you build, this is great.
You can purchase Main Assembly in Early Access now on Steam.