Motordoom Demo Review: Mechanical Mayhem!

OVERVIEW Motordoom is a freestyle-sports roguelite horde shooter that combines high-octane, visceral combat with fluid movement and trick mechanics. In the Motordoom demo, players can perform gnarly tricks while defeating grotesque monsters and upgrade their character with demonic offerings to become ever more powerful. Gameplay in the Motordoom Demo Though there was only 1 level…

Chris

August 6, 2024

2–3 minutes

OVERVIEW

Motordoom is a freestyle-sports roguelite horde shooter that combines high-octane, visceral combat with fluid movement and trick mechanics. In the Motordoom demo, players can perform gnarly tricks while defeating grotesque monsters and upgrade their character with demonic offerings to become ever more powerful.

Developer: Hobo Cat Games
Release Date: Aug 2, 2024
Price: TBA
Platforms: PC (Steam)

Gameplay in the Motordoom Demo

Though there was only 1 level available in the demo, it was open and varied enough to get comfortable and familiar with the gameplay. Motordoom is reminiscent of sports arcade games from the 2000s with perhaps the most obvious inspiration being the Tony Hawk series.

The twist on this formula, however, is that daemons have invaded each level and must be defeated along with the boss in order to progress. Gameplay is very satisfying and well-paced as the higher score from tricks and slain daemons contributes to not only higher leaderboard placings but also to the completion of an “Overdrive” meter.

This allows for more complex tricks higher damage, and new cards that unlock unique and awesome abilities (some that I unlocked during the demo were chain lightning and an orbiting scythe that would engage and damage daemons in melee.)

I really enjoyed the inclusion of a tutorial level for the demo as I was unsure how the game would handle on steamdeck. The controls were very intuitive and the instructions in the tutorial were both clear and concise in a step-by-step format.

Chainsaws & Motorbikes

The art style and flavor text are both amazing. The two playable characters available in the Motordoom demo are a helmeted guy riding a chainsaw-powered motorbike, and a duo of skeletons complete with motorbike and sidecar. The weapons feel punchy as well, dealing significant enough damage to dispatch any enemy I encountered without the need to reload.

The frenetic music matches perfectly with the gameplay as guitar solos reach a crescendo accompanied by the wanton destruction of demonic hordes. There’s plenty of awesome heavy metal on the soundtrack for players to enjoy!

Final Thoughts on the Motordoom Demo

Overall, Motordoom is the best part of arcade action and 2000s sports games fused into a brilliant package with unique art design, music, and streamlined, satisfying mechanical design.