Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2021
Retro Machina
Developer Orbit Studio
Retro Machina is a single-player action and exploration game set in a retro-futuristic universe. Experience the journey of a little robot as it solves intricate puzzles and begins unraveling the mysteries of a world long forgotten. From the Steam store page
97 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Mastodon, Bluesky) · newest Oct 4, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
77
LovedLoved
70 positive · 21 negative
95% range 67–84%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 70 | 21 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
6 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
222 of 257 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 97 · most liked firstI guess I gotta give this game a thumbs up and here's why. It does what it sets out to do. It is exactly what it says it is. But it's a very "Meh" thumbs up because it doesn't do anything special or amazing. It doesn't offer us anything new or innovative. Even the idea isn't original and has been done to death. But I cant' give it a thumbs down because it didn't do anything wrong. It'd be like punishing a child for doing nothing. But it's also like praising a child for doing nothing. I wish…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Premise This review contains no spoilers. Retro Machina (RM) is an isometric adventure game set in the far future, in a time where Earth is no longer dominated by humans, but robots instead. Players impersonate an automaton that one day acquires self-consciousness after breaking free of its original programming - thus being marked as "defective". After escaping death, the now-actualized machine sets on a quest to explore this strange, ruined world and find its destiny. Quick Sum-Up 🟩…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Retro Machina was a near miss for me, with a lot of high quality components, but nothing interesting enough to keep going after the first few hours. This is a isometric action adventure with a mix of combat and puzzle-solving, but mostly you'll be slowly ambling around looking for keys. It has a very videogame-y progression: your little robot needs a thing, so he needs to collect 3 other things, and to get one of those he needs four different things, until you get to the base component of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Review by [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34633003-Gaming-Masterpieces/lists/] Gaming Masterpieces - The greatest games of all time on Steam. At the Steam Indie Festival in February, I particularly enjoyed two demos: The already released Foregone and Retro Machina. Retro Machina is out now, and my hopes for an excellent game were not disappointed. You play a robot working on an assembly line that has malfunctioned and needs to have its brain reformatted. Instead of undergoing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great futuristic puzzle game. I found it very interesting and fascinating. My subjective assessment is below PROS: + Adorable art style, background objects, visuals etc. + A memorable and non-boring soundtrack + Entertaining puzzle solving gameplay, gameplay is pretty solid + Hero leveling system and unlockable upgrades (I didn't expect it at all) CONS: - I would like more disclosure of the story and game lore 6/10 I look forward to the future additions to the game, and the addition of more…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Average. Absolutely gorgeous at times. Classic gameplay, not innovative at all, correctly done. Awful backtracking. Too much time spent in the game is about coming back somewhere to be able to continue the journey. Or just looking for where to go. I enjoyed the time played but I got quickly bored and finally abandoned it for another game. I wont say it is a bad game but I cannot recommend it as well. Horizontal thumb represented down.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/6142328/]Like this Review? Follow The Cpt Froggy Club Curator Page for plenty more! Retro Machina ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Orbit Studios presents Retro Machina, a fantastic new action, puzzle-platformer game set in a retro-futuristic universe; a future where humans aren’t around to oversee things anymore. Plot: In a Retro Futuristic world absent of human oversight, the world is governed by the rules of number, a streamlined society of logical robots and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You know how the Clank sections are the worst part of any Ratchet and Clank game because of the stiff movement, lackluster combat, poorly explained puzzles, fiddly control of mini-robots, and painfully slow walking speed? Someone vehemently disagreed and made a whole game that's just those. Hijacking other robots is a primary mechanic but it's slow, imprecise, and actively punishes you for controlling the robots well because most of the time you need to kill them to get out of the mandatory…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Could have been a good game but it just isn't. Pros: + Really cool artstyle. + An okay story with visual story telling. Cons: - Terrible map. - Lots of backtracking. - Absolutely terrible controls. - Cannot use the mouse. - The puzzles are easy but arduous.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Retro Machina is a perfect example of why video game development is so challenging. It has fantastic visual design, superb music, great atmosphere, a basic gameplay mechanic (controlling other robots) that is not totally original but is implemented in a very unique way (you control the protagonist and the "victim" in parallel, eg. with both analogue controller sticks) and frankly the opportunities this creates border genius. And, it looks not only like an isometric action-explorer, but an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Action puzzle adventure + Bastion like + neat mechanics = Explore the retro-futuristic universe and take over machines. Attack other bots or use them to solve puzzles. Nice visuals and tight controls. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35180752-3-point-play/] Follow our curator for similar games
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was waiting for something like this puzzle-adventure game for quite a long time! The last puzzle game I played was The Witness, and I actually liked it, but the only thing that was missing for me, was the adventure aspect. So Retro Machina gave me this adventure feeling and fulfilled my previous needs! It is a simple story about a robot worker who broke down and went on a journey through the city of Endeavor. Now about himself, against a whole horde of his former robot colleagues. As you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you find this review to be helpful, my curators page is here: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/The_dull_games_reviewer In Retro Machina you play a robot stuck on a factory line that seemingly exists to build an unending stream of ammunition and parts for a war without end. Each side is automated and pumping out supplies as they follow the final directives of a civilisation that has long been dead. When a butterfly (seemingly one of the last few organic things left) comes onto the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Retro Machina is a game for hardcore gamers. Retro Machina is a hand-drawn action-adventure game set on a planet covered in lush plantation and the remains of an old long-forgotten human civilization. But ruins are not the only thing you're going to find! Discover the retroscape city Endeavor, the only intact remaining sign of human life on the planet, inhabited only by the robots created to maintain it. A Huge Leap Developed by Orbit Studio formed up in 2016 and based in São Paulo, Brazil,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2 Minute Video Review: https://youtu.be/qvh5VTqU7tc If you prefer a written version, here's a modified version of my script: In Retro Machina you’re just a random droid of many doing your usual assembly job, but suddenly a pretty butterfly lands nearby and distracts you causing you to stop working. This triggers a malfunction alarm making the automatic system want to replace you, so you have no choice but to escape the factory by being yeeted of a cannon, and explore this ruined futuristic…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first thing that caught my eye, and because of what I decided to buy this game was an incredibly beautiful design and graphics. I really liked the overall color scheme of the game! Objects in a futuristic style will also not be able to escape your attention. The gameplay is intuitive, but each new puzzle will make you think carefully, be prepared for this. For me, it's 8-9 points.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Initially this game seems to be right up my ally. Retro graphics,stylized art style, pretty responsive controls, post-apocalyptic world that you reveal through bits and pieces of lor eyou come across as you play, puzzles...And yet I got absolutely no enjoyment out of it. Controls are responsive, but there's no depth. The combat at the begining of the game is exactly the same as in the end of the game, with just a few more things added to dodge, bullt-hell style. The story seems cool, but you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If I could make a neutral recommendation for this I would. This game is pretty slow and repetitive most of the time. You have the powers to hit stuff and take control of robots. The puzzles are all very straightforward and consist of just taking control of things in order and moving stuff around. You don't have much option on which way to go most of the time. The combat isn't challenging. You can improve some of your abilities but there is really no character growth. The graphics and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice graphics but save points do not seem to be well thought out; need to play large amounts of the level again (and collect health points) if you "die"!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing game. Full package, with beautiful hand-drawn visuals, very unique world, nice soundtrack and characters, lots of content and cool ideas, 8+hrs campaign, fantastic level design and puzzles, and decent combat. Lots of fun in this gameplay driven experience. I really enjoyed the game. Best indie of the year so far.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR: The ability to take control of every enemy (except bosses) is the most fun part of this game. Besides that, the game looks great and the plot is well-developed with a satisfying conclusion. Combat feels lacking, but taking control of an enemy to wreak havoc on the battlefield makes up for it. Level design flows nicely when you first travel through a stage but makes backtracking a bit of a chore. Full review Retro Machina is an action/puzzle game with some interesting elements. You play…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an ok game. Why? Well, it starts out really atmospheric and great. The art style is lovely. But the longer you play, the more its weak points are noticeable. For example: The Humans are gone and you venture through an abandoned world. But even an abandoned world can be lively. But not here. There isn't much moving in the world, you cannot interact with your surroundings besides of puzzle elements, you won't find friendly NPCs or POI. You will find documents that explains what happened…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice story and art. Gameplay and puzzles are on the simple side. Worth exploring for the world story and beautiful art direction
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unplayable. Controls are terrible with a controller and worse with a keyboard. No mouse support of course.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In a world run by automation comes the story of a broken robot who, against all odds, strikes on a mission of self-discovery and exploration. In Retro Machina you will find yourself taking control of a dysfunctional robot who wants to find out where he is and what happened to the world around him. You will be tasked with traveling through 3 main areas to unlock new skills, uncover some of the mysteries of the world you find yourself in, and you will also have to deal with the robots, traps, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game, overall, is pretty decent. Two things kept me coming back to it: the beautiful art (both the environments and the collectibles) and the intriguing story. The art in this game is exactly what it says on the tin: hundreds of detailed environments drawn in Jetons-esque, retrofuturistic style. If you're a sucker for that, like I am, then you'll definitely enjoy moving throughout the game's many locations. And while the basic premise of the story (robot escapes from an AI-run factory,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice. Game. I dig the environmental design and retro illustrations. The ability to control enemies is also pretty cool but slightly underwhelming due to it not being very meaningful much of the time. Overall though its a unique game and you won't find many like this in terms of length and depth and category. I can see myself completing it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good indie game for sure! + Nostalgic value + Graphics, sound and general art design + Character upgrades, new skills + Well balanced difficulty + Puzzles that force your brain to work + Interesting banners that reveals some story lines + Ability to capture other mechs and control them - Not the most convenient controls for PC users - At the first big quest in the city, the direction in which you need to move is unclear - The first target of capturing with mind control is not always the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm looking good and retro My metal wrench is hetero My head emitting ray I rule and you obey 10 dominated inferior mechs / 10, but not a single functional Delorean to take us on a ride. Totally worth playing!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Retro Machina is a beautifully hand-drawn retro-futuristic action-adventure game where you play as a small robot exploring a world left behind by humans. Its unique machine-control mechanics and atmospheric visuals make it stand out, even if it’s shorter and slower-paced than bigger titles. Overall, it’s a creative and stylish indie experience that’s definitely worth playing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you've played games like Fallout or Bioshock, then you'll be comfortable with the retro-futuristic setting. Gameplay is shown from a top-down isometric perspective with real-time combat and puzzles involving controlling robots as you explore the place. -Exploration, while sometimes slow, is rewarded with character upgrades that are kind of a must-get, especially in the late game. There's also collectibles in the form of illustrations and text with various characters explaining what's going…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game. A controller makes the difficult areas with strong enemies a bit easier to deal with, so I'd suggest you get one. The map is a little off so there are some times where you'll be looking for a collectible and the map might confuse you. Other than that, I'd say that the game is quite alright.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://youtu.be/tODaKBI1ZPg Retro Machina Today we have a look at the game "Retro Machina". It’s in my list of the best indie games which released in May, and I decided to take a closer look at it. In a world populated by robots, you play the role of a defective model that has been sent to the junkyard. But something went wrong and the robot escaped and now wants to fix itself and find out what happened to the world. By the way, the game world is our planet in an alternative future, when flat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. The only thing I didn't like was that it requires a lot of backtracking if you want to try to find all the collectibles and open all the doors. The map is pretty confusing -- on the last level I could not find my way to a door marked on the map no matter which way I went, so gave up and carried on.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll say from the start that I really enjoyed playing this game. I first heard the game a few weeks before its release and its futuristic, post-apocalyptic, art-deco style looked really good to me. The game is a isometric adventure game where you, a little robot, have to explore, collect things and fight, or control, other robots. The game plays great and is addictive (I finished it in three about 3hr sessions). It isn't necessary to do absolutely everything to get the good ending of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a gorgeous and fun game this is! The first thing that caught my eye was the fantastic artwork. The puzzle solving and combat is fun and challenging. The music fits perfectly with the game too. Your robot character can obtain upgrades and get more powerful throughout the course of the game. The robot enemies that you encounter have some very unique abilities and are useful helping you solve certain puzzles. Another bonus is that you can search and collect files and letters at different…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first thing I’d like to say is that the Retro Machina world looks great and it is nice to explore! I was also pleased with the appearance of the enemy robots and their descriptions on the banners. In particular, it was fun to see the robo-boxer, and fight him :D Many puzzles were really difficult, and took me dozens of minutes to complete. Yes, sometimes it takes me a long time to come to a decision. In the beginning, I remember how I tried to turn the lever for a long time while jumping…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great example of a game that is slightly hampered by the fact that it's a game. Full review: https://www.keengamer.com/articles/reviews/pc-reviews/retro-machina-review-captivating-monotony-pc/ The amount of charm to Retro Machina is undeniable—nostalgic, beautifully crafted visuals; a sense of ambition, and a dedication to classic sci-fi. Frustratingly, it also falls victim to a trap of sticking to one or two gameplay formulas that sound better on paper than otherwise. I predict the game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very underrated isometric zeldavania. Perfect Steam Deck games. Reminds me a lot of Hob.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a nice looking handdrawn isometric game that sometimes is very hard to understand based on the visuals. Remote control mechanic is the most interesting thing about it, but the puzzles it is used for end up very simple box + button situations and while you can dominate in combat using hacking, you end up awkwardly fighting the robot you hacked at the end. And if you pick a big one, it just one shots you forcing the combat to start over. Unfortunately the whole thing comes off very slow and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome Game, wish there were more like this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, this is a neat little game. It's really hard at time, especially that second boss like what were they thinking? But it's good, plays OK, music is decent, the plot is not spectacular and not new but decent nonetheless. 30/40, recommended!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I barely even got started in this game before I discovered how terrible the controls are when using a keyboard. Some keys can't be used at all, like trying to use shift by itself for an action. Some keys you can map to but are completely ignored because the game itself uses it, like enter. You can map to it but it'll always open the game menu. Even better, WASD is used to navigate the menu and also to move. However, if you remap your movement keys it's still WASD, or the arrow keys, to navigate…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic little game. Play with a controller. keyboard and mouse control is useless.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →t's cute and fun. There are some areas where I feel further development would help but I do enjoy it :-)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →kinda relaxing, only a few fights are difficult
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great Puzzle-adventure game with gorgeous art. If you enjoy puzzle games and exploring this is something you might want to look into. The gameplay where you control another robot and still can run around yourself was something I personally have never encountered before in any game. Took a little to get used to but works perfectly when you do. I do recommend using a controller like suggested when you start up the game. Twin sticks make it a bit easier to control your own robot and the one he…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Retro Machina is a good game. It does exactly what it sets out to do, but doesn’t really go above. With a story told primarily through the world you traverse, the beautifully hand-drawn graphics and varied techno tunes will accompany you to the truth of this world. However, the combat and puzzles are, while still okay, a bit on the lackluster side. If you check out the trailers and think you might like Retro Machina, then its € 15 steam price tag will probably do you right for the adventure…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It one of the best brazilian games I have seen to date. Soon, I will have a more detailed review of the blog and gameplays on my channel!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Went in expecting a linear puzzle-action game. What I got was a 2.5D metroidvania styled game set in multiple sprawling levels. Had a blast, absolutely worth the price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Retro Machina is an action/puzzle/exploration game where you're controlling a little robot, unlocking new areas and fighting other bots hell-bent on stopping you. I really liked the art style. It's quite colorful and reminded me a lot of The Jetsons. The puzzles aren't that hard. Most of the time, you'll need to perform some actions with the help of one or more other robots, which you can control by hacking into them. This is a mechanic commonly used in both puzzles and combat. During combat,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Retro Machina is an isometric action-adventure that blends exploration, environmental puzzles, and light combat into a cohesive experience defined as much by its atmosphere as its mechanics. Developed by Orbit Studio and published by SuperGG.com, it takes place in a world where humanity has mysteriously vanished, leaving behind a network of robots still dutifully following long-abandoned directives. You control a small service robot that begins to malfunction—an anomaly in a system built on…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Retro Machina is a generally well working game. - very nice graphics - fine action combat - good puzzling with the controlling robots mechanics It also has a lot of exploring. In the exploring section, the game has a bit more weaknesses. A few more teleporters to reduce backtracking would have made it better. If you happened to miss something, the map is just okayish to find spots you missed. Sometimes the keycards are very visible on the map once the part of the map is entered, and sometimes…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I highly recommend this game to fans of puzzle/platformer/action/adventure. It's very well thought off, and apart from a few QOL issues, I think this game really gave me the creative and adventurous boost I needed. Also the art is 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a 2.5D isometric metroidvania with simple combat and simple puzzles, hence the short time it takes to complete the game. While the game looks good initially, it quickly becomes monotonous. There is not a huge variety of enemy types, most of them have a variant that adds health and damage but doesn't change how they function. There is nothing revolutionary here and nothing original. It's just fine, and being just fine with such limited complexity added to having no replayability means…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Jogo incrível, a arte é sensacional, a mecânica é fácil e divertida, o jogo é bem contemplativo e prende bastante, só 3 horas se jogo mas já se tornou meu jogo Br favorito
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An Action Adventure that's flawed but makes up for that with it's Retro-Futuristic art direction. Retro Machina, developed by Orbit Studios, is best described as a Action Adventure game that mixes both combat and puzzles. The game follows a little robot, who's name loses me, as he stumbles outside the floating City of Endeavor and now has to explore the abandoned locations nearby to find a way to fix himself. Along the way he fights hordes of hostile robots, solve puzzles, and smash every…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so good, feels very nostalgic/retro. basic uncomplicated gameplay made this great game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed this game. The level design is really good. Also, being able to control enemies adds an enjoyable twist that leads to some fun puzzles and combat strategies.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fun isometric action adventure that gives me the same vibes as software on a Game Boy Advance which is something I've been looking for in this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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