Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2024
The Mobius Machine
Developer Madruga Works
Discover a vast alien world. Fight the ferocious local fauna and killer machines. Reveal its secrets and find a way to escape. The Mobius Machine is a side-scroller action adventure, with an emphasis on free-form exploration and intense combat. From the Steam store page
204 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Sep 10, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
81
LovedLoved
155 positive · 37 negative
95% range 75–86%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 155 | 37 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
12 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
416 of 497 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 204 · most liked firstThe mobius machine is a metroidvania with great audio/visuals, genuinly fun boss fights & a sprawling map that is super open ended. So then how come i'm not recommending it? To say it frankly it gets boring/frustrating after the initial few hours. Combat is genuinly mind numbing & frustrating against the regular enemies, all environments feel the same, the exploration feels unrewarding & there's no real sense of direction or flow to the levels. This game made me do two things i normally don't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 26 to March 1. Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 26 to March 1 ______________________________________ Bio Inc. Redemption – February 27 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery A complex biomedical simulator in which you make life or death decisions. Create the ultimate illness to infect and torment your victim or play as the head of a medical team and hopefully find a cure to save your patient. Will you be the plague or preserve…
unlabelledView post →This was easily one of the best games I have played in a really long time. The game really never drops in quality. Gameplay was amazing, with an insane amount of build diversity built around the weapons and stats, and every character has a particular use that makes them a viable party member. I used pretty much everyone throughout different parts of the game. Tons of bonus areas/content/challenges toward the end that I am still digging through. This feels like an older JRPG in this regard, but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →extremely repetitive and with a crafting system based weapon progression (a big no-no for metroidvanias imo) The Mobius Machine is only noteworthy for it's really cool name. I found myself bored, lost, and unsatisfied by the exploration through many very repetitive environments and never really found myself having fun. The soundtrack is also pretty rough, never elevating beyond light synths. 3/5.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have been playing video games for a very long time (way too long) and I now have a new game in my all time favourites list. For me this is the #1 Metroidvania. What a great time I had getting 100% in this game. The difficulty, pacing, graphics, sound and game play are absolutely fantastic. The animation of the main character and the enemies was great. It is a shame it had to end. It is sad a wider audience did not see this game. I can't wait to play Madruga Works' next game! (If you need…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Mobius Machine on Steam.
unlabelledView post →i like games that require upgrades or new gear to be able to unlock new areas of the map but this game is very frustrating because you do ALOT of going back and forth looking for new ways. small passages close up again and again even tho you opened them already so you gotta do a 5 min detour if you accidently passes thru them. I'm 21 hours in and i need some sorta double jump to get thru 90% of hidden passages and i can't find it. but the game itself is fun if it wasn't for the amount of time…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good metroidvania. Though it can feel a tad too long at times. If you like to explore, get a bit lost sometimes, and shooting disgusting aliens (a lot), this game might be for you. Cool Stuff + Looots of branching paths. It that sense, the exploration and level design are very good (as long as you can handle to have heaps of alternative paths to explore). + Satisfying progression, though if you get lost a lot it could feel slow. + Game feel is good in general. + Lots of collectables and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We've just released an update with some fixes for our game #TheMobiusMachine store.steampowered.com/news/app/228... #IndieGame #Gamedev #Metroidvania #Lowpoly #MadeWithUnity
unlabelledView post →I wanted to like this more than I do. It has all the ingredients I Iike but the mix feels bland like a service station sandwich. Everything's so perfunctory. Or, to doom it with faint praise: it's nice. Playing it, though, feels like a chore. Levels are a continuous slog battling cookie-cutter enemies with possibly the most unexciting and frustrating arsenal since Daikatana. Enjoy firing 20+ shots at the yellow gas-bag things every. single. time. for what feels like ages until you finally…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Mobius Machine is an unexciting Metroidvania weighed down by repetition and tedious design choices. Its biggest flaw is lack of enemy variety. Encounters are built around a small pool of enemies, many of which simply split into more foes or explode near the player. Instead of feeling tense or strategic, combat becomes a repetitive slog. This is particularly disappointing given that I normally enjoy combat-driven games, but here the encounters feel stretched out thanks to minimal weapon…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall, this is a competent game that gets the bones right, but doesn't have any oomph to draw players compared to the new classics of the genre. It's unoffensive, but not exciting. Pros: Game runs well, no obvious framerate or performance issues on RTX 3070 at Ultra Game looks beautiful, enemies and environments stand out against foreground and background assets well Cons: Enemies aren't pleasant to fight. Consistently too much health and overly aggressive attack tracking, combined…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Update2: Just finished the game after approx 45 hours. 10/10 Every bit as impressed as when I wrote the earlier reviews. I see a few people have mentioned the game can seem grindy at times. Here are a few tips to prevent mindless wandering: -> Check the map - look for areas that aren't fully explored. -> On the map, do you have diamonds anywhere? Those are the blue upgrade orbs. -> It can help to take a screenshot of a section of the map and note what parts are blocked - there's always…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decent Metroidvania With Some Rough Edges I remembered I had played this game's demo during Steam Next Fest two years ago. At the time the gameplay wasn't captivating enough because of the length and the plain art style. The run'n'gun felt way too simple, the pace rather slow. Naturally I put this one off for some time. Now after playing it through, I can confidently say my initial impression is partially wrong. The Mobius Machine is a decent metroidvania that leans more towards the "metroid"…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, It's not bad nor great, the game is simple and straight forward, no story, just a Platforming side scroller, the design is beautiful, music is simple and the game is developed by a team of 4 or 5 at max so you can't expect that much, however, somethings could have been better or improved. 1-The map system is not that good, even after you finish the game with all upgrades and gears, you can't access each area easily and you have to do a lot of platforming to reach a certain point.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished the game and I'm already sad that it's over. The mobius machine manages to ride that fine balance between challenging and fun. With a great map design where going back through older sections isn't a chore, but is a nice relaxing moment when you go through previously unreachable parts with your newly unlocked tool, before you take a new go at that section boss that is just on the edge of beatable.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfortunately this metroidvania's weaknesses outweigh its strengths. On the plus side, the graphics are nice, but perhaps because of this, the biomes are look quite similar. Things feel very same-y, particularly towards the end of the game. There aren't many bosses, their designs/concepts are underwhelming, and they are quite easy. On the other hand, the regular enemies are more dangerous than in most metroidvanias, which by itself is fine, but is an issue given the game's biggest issue: it's…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought and played it after the 1.1.1 update, which apparently was crucial to improve the game's difficulty balancing. Graphics: Possibly the most impressive part of the game, the graphics are really good for this type of game. I have a very average computer, so I played on the mid settings at 1080p (my screen isn't big so I don't need 4k) and the game already looks amazing in this configuration. Some people report having problems to run it at max settings/4k, but I don't know about that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a tough review to write. Metroidvania is my favorite genre and I've played most of them. This one has nice music, beautiful art, tight controls, interesting enemies and obstacles. The downside is the design of the whole map . It needs to be about 25% smaller, as it feels like it has lots of extra padding just to use up time. Most of the paths end up circling back on each other, which IS nice if it provides a shortcut for later, but in this case I feel like I just explored many areas for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beat it in 15.7 hours, but only to like 75% completion. Fun little Metroidvania game. Don't listen to the reviews complaining about backtracking and taking forever, there are a lot of fast travel points with the last update and there are a lot of QoL features that make traveling and exploration not such a slog. It's a little bit simple, and pretty short, but I had plenty of fun with it for the price tag. But now I just want to go back and play Shadow Complex for the 10th time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Mobius Machine coming on Steam 1 Mar; demo available.
unlabelledView post →In a year of very strong competition, The Mobius Machine remains one of my favorite metroidvania though due to how it is structured it’s an acquired taste that won’t be for everyone. It follows the typical sci-fi-flavored outings of the genre with your protagonist crash-landing on a world with a failed human colony overrun by mutant aliens or whatever they are supposed to be and you trying to find a way to leave the planet. The rest is very typical for the genre, 7 large sectors to explore,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For the part of the game accessible to me, I thought the level design was generally good, though some of the inter-connecting zones tended to drag on a bit. Even with shortcuts and fast-travel, getting around the map becomes tedious after a while. Enemy design is also good. There are several base kinds of enemies, like the ones that float towards you, the ones that crawl along the walls, shooting versions of these, ones that crash down from above, etc. Each region/biome has its own variation on…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played the game 15h to the final boss. The bosses wore me out, and I don't think I will beat that guy. Reaching the end was only possible using Demajen's Map, the game is huge and a very dense labyrinth. I would recommend the game for metroidvania fans, but be warned, this game is extremely difficult and lacks any accessibility features. Bosses are very hard and uneven, especially the early ones are too difficult and frustrating. There is a lot of backtracking that takes ages, crafting…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A small studio, bursting with passion, put out a game I enjoy more than any recent Metroidvania in the last 10 years, besides Metroid Dread. A wonderful little game that doesn't get everything right, but doesn't seem like they were trying to, in a good way. Their decision to be thorough and fully committed to their vision made the game far more satisfying than attempting to check all of the boxes of the genre. The ambience is palpable in each environment. The decor is obvious and subtle,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Mobius Machine is a 2024 metroidvania that takes place on an alien moon. Our astronaut hero will fight multiple crazy monsters, upgrade his abilities in class metroidvania style, and get thoroughly lost in a map of mazes. Let's start with a couple of the games negative aspects. Primarily, it is the map and simply navigating the game. There isn't a whole lot of direction where to go, which isn't necessarily bad, if you could just make progress no matter what direction you went. But until…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a game that seems like it has so much potential at first, but after playing for (only) 1.5 hours, it feels like it's just repeating itself. The graphics are cool to look at, but after 1.5 hours of the same backgrounds, the same enemies, the very generic music and the not very engaging level design I decided it wasn't worth it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Backtracking Simulator. In a maze. Without map; or when you finally get a sector map, it's tiny and utterly useless. With an atrocious level design built on gotchas at nearly every step. Which forces you to redo an entire sector, with zero motivation, when you miss 1 jump (that is, if you recall how to reach the spot.) With crafting; at a workbench; at the other end of the world. And with mobs constantly respawning, as if poor design will have to be mindlessly copied from older titles until the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For anybody that was on the fence like I was due to some of the negative reviews, let me tell you that this is a very solid metroid-like. It controls great, twenty hours in and not a single bug, the map system is one of the better ones once you unlock it. I understand some of the gripes about repetitive and that is the only thing holding me back from singing this game praise. I wish the dev had put more effort into diversifying the biomes and enemies, but the bosses are fun and it's a pretty…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →41 hours later and it's finally finished. I find it hard to come to the end of a game that is as genuinely enjoyable as this is after investing so much time in it - unless there is something else lined up to start playing immediately after, there always seems to be a short period when a game is done that leaves me listless. I don't know what the best way to review this game would be - no matter what I think someone is always going to come along and disagree with an opinion. For me, i picked up…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a great game! There is a lot to explore. The graphics are good and I'm having fun. Ignore the negative reviews. If you like metroidvania side scrollers then this game could be for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Mobius Machine is a throw back to the Metroid-Vania classics. What it lacks in story it more than makes up gameplay and design. Expect to travel back and forth to old area as new abilities allow better traversal to new locations. the doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel but it does give it a shiny nice coat of paint in a science fiction layout. if you've enjoyed the Castlevania series especially or Metroid definatly give this gem a try
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A really great Metroidvania, not too difficult, but not too easy either. I’d say it’s very well balanced. I can definitely recommend The Möbius Machine!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome graphics (Run great on ROG Ally)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good graphics and map
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really want to like this game, the design (characters and level design) is nice, nice ideas. But the main issue I have with it are the level design (the repetitive parts) causing navigation issues for me. Backtracking is horrible, the map areas are too big for their own good, the respawning enemies and how much of a tank they can be at times even with upgraded weapons feel more annoying than challenging. Not allowed to take shortcuts too or your booster except for puzzles at best since…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice exploration type metroidvania that has NO melee combat. I really appreciate that as a Metroid fan. Some of the platforming sections are just copied and pasted from different areas of the game, but that's ok. The story is kinda basic, but the exploration is super good. Lots of hidden stuff, and good mechanics. The enemies are pretty varied, and the bosses are somewhat unique. I'd have loved for this game to last another 10 hours or so.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Mobius Machine was a game I picked up after Axiom Verge because I was looking for more Metroid-Like games. This game is very fun to play with smooth controls and good movement. There isn’t really that much of a story which I think is completely fine because it just lets you freely explore an abandoned alien world with very little pauses for dialogue. I liked the bosses even though there were very few of them. They were not hard, but they were fun at the same time. A complaint I have is that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Highly recommended! It's one of those metroidvania that certainly needs time to breathe and evolve. It's very smooth and calming, bosses are fun and not frustrating. Madruga really knows their stuff. I didn't particularly like it in the beginning but once you have certain platforming abilities and sufficient weaponry it becomes a very fascinating, fun and unique game. There is no double jump ability, which is interesting in itself (but there is something else, don't want to spoil). The level…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As I write this, The Möbius Machine has a recent rating of "Mixed" on Steam, and that feels unfair. It's a competently made Metroid-like with some of the best art direction/graphics I've seen in a 2.5D platformer, enjoyable combat and satisfying exploration. I wasn't even bothered for 2/3 of my playthrough by the reuse of enemies and level design as it offered up opportunities for the game to either prepare me for a familiar challenge or play with my expectations. There's a weirdly, pleasantly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a very solid Metroidvania with a pretty huge and open map, lots of secrets to find and quite a lot of potential sequence breakers. Great visuals and fluid control, interesting enemies and well designed bosses. Also props for including some unique abilities that act as substitutes for more traditional ones like double jump or air dash. The level design is really well crafted around these and makes backtracking and exploration feel satisfying.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: Pretty good metroivania with a heavy focus on exploration. Had fun clearing out the map. Shortcuts you can unlock can be satisfying. Interesting visual design for the environment and enemies. Just about the right game length. Enjoyed it with M+KB, which is quite rare. And a nice change of pace. Cons: Combat against regular enemies is unfortunately tedious even when heavily upgraded. Basic blaster does the job 95% of the time so I rarely had any reason to swap from it. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When the game started, I thought I had found the next Metroid Dread. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear why this game never gained much recognition. Visually, it's outstanding—easily one of the best-looking Metroidvanias out there. However, the environments lack variety, making every area feel too similar to the last. The two biggest flaws, in my opinion, are: Enemies – They're nothing more than bullet sponges. They don't feel challenging, just tedious. Map design – The game often…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a very UNDERRATED game from the development studio madruga works, probably harmed by the unhealthy obsession that exists in the community today for some titles. Granted, it's not perfect (neither is its budget) but it offers something that is what all of us here should be looking for, simple and pure FUN. It's a real shame it's not having the success it deserves. Don't be fooled by elitist opinions and give it a chance, it deserves it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game! It's beautifully animated, with an adorable spaceperson in a 3d world, with 2d gameplay. The combat is lighter than some (I just learned this term) "Gated exploration platformers" but still challenged me, especially the bosses. There is a nice little story, also lighter than your usual 'troid or 'vania. Powerups are simple (by which I mean don't expect screen clearing screw attack triple jumps) and new equipment is meaningful. The map is good, but it can be unclear where…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Take the best Metroidvania elements, put in the mobility of Contra, the enemies from Megaman and you get The Mobius Machine. What's not to love? Do yourself a favor and just get it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Mobius Machine is overall an okay metroidvania. I had to think hard about whether to give a thumbs up or down, as this game has plenty of faults and I tend to find negative reviews more helpful for the consumer since positive ones tend to be just gushing or memes for most games, but ultimately given this game's current review score and the fact that I was willing to play to 100% completion I decided to recommend. So let me go over what I liked real quick: * the art style was pretty good…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For $20 bucks, I'm willing to let the negative aspects of the game not dictate the playing experience. ...or so I thought. I mean The Mobius Machine does look better than 90% of most Metroidvania's. The graphics are beautiful. But, after over an hour of playtime, I wasn't willing to continue to wander around aimlessly not really knowing where/what to do. Endlessly exploring a lot of the same paths you've been previously. I still would have continued but the map never updated. Ever! I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like this game! It has an old-school feel, lots of exploration and wonderful graphics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very good game! Neat and easy on the eye, not very difficult.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good, if somewhat flawed, little Metroid experience that surprised me in a pleasant way. Fully 2.5D games are a rarity in this space, so I commend the development team for taking that route, and the art suitably mixes alien landscapes and unnerving strange beings with familiar concrete and steel structures, and seeing the lighting visibly shift between zones was a good way to keep things distinct. I'd have liked to see a bit more variety in two certain late-game areas, but 3D environments…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun little metroidvania. I dig the setting and the art design. It has all the usual elements that you look for in these games. It's not breaking much new ground, but it performs the formula very well with some interesting quirks. Story is very light, but I'm ok with that.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Mobius Machine is a confident and expansive take on the Metroidvania formula, offering a carefully crafted blend of exploration, action, and sci-fi atmosphere that feels both familiar and thoughtfully modern. The game places you in the role of a lone astronaut whose rescue mission goes disastrously wrong, leaving you stranded on an alien planet filled with the remnants of a failed colonization effort. This premise immediately establishes a tone of isolation and mystery, framing the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A game with strong visuals and not enough variety. The enemies either charge you, shoot an arc, or shoot a homing object. Then they get reused over and over occasionally with a coat of paint. A lot of the traversal is rather tedious and repetitive. Upgrades also don't give any meaningful improvement to combat where you will just as easily die on max HP as you start.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →amazing art and space ambient
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very nice gameplay. Good story and normal difficulty level. Graphics and music they are designed very nicely. I enjoyed this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a solid metroidvania with beautiful graphics and some unique abilities. However, it is not without its flaws. The environment themes get a bit old and feel the same as you go deeper into the game. You have some water environments and underground tunnels but most of everything else was a mix of dry desert and abandoned buildings. This wouldn't be much of a problem except the world is full of huge maze-like areas. You are rewarded for backtracking and exploring every nook and cranny but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tho may not quite be my favourite Metroid-like game, I do think that it is probably the best. It feels like the dev's have really studied the genre because this feels like the culmination of decades of knowledge. First, lets start with controls. On gamepad, you move with left stick and aim your gun with right stick and fire with left and right triggers, and while you hold down fire, your gun will continue firing in the last direction you pointed the right stick, so that you can run and jump…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mobius Machine – A Slow Build That Builds Into Something Special At first glance, Mobius Machine may seem like a slow burn. You start with the basics, and traversal feels a bit restrictive. The world appears vast yet repetitive, as if you’re trapped in a map that loops through the same environments. But as you push forward and expand your skillset, the game transforms into an ever-shifting sci-fi adventure, packed with platforming madness and a growing sense of discovery. A Visual Delight…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is frustrating beyond belief!! That being said, once you learn how to play/control/aim/shoot well enough.... you progress and it is excruciatingly difficult all over again. This may not sound like a plus for a game but when you do manage to scrape by the next area or next boss you really feel you have earned it 100% and actually accomplished something. The graphics are beautiful like so many have said and the music is powerful as well, it really gives you a feeling of being all…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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