no img no img

Write what you are looking for and press enter to begin your search!

Logo
live-news-icon

Live News

Virtus.pro Enters MLBB With A New All-Female Roster: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Latest Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Episodes Features Cameos From Several Marvel Heroes: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here // Hideo Kojima To Unveil More Death Stranding 2 Details At SXSW: In an intense match, the Lone Wolves came out victorious. Read all about the big night here
post-16 post-13

Stonefly Features Bug Mechs, Isometric Combat, & Tons Of Grinding

Platform: PC
Genre: Isometric action-adventure bug mecha-piloting chillax odyssey

We know that mechas and mechs are huge lumbering walking death-dealing machines. However, the indie action-adventure game Stonefly (made by the same folks behind Creature In The Well) might change that perception. In this world where humans are Lilliputian in scale, they can also pilot speedy mechas that can fly and glide gracefully in the air while raining bullets from below.

From a narrative and world-building point of view, Flight School Studio (who made the pinball-tastic Creature In The Well) did a bang-up job. You play a girl named Annika (or Ann) who has a knack for piloting and fixing up bug mechas. One day, her dad’s mecha got stolen. Seeing that you let that incident happen in the first place, it’s up to you to take responsibility and find the thief who stole it. Thus begins a tale where you pilot and fly tiny mechas that can mine for minerals, stun them with downward laser blasts, and push them off the cliff with gusts of air from your wings.

You experience the world of Stonefly through a magnifying glass, playing as Ann as you discover how the forest world works while joyriding in your bugged-out mech. You can upgrade its fighting and flying capabilities, making sure it’s up to par against the many adversaries in the beautifully rendered world with a rich storybook feel (all colour, no outlines look) with slow-paced background music instilling a “chillax” vibe.

It’s a pity that the game’s main gameplay loop requires you to grind for resources while its main missions just feel like copies of each other as you wade on through.

A Bug’s Life

Remember when I said combat against bugs? Well, you don’t outright kill them. You instead push them away from the platform(s) you’re on, though you need to fire “special bullets” at their vulnerable spots to stun them. As you’ll get more upgrades and tools for combat, you’ll also be fighting bigger and tougher bugs that require more than just stunning; you may need to use certain gadgets to expose their thoraxes and weak bits, or just protect yourself from a horde of them.

Even if you’re overwhelmed, Stonefly is rather generous with your mech’s HP. You can take quite a beating, and even if you “die”, you just warp back to camp with the resources you previously gathered. This is also helpful because when you’re exploring, it can be hard to gauge where you’re landing. Yes, there’s a white line-and-circle combo that tells you whether that branch or leaf can be docked onto. Half the time, however, I’m wondering whether I’m at the correct height when I’m trying to fly from point A to point B, only to realize at the last second that I am not. Thus, instant plummet and health subtracted.

You’ll need to understand the gist of combat because of Stonefly’s other gameplay objective: gather up materials from all sorts of places. Your mecha can draw and collect minerals from ore deposits placed throughout each location and region. You’ll be doing this a lot.

No-Fly Zone

In fact, the game gatekeeps you until you get a certain upgrade or two, and that means farming for materials from previously-visited locations. The tedium piles up since you need to also find Alpha Aphids that have a ton of materials on their backs, moreso than the levels. To access an Alpha Aphid stage, you need to search for “light bugs” scattered throughout the region. Find enough, and you get to play through a timed section where the insect hordes are never-ending but the bounty is plentiful.

The first time you do this isn’t too bad. But later levels and sections require you to get equipped with expensive mecha gear, and that means more time dedicated to farming, finding light bugs, and entering numerous Alpha Aphid stages. While incredibly repetitive, it’s the only way to open up Ann’s mecha combat potential since you have more tools for later segments.

Still, a little more variety in stages and quests design would help elevate this title above and beyond like the machine she’s piloting. I’d still recommend Stonefly if you’re looking for a fun and “chillaxing” game; it’s beautiful to look at and listen to (OST courtesy of Natureboy Flako), and it’s fun to play a nimble and agile flight-capable mecha that isn’t from an anime for once. Just take the experience in spurts; you’ll get disillusioned playing it for the long haul.

Pros

  • Lovely storybook artwork & narrative.
  • Great music.
  • Fun mecha-piloting & isometric-style gameplay.

Cons

  • Grinding for materials can get repetitive.
  • Lack of variety in missions.
  • Tough to gauge where your mecha can land at times.

Final Score: 70/100

Related News

post-07
Splatoon 3 Demo Available End Of The Month; Here Are More Details About The Game

Nintendo has dished out new information about its upcoming Nintendo Switch-exclusive multiplayer third-person shooter Splatoon 3.  First up, there...

post-07
The New PS5 'Slim' Model Officially Launches In Malaysia Next Week

PlayStation Asia has announced that the new PS5 'Slim' model will be available in Malaysia from 20 February 2024 with the Suggested Retail Price (SRP)...

post-07
Looks Like We're Getting Persona 5: The Royal

All those rumours about a new version of Persona 5 are coming true. Just recently, Atlus released a teaser for Persona 5: The Royal for PS4. It'll be...

Write a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tournament Tool Kit

Latest Video

Follow Us

Recent Posts

post-17
Captain America Brave New World: Five Things To Know If You’re Not Keeping Up With The MCU
post-17
Street Fighter 6 World Tour Guide: How To Find Mai Shiranui
post-17
SNK Did Mai Shiranui’s Definitive Theme Justice In Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
post-17
Daredevil Born Again Trailer Breakdown: Kingpin, Muse, White Tiger & More
post-17
Honkai Star Rail 3.0 The Herta Guide
post-17
Our Most Anticipated Games Of 2025
post-17
Kakuchopurei’s Southeast Asia Game Awards & Appreciation 2024
post-17
The Best 40 Games Of 2024
post-17
Must-Watch Animes This Winter: 2025 Season
post-17
Heroes We Need To Come To Marvel Rivals
post-17
[Updated] Comic Fiesta 2024: What You Need To Know
post-17
Marvel Rivals: The Best Heroes To Counter Iron Fist
post-17
Marvel Rivals: The Best Heroes To Counter Jeff The Land Shark
post-17
Path Of Exile 2 Early Access: All Uniques In The Game So Far
post-17
Infinity Nikki: All Dungeons & Boss Guides & Walkthroughs
post-17
Path of Exile 2 Early Access: All Ascendancy Nodes Revealed
post-17
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle: PC Specs & Southeast Asia Launch Times Revealed
post-17
Infinity Nikki Gacha & Monetization Explained
post-17
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – How To Increase Carry Weight?
post-17
These Are The Finalist Games For Apple’s App Store Awards
post-17
The Best Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals To Get: Gaming & Hardware Edition
post-17
Virtus.pro Enters MLBB With A New All-Female Roster
post-17
Macross -Shooting Insight Review: Anime Series Game Cashgrab #3256
post-17
Latest Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Episodes Features Cameos From Several Marvel Heroes
post-17
Hideo Kojima To Unveil More Death Stranding 2 Details At SXSW
post-17
Hellblade 2 Might Be Heading to PS5 Sooner Than Expected
post-17
Street Fighter Live Action E.Honda Actor Has Died
post-17
A New PlayStation State Of Play Is Happening This Thursday
post-17
India-Made Mystery Adventure Game Detective Dotson Demo Is Out Now On Steam
post-17
Stellar Blade Devs Bet Big on PC, Expect It to Outsell PS5