Survival Machine is a survival adventure developed by developer Grape Pickers where players take on the role of adventurers trying to escape an unexpected zombie raid and return to the last pieces of civilization. To survive the zombies roaming the land, players must gather resources, build defenses and fight off raids that try to destroy their colossal machine.
Players can venture across the land to gather materials and upgrades, fend off zombie attacks, build defenses and keep pushing forward with their machine, either alone or with up to three friends. Survival Machine is available on Steam, and I got to review it with a few friends who helped to craft and defend our massive rolling home base.
The tutorial and progression in Survival Machine are done well and are easy to follow. Throughout the adventure, the game constantly gives players tasks and guidelines without putting them under a strict time limit. That means there is almost always something to do, but without the pressure that comes from more punishing titles with more realistic survival requirements. The tutorial is also easy to digest. It teaches players how to move, interact with the world and manage the basics while keeping a helpful control reminder on the side of the screen in case they forget. That is especially useful for new players or anyone who does not regularly play survival titles.
The gameplay loop in Survival Machine is built around three core systems that work together to create a smooth flow. The first is exploration. Players move through the world looking for chests, materials and upgrades that can improve both their character and their mobile base. The machine’s sonar system helps locate specific resources, including various ores needed for tools like axes and hammers, along with other useful upgrades such as extra storage space.
Many locations with chests require players to complete small puzzles or platforming sections to get the best loot. Some involve parkour, while others ask players to place keys in a specific order or solve another environmental challenge. There are usually common-tier chests with basic resources or tools scattered about, while the end of a puzzle or parkour area often rewards players with a rarer chest containing upgraded devices or equipment.
While exploring the outlands, players can let their massive machine auto-accelerate so it continues making progress toward civilization and does not stop while players are off exploring.
However, along the way it will run into obstacles that must be cleared before it can continue. Those roadblocks become unique puzzles of their own, helping break up the routine of gathering and crafting.
The second major part of Survival Machine is base building, and this is where it is at its best. Players can customize the machine with extra furniture, crafting equipment and defensive structures. Some machines transform raw materials into more advanced resources. For example, players who need planks for an upgrade can build a shifter to turn logs into planks. Likewise, potions are a unique tool that you can craft that are useful but not absolutely necessary. I found myself crafting speed potions most often so I could run around the plains faster, and the longer potion duration is a nice bonus to try and get.
The final part of base customization is home defense. Survival Machine does a clean job giving players different defensive options for when zombie raids arrive at night. Players can add auto turrets, cannons, several ballistas and traps with different effects, placing them wherever they want on top of the base. That freedom adds variety, and it lets each player build something a little different.
Combat against zombies includes a weapon system that supports different play styles. Players can lean into melee weapons with fast swings or heavy blows, or they can use ranged options such as multi-shot slingshots and quick pistols. Weapons have different strengths, making it possible to build around critical hits, faster attacks or other properties.
The zombies also have different traits. Some attack from range with dynamite. Others rely on the classic run-and-hit approach. There are tougher enemies with buckets on their heads that require different tactics, and yes, some zombies even fart on players. Every few nights, a horde rushes the machine, and the game shifts into a light tower-defense mode with ballistas, spikes and other defenses doing their work.
Overall, the gameplay experience is solid, but Survival Machine does have some issues. The biggest one is the combat. The weapons offer good variety, but actually fighting the zombies can feel dull even on the hardest difficulty. The zombie AI is easy to read, which is partly in keeping with the game’s charm, but enemies also get caught on bridges, rocks and other pieces of the environment in ways that can break immersion. Dodging and stamina also feel underused. The dodge mechanic is tied to stamina and is supposed to help players move out of the way of zombie attacks. In practice, it feels more like a micro-dash, and players can still remain within enemy attack range after using it. That makes melee feel less satisfying than ranged combat.
Playing on the hardest difficulty also does not feel like a major step up. Zombies become more durable at this level but not necessarily more interesting to fight. After reaching the midgame, they often feel more like a nuisance to run past than a serious challenge to overcome. Custom mode can help players looking for more of a challenge, but in story mode the differences between difficulty settings do not feel significant enough.
Exploration can also start to feel repetitive once players have seen most of the parkour environments. The early sense of wonder fades a bit because there is not enough variety in those sections outside of the main roadblocks stopping the machine. However, the puzzle variety is much stronger, with challenges built around keys, signals, flying totems and other mechanics.
That does not mean the casual experience fails. In fact, Survival Machine works very well as a relaxed game to play with friends, family or younger players. It is a good choice for someone who does not play games often, such as a parent who wants to spend time with a child or anyone who wants to come home from work or school and enjoy something low pressure.
The building system is also close to excellent. Players can create multiple floors, add layers of base defense and customize their moving home in ways that feel satisfying. It is not every day that a title lets you build a base on top of a giant mobile machine. The grind for materials also does not feel tedious, and Survival Machine does a good job making sure players regularly find something new.
The visuals and audio are both pleasing and support Survival Machine’s cartoon-like aesthetic. The art style has a blocky but charming look, and the lighting is especially strong. The machine itself stands out visually whenever players are adventuring, and its giant smoke cloud makes it easy to see where it has gone so players do not get lost. Nighttime can get a little too dark, especially without a dedicated brightness option, but torches and character upgrades help with that problem. Character designs look good, and having different playable character options is a nice touch. I do wish players could mix and match clothing or accessories, though that is more of a small nitpick than a serious problem.
The audio also nails the cartoon survival-adventure style. The music leans into a western outback vibe, while the zombies make charmingly silly noises that players may find themselves imitating. That can lead to some funny moments, especially in co-op. Sometimes, I wished the music from the vintage record players could be used as background music. The tracks are well done, but there is not much reason to stand around listening to them after the first or second time because Survival Machine is always nudging players toward the next objective.
The developers also seem very responsive. Even during this review, they took feedback from me and my fellow players and made changes, and they have done the same for other players as well. When the community asks for a new feature or a fix, it seems like a safe bet that the developers will at least consider the suggestion and possibly try to implement it.
In conclusion, Survival Machine is a great option for anyone looking for a casual survival experience to play with friends or family, or for players who simply want to wind down after a long day and work on their moving home. It has a unique rhythm that is not common in many games, combining exploration, base building, crafting and tower defense on top of a mobile machine. It succeeds by stripping away much of the stress usually associated with zombie survival and turning the concept into a whimsical, low-pressure adventure. I recommend Survival Machine for players looking to get into the genre, especially because even I found myself coming back to it when I needed to relax after a stressful day.
