Mekorama
{{Short description|2016 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Mekorama
| image = Mekorama_Nintendo_Switch_(Digital_Release)_Cover_Art.jpg
| caption = Nintendo Switch cover art
| developer = Martin Magni
| publisher = {{Unbulleted list|
Martin Magni|
Rainy Frog{{efn|For the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One ports.{{Cite web |title=Mekorama |url=https://www.rainyfrog.com/en/game/mekorama |access-date=June 13, 2023 |website=Rainy Frog}}}}
}}
| released = {{Unbulleted list|
iOS|Android|May 15, 2016|
Nintendo Switch|PlayStation 4|PlayStation Vita|Xbox One|March 26, 2020}}
| genre = Puzzle
| modes = Single-player
| platforms = {{Unbulleted list|
|iOS
|Xbox One}}
| designer = Martin Magni
| programmer = Martin Magni
| artist = Martin Magni
| composer = Martin Magni
}}
Mekorama is a puzzle game developed by indie developer Martin Magni. Players control the movement of a robot through paths and various obstacles to reach the end of a level by tapping or clicking the screen. The game features a level editing tool, where players can create custom levels and share them online. The game was initially released for iOS and Android in 2016 and was later ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in 2020.
Mekorama was created by indie developer Martin Magni for 17 months, and was inspired by Monument Valley and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Mekorama received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its pay what you want marketing model and level editing feature but noted inconveniences with the gameplay. The game won the Jury's Honorable Mention award at the 13th International Mobile Gaming Awards.
Gameplay
In Mekorama, the player controls a robot by navigating through pathways and obstacles to reach the end of a level, described as "mechanical dioramas".{{Cite web |last=Amaris |first=Lian |date=May 16, 2016 |title=Mekorama Review: Tiny Robot, Big Love |url=https://www.gamezebo.com/the-best/mekorama-review-tiny-robot-big-love/ |access-date=December 3, 2022 |website=Gamezebo}} Players can tap to control where the player character (canonically called B or Bee), moves, pinch the screen to zoom in and out, and swipe the screen to show different angles of the diorama.{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chris |date=May 26, 2016 |title='Mekorama' Review – Mechanical Valley |url=https://toucharcade.com/2016/05/26/mekorama-review-mechanical-valley/ |access-date=December 3, 2022 |website=TouchArcade}} Each level implements various gameplay mechanics, such as the ability to spin gears and slide blocks and platforms.{{Cite web |last=Sheridan |first=Trevor |date=May 19, 2016 |title=Mekorama – Puzzling Over Beautiful Craftsmanship |url=http://applenapps.com/review/mekorama |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604152911/http://applenapps.com/review/mekorama#.V1Lz13bP3rc |archive-date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=May 14, 2023 |website=ApplenApps}}
In addition to the 120 built-in levels, the game offers a level editing tool, which allow players to create and share their levels online. Players can access user-generated levels by scanning a QR code featured on their respective level cards. The game also includes a hint system, accessible by paying in-app purchases.
Development
Mekorama was developed by Martin Magni, a Sweden-based indie game developer.{{Cite web |title=Martin Magni |url=https://www.martinmagni.com/martin/ |access-date=May 16, 2023 |website=Martin Magni}} He designed and programmed the game over the span of 17 months.{{Cite web |title=Mekorama FAQ |url=https://www.mekorama.com/faq/ |access-date=May 16, 2023 |website=Mekorama}}{{Cite web |title=Mekorama Press Kit |url=https://www.mekorama.com/press/ |access-date=May 16, 2023 |website=Mekorama}} In an interview, Magni stated that the game started in development as a "mashup of Minecraft and GTA", looking at "huge procedurally generated cities built entirely from blocks", and took inspiration from Monument Valley and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.{{Cite web |date=March 15, 2017 |title=Meet Martin Magni, the creator of Mekorama |url=https://www.imgawards.com/game-of-the-week/mekorama/ |access-date=May 14, 2023 |website=International Mobile Gaming Awards}} Mekorama uses the secondary animation motion, which enables the player character to move more realistically.
Mekorama was released for iOS and Android on May 15, 2016.{{Cite web |last=Renaudin |first=Clement |date=April 26, 2016 |title=Part Monument Valley and part Captain Toad, the lovely Mekorama is launching on May 15 |url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/mekorama/part-monument-valley-and-part-captain-toad-the-lovely-mekorama-is-launching-on-m/ |access-date=May 16, 2023 |website=Pocket Gamer}} A VR port of the game was released for Android on November 8, 2016 supporting the Google Daydream VR headset.{{Cite web |last=Looper |first=Christian de |date=December 29, 2017 |title=Looking for some mobile VR fun? Here are the top 10 Google Daydream apps, games |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-google-daydream-apps/ |access-date=June 12, 2023 |website=Digital Trends}}{{Cite web |title=Mekorama VR - Apps on Google Play |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinmagni.mekorama.vr&hl=en_US |access-date=June 12, 2023 |website=play.google.com |language=}} In 2020, ports for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One were announced by publisher Rainy Frog; the game was released for those platforms on March 26, 2020.{{Cite web |last=Nguyen |first=Lisa |date=March 23, 2020 |title=Rainy Frog's Mekorama Puzzle Game Coming To Multiple Platforms In Late March |url=https://happygamer.com/rainy-frogs-mekorama-puzzle-game-coming-to-multiple-platforms-in-late-march-59751/ |access-date=May 17, 2023 |website=HappyGamer}}{{Cite magazine |date=March 11, 2020 |title=『メコラマ』3月26日より配信！ 360度回るステージ上のメカを誘導し、全100ステージの謎を解くパズルゲーム |trans-title="Mekorama" will be delivered from March 26th! A puzzle game where you guide a mecha on a stage that rotates 360 degrees and solve the mystery of all 100 stages. |url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/202003/11194359.html |access-date=June 12, 2023 |magazine=Famitsu |language=ja}}
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| MC = iOS: 81/100{{Cite web |title=Mekorama Critic Reviews for iPhone/iPad |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/mekorama/critic-reviews/?platform=ios-iphoneipad |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=Metacritic}}
| NLife = {{rating|7|10}}{{Cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Ollie |date=March 29, 2020 |title=Mini Review: Mekorama - It May Look Like Captain Toad, But Don't Let That Fool You |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/mekorama |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=Nintendo Life}}
}}
The game received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review score aggregator Metacritic. Reviewers praised the game's animation, level editing feature, and marketing structure but criticized its awkward presentation and gameplay mechanics.{{Cite web |last=Slater |first=Harry |date=May 18, 2016 |title=Mekorama vs Monument Valley - Which is the better game? |url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/mekorama/mekorama-vs-monument-valley-which-is-the-better-game/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=Pocket Gamer}} TouchArcade listed Mekorama as one of the best mobile games of 2016.{{Cite web |last=Hodapp |first=Eli |date=December 23, 2016 |title=The 100 Best Mobile Games of 2016 |url=https://toucharcade.com/2016/12/23/the-100-best-mobile-games-of-2016/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=TouchArcade}} The game won the Jury's Honorable Mention award at the 13th International Mobile Gaming Awards.{{cite web |title=13th IMGA nominated and awarded games |url=http://www.imgawards.com/winners-nominees/13th-imga/ |access-date=May 21, 2023 |website=International Mobile Gaming Awards |archive-date=May 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506234044/http://www.imgawards.com/winners-nominees/13th-imga/ |url-status=dead }}
Lian Amaris of Gamezebo praised the game for its design, writing that it is "expertly crafted". She praised the game's implementation of secondary animation through the player character's movement as "thoughtful" and "idiosyncratic", and found the level editing feature to be "inspiring", while noting "how challenging puzzle-making can be". Amaris also viewed the game's pay what you want marketing model positively, writing that it is "one of the best" and "most fair" she has seen.
Chris Carter of TouchArcade praised the game's level editing feature, describing it to be "pretty nifty", and favored the game's "refreshing" marketing scheme. Pocket Gamer's Harry Slater compared Mekorama to Monument Valley, writing that while it offers more content than the latter, he found some of its gameplay mechanics to be "downright frustrating". Slater added that the game's camera system felt "clunky", and criticized the game's presentation, saying that it "lacks any of the ingenuity" that made Monument Valley compelling. Ollie Reynolds of Nintendo Life thought the game was "remarkably clever and charming", though he found "a few quirks" present throughout. He praised the controls of the game for its simplicity, but found the camera system to be "frustrating at times".
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.mekorama.com}}
- {{Official website|https://www.martinmagni.com|name=Developer's website}}
Category:Android (operating system) games
Category:Nintendo Switch games
Category:Single-player video games