- Publisher: The Arcade Crew
- Release Date: Mar 6, 2025
- Also On: PC
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Mar 7, 2025All told, Mainframes is a solid recommendation if you’re after a new precision/puzzle platformer that tries something relatively fresh with its desktop-bending premise. We would have liked to have seen a few clever nods to real-world software brands to really take advantage of its setup, but with its pleasant pixel-art visuals and gorgeously laid-back soundtrack, it’s a good way to spend a handful of hours. Just watch out for those difficulty spikes; they can be a real downer.
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Apr 1, 2025Mainframes leaves me with an overall impression of muddledness, albeit executed with a sincere passion. It throws in ideas about platforming, collecting, and environmental manipulation. But maybe some of the excess should’ve been left on the cutting room floor so the rest could be more polished and its potential better realized. While I admit a measure of satisfaction in getting past the trickiest parts, there is nearly equal amounts of relief, which is not a good ratio. The difficulty spikes (even with accessibility options) never feel “cozy.”