MOTORSLICE is out today with parkour and chainsaw combat

MOTORSLICE, a parkour action-platformer where you hunt giant machines with a chainsaw, is out today for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game just launched across all platforms. This includes a DRM-free release on GOG and a standard release on Steam.

I think this game looks fantastic. The combination of low-poly brutalist architecture and high-speed movement hits exactly the right spot. Developed by Regular Studio (a two-person team from Brazil) and published by Top Hat Studios, the game follows a machine hunter named P. She takes a routine contract to clear an abandoned megastructure of rogue construction equipment. Things immediately go wrong. She has to rely on her agility and a massive chain-sword to survive.

High lethality

The gameplay pulls heavy inspiration from the original Prince of Persia and Mirror's Edge. You spend your time wall-running, sliding, and pole-swinging through empty concrete environments. The developers call it a "slice of life" action game. The focus is on the daily grind of a mercenary doing a very dangerous job in an isolated place.

The combat is extremely fast. Both P and the machines she hunts die quickly. You have to strike with precision rather than mashing buttons. Enemies will evade clumsy attacks and punish you instantly. One bad swing usually means death. You can also use the chainsaw's motor to traverse specific surfaces. This blends the combat tools directly with the platforming mechanics.

Industrial scale

P is voiced by Kira Buckland, and the soundtrack is a drum-and-bass jungle mix by Pizza Hotline. The art style uses modern low-poly models with a pixelated filter. This gives the massive yellow industrial bosses an imposing look. You are not just fighting human-sized robots. You have to scale massive pieces of rogue construction equipment to take them down.

The environment design leans heavily into megalophobia. The megastructure is vast and indifferent to the player. Between the high-speed parkour segments, the game slows down for physics-oriented puzzle solving. You have to manipulate heavy objects within the ruins to progress. These quieter moments give you a chance to appreciate the liminal space aesthetic before the next boss fight starts.

A change of pace

The developers previously released the 3D puzzle platformer Togges in 2022. That game was bright, colorful, and focused on stacking cute blocks across the galaxy. MOTORSLICE is a sharp pivot in tone and genre. Moving from a relaxed puzzle game to a high-speed action platformer shows a lot of range from the two-person studio.

The GOG release is part of the platform's ongoing focus on DRM-free gaming. Players who buy it there get a standalone offline installer. This guarantees the game remains playable regardless of future server status or storefront closures. The console versions are live right now on the PlayStation and Xbox stores. The game is optimized for current-generation hardware and skips the older PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles entirely.

A lot of indie games try to capture the speed of early 3D platformers, but the one-hit-kill combat and oppressive industrial scale here feel different. The movement looks incredibly fluid. If you want to see how fast you can carve through a walking excavator, you can finally give it a try.