Defunct

Developer: Freshly Squeezed | Publisher: SOEDESCO | Release Date: 2016 | Genre: Adventure / Racing / Platformer | Website: N/A | Purchase: Steam

Defunct is a game about speed, momentum, and trying to make a broken robot move faster than it has any right to. Players take control of a small robot that accidentally falls out of a giant cargo ship onto a post-human Earth inhabited by other robots. With the ship rapidly disappearing into the distance, the little machine must roll, boost, and bounce its way through a series of environments to get back home.

The premise is simple, but it suits the game well. Defunct is not interested in lengthy cut-scenes, complicated lore, or deep character development. Instead, it focuses almost entirely on movement. The whole game is built around the robot’s Gravitize engine, an ability that increases its gravitational pull. Activating it while going downhill causes the robot to accelerate, but be sure to let go of it while going uphill, or it will slow you down. The trick is learning when to engage and release this ability to maintain momentum.

It is a neat idea and gives Defunct a different feel from more traditional platformers or racing games. There are also speed boosts and Enerjuice pickups that can provide an extra burst of speed, along with sections where the robot must cling to walls or surfaces. When everything works, Defunct can feel great. Hitting a slope at just the right angle, building speed, launching off a ramp, and landing cleanly into the next stretch of terrain is very satisfying, especially when you pull off a neat trick in the process.

Unfortunately, getting to that point takes some adjustment. The controls feel awkward at first and never become quite as precise as we would have liked. This is partly because the game relies so heavily on momentum and gravity, but there are also moments where steering feels a little loose. Players expecting tight platforming controls may find the opening sections frustrating until the rhythm finally clicks.

The game is also extremely short. The main campaign consists of a compact journey through a handful of varied environments, and it can be completed very quickly. This is not necessarily a problem, as the game feels designed around replaying stages for better times rather than a long narrative adventure. However, players only interested in finishing the campaign once may be surprised by how quickly the credits arrive.

Time Trial mode provides the only real challenge. Once the basic route through a level is known, chasing better times becomes far more engaging than simply reaching the end. This is where Defunct’s mechanics make the most sense, as players must learn the best routes, maintain momentum, and avoid mistakes. There are also collectibles scattered through the stages, but the real replay value comes from shaving seconds off completion times.

The game is not without technical frustrations. In fullscreen mode, we had an issue where the mouse cursor would drift onto a second monitor. Since right-click is used to engage an ability, this became extremely annoying. We also ended up stuck in the level geometry more than a few times and had to use the restart button. These issues do not make the game unplayable, but they are noticeable enough to hurt the overall flow.

Visually, Defunct is colorful and pleasant. The post-human world is not particularly detailed by modern standards, but it has enough variety to keep the short journey interesting. The different biomes and environments give the game a cheerful, slightly lonely atmosphere, while the robot protagonist is cute enough to make players want to see it safely back to the ship. The clean visual style also helps players read terrain quickly, which is important in a speed-focused game.

The audio is similarly pleasant. The soundtrack is upbeat and fits the sense of movement well, although it is not especially memorable. Sound effects provide enough feedback for boosts, impacts, and movement, but the game’s best moments are carried more by the sensation of speed than by the audio design.

Controls are where players are most likely to be divided. Defunct is built around flow rather than precision, and this means there is a learning curve. Once the Gravitize mechanic makes sense, the game becomes much more enjoyable, but it never feels quite as smooth as the best momentum-based platformers. The ability to restart quickly helps, especially during time trials, but the occasional geometry issue can still frustrate.

Overall, Defunct is a charming but very brief momentum-based adventure. It has a clever central mechanic, enjoyable time trials, and a cute world to roll through, but it is held back by awkward controls, occasional technical issues, and a campaign that ends almost as soon as it gets going. Players who enjoy speedrunning and replaying stages for better times will get the most out of it, while everyone else may find it a little too slight.