MachiaVillain Critic Reviews

MachiaVillain is a smart management game which rests on a appealing idea: being a bad guy and killing people with style. Cartoonish but deep, the only big issue is its overloaded interface which can be misleading.

MachiaVillain is a interesting mix between the horror movies clichés and a sim but after few hours the game feels clumsy and devious in its mechanics.

The brief moments of frustration and confusion are outweighed by genuinely hilarious moments of dark humor and satisfying management-sim bliss.

MachiaVillain is a provides a terribly fun concept for a management simulation game. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but momentary bits of frustration aren’t enough to turn players off from the enjoyable core mechanics. This is the sort of game that can easily be played for hours on end and feel like only minutes have passed.

In terms of malice this is in one line with classics like Dungeon Keeper or Evil Genius. But building and maintaining the horror house of your nightmares is more tedious than expected.

Ultimately, MachiaVillain needs a lot of cleaning up, explanations and balance fixes. Then maybe we can all come together to have a bloody good time.

It’s a fun and zany game with a quirky art style (feels similar to Don’t Starve) but it can be cumbersome. Also, the randomization can hurt: I had to start several games over from minute 1 when there wasn’t enough free space to start building my haunted house. Also… the ability to have multiple stories would be nice. Haunted basements, anyone? Attics?

MachiaVillain has a decent amount going for it, there's little doubt there. The concept is fun and one that isn't explored enough, with the added twist of a Cabin in the Woods vibe only helping matters. Once you get into it, the gameplay is engaging, particularly building. It does turns into a bit of a slog as you advance through the ranks though. A lot is also buried beneath the large amount of micromanagement.

A well-presented game, but exploring shows it's more dilapidated cabin than ominous mansion.

There are a ton of great ideas here, and I particularly dig this whole concept of a management game that’s about a production line for silent slaughter rather than cash-generation as such, but the best stuff can struggle to breathe through the excessive micro-management. The stereotype-heavy gags and iffy translation make things more of a drag than they deserve to be too. It’s well worth persevering with MachiaVillain despite this.