Super Motherload Critic Reviews

If PlayStation can continue discovering gems like Super Motherload, indies might really make the difference in this console war.

Puzzles, strategy, multiplayer, a haunting atmosphere, and a fantastic soundtrack — Super Motherload packs a wealth of material into a small, though somewhat repetitive, package.

Super Motherload is simple enough so that anyone can pick it up and play, but complex enough for mining veterans to keep coming back to fully upgrade characters or even risk playing in hardcore mode. The sci-fi ’80s vibe is delightful and the perfect setting for this ridiculously addicting game.

Super Motherload is a strangely addicting game that some players might dismiss due to the lack of depth in the title.

Super Motherload does a great job of satisfying one’s inner miner, letting you dig to the heart of Mars and the bizarre mystery lying in its core.

Super Motherload is a game that will appeal to casual gamers and hardcore gamers alike. Solving the puzzles and blasting your way deep into the heart of Mars is entertaining, despite it feeling somewhat repetitive at times. Throw in a few friends and the formula definitely comes alive, though, making this something of an unpolished gem.

Super Motherload communicates a desire for players to learn its regimen while simultaneously uncovering its content. It's a neat balance, one that rewards acquired skill with valuable efficiency, at least until its disparate final act trades musing discovery for twitch reaction. "What's at the bottom" was a force that drove me to Super Motherload's completion. Learning the answer diminished a desire to return.

Without online co-op, Super Motherload falls a bit short of gaming greatness, but the marriage of entrancing sound and gameplay is still a fun experience.

Super Motherload somehow makes alienation feel like a warm embrace.

An arcade puzzle game that meets the sandbox/roguelike philosophy. Simple but catchy.

I appreciate the opportunity for some 4-player local (but not online) cooperative play, and some minor strategy is involved in combining different minerals during a dig to create more valuable objects. These small wrinkles aren’t enough to keep players invested. Play Super Motherload if you love the pure joy of the Dig Dug-style carving out of the ground, but don’t be surprised if there’s not enough buried beneath that layer.

An unpolished gem that dug deep for fun, but came up with repetitiveness.

It’s a serviceable arcade game that provides its own share of fun, but it’s also repetitive – occasionally gratingly so – with a façade of robust customization options hiding the fact that we’re doing the same thing over and over again underneath.

The visuals may make even Knack look like a system seller, but there’s a quiet pleasure to Super Motherload’s simple but addictive gameplay.

Super Motherload isn’t a bad game by any means, it just feels like some of it wasn’t thought through all the way, and the world just isn’t that engrossing.

Super Motherload's premise of digging for richs on a lonely planet sounds about as boring as actually digging for richs on a lonely planet. But stick with it long enough, and you'll find an eerily soothing adventure with addictive strategy elements that make for a wholly enjoyable next-gen gaming experience.

Super Motherload is somewhat enjoyable, but after a while becomes too much of the same. You're mostly digging, after which you'll take your empty tank or filled cargo hold back up to sell your things. Afterwards, you'll simply do the same.

As you can tell, Super Motherload is not a particularly exciting game, unless you have a real passion for digging. And digging and digging and digging.

Fun games can be simple, and simple games are often fun, but there's a tedium at the heart of Super Motherload that it just can't shake.

Playing this digging puzzler made me almost fall asleep. But as soon as you get a few players to help you, you’ll uncover some fun buried under all that rubble.