Mainlining

Mainlining

Steam Deck · unrated

Rebelephant · Hacking · Jan 26, 2017

Worth it for the right player.

At $12.99. It has been as low as $1.29.

77%
Mostly Positive
367 player reviews
Low confidence · few reviews
Buy it if you like
  • Story and characters: 131 reviews raised it, mostly praise
  • Gameplay: 36 reviews raised it, mostly praise
  • Graphics: 25 reviews raised it, mostly praise
Think twice if you dislike
  • Bugs: 29 reviews raised it, mostly criticism
  • Crashes: 10 reviews raised it, mostly criticism

Based on 367 player reviews · updated 5 days ago

What players think

The recurring themes across 296 analysed reviews: what players praise, what divides them, and what to know.

Why players love itThings to know
75% of themes are praise296 helpful reviews25% are caveats
Story and characters
Players who bring up Story and characters mostly praise it.
The story feels particularly effective because its themes mirror real-world debates surrounding government monitoring and digital privacy, giving the experience a level of relevance that extends beyond simple science fiction.
131 of 296 sampled reviews raised it
Gameplay
Players who bring up Gameplay mostly praise it.
There are a number of different outcomes to each case which offers some level of replayability.
36 of 296 sampled reviews raised it
Graphics
Players who bring up Graphics mostly praise it.
The retro-inspired pixel art and low-tech interface also contribute heavily to the atmosphere, giving the game a gritty and believable cyberpunk identity without relying on flashy visuals.
25 of 296 sampled reviews raised it
Interface
Players who bring up Interface mostly praise it.
The retro-inspired pixel art and low-tech interface also contribute heavily to the atmosphere, giving the game a gritty and believable cyberpunk identity without relying on flashy visuals.
23 of 296 sampled reviews raised it
Audio
Players who bring up Audio mostly praise it.
The soundtrack complements the atmosphere exceptionally well.
12 of 296 sampled reviews raised it
Difficulty
Players who bring up Difficulty mostly praise it.
The difficulty balance is great as well - puzzles are logical, and the game thankfully doesn't punish you for making wrong decisions so you don't have to start over.
11 of 296 sampled reviews raised it

Theme by theme

Every theme is scored by what reviewers actually said about it, not just whether they recommended the game.

LovedMixedComplained about
Players love6 themes
Story and characters131 reviews
Gameplay36 reviews
Graphics25 reviews
Interface23 reviews
Audio12 reviews
Difficulty11 reviews
Divided opinion% still recommend

No themes split opinion in this sample.

Players complain% still recommend
Bugs29 reviews
62%
Crashes10 reviews
60%

Ranked by how many sampled reviews mention each topic. A topic sits in a column by what reviewers said about that topic; the percentage beside it is how many of them recommended the game anyway. One more theme was raised by fewer than 6 sampled reviews and is not shown.

Should you buy it now?

Crit’s read on the price, from Steam price history.

Prices have been lower

Currently $12.99. The lowest we've tracked is $1.29.

4 points recordedtoday · $12.99

The data behind the verdict

For the players who want the receipts.

Player review score
77%
Mostly Positive
Playing right now
Achievements
0
total to unlock
Rarest-achievement stats coming soon
Average playtime
Not tracked yet

We’ll surface hours-played once playtime ingestion ships.