Motorslice is one of those rare action‑racing hybrids that immediately know what it wants to be: fast, loud, and unapologetically stylish. However, while it has some interesting moments, it also firmly features some bizarre character moments that I struggled to get through.
We’ve heard Prince of Persia has been cited as an inspiration before, alongside Mirror’s Edge, and from the first look, you can definitely see the influence. However, does it actually translate well? Well, it mostly works well when the focus is on the parkour elements and combat mechanics. Everything else has me scratching my head, which is a shame because it holds the rest back.
Climb The Megastructures In Motorslice
Playing as P, a Slicer who must climb a megastructure while taking out various machines along the way. Her Orb assists her and serves as a companion, often offering some bizarre angles of her feet or other appendages. It’s weird, a bit intrusive, and tonally unneeded, but gooners gonna goon, I guess.
Motorslice reminds me of something from the PS3/360 era. From its level design to its mechanics, it all draws inspiration from games made during the early aughts. The storytelling is bare-bones, and much of the engagement is conveyed through scenes between P and Orbie. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if more exposition were offered up, but it rarely, if ever, does.
Combat is standard fare with a one-button situation giving P access to quick and heavy strikes. The ability to dodge and roll comes in handy against machines, but the mechanics are really simple and leave a lot to be desired. I do like it, but as action games can be highly technical, something beyond chainsaws going brrrr would’ve been a nice way to involve the player more.
Forget attempting to lock on to enemies because the mechanic can be awkward. At times, it might work for a split second, but then, when multiple enemies show up, it becomes erratic and hard to focus on one enemy. So I found it generally better to roll and strike as strikes came at me. It isn’t elegant, but adjusting on the fly works if focusing on one enemy isn’t working out.
Boss encounters are where I see the most potential. They’re often the biggest spectacles you’ll come across, and successfully pull inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus as P climbs onto her opponents and finds weak points to slice through. Where they falter, though, is that they begin to all blend together as you rarely, if ever, have any interaction with them outside of the immediate shift into a boss encounter.
Platforming Is The Standout
The two main crux points of Motorslice are combat and traversal. I resonated more with the platforming sections than anything else. P can wallrun, jump, climb, and more, and they surprisingly work well as P climbs up massive megastructures. I didn’t expect to love climbing and maneuvering as much as I did, but I did, and I think I might have preferred a climbing game over an action-adventure split. Jumping between walls, pole-swinging across gaps, and then nailing the platforming section can be satisfying, and it usually is, but it comes at a cost.
Motorslice is visually dull, and it detracts from the mechanics. It’s actually a bit of a letdown in that sense, but understandably, yes, you’re climbing structures made of concrete, so it really, what else can you do but spin off variations of that as you progress? The world has moments that hint at something melancholic, but rarely does it do anything with that idea, which is such a shame when there’s enough set up to deliver more than the minimum.
I don’t mind simple games, but it doesn’t really mean anything when the most basic elements don’t feel perfected. I’ll take something pared back over overtly technical any day these days because games have become far too big and bloated.
Overall, Motorslice shows great potential. I do like a lot of what is presented to the player, but it lacks the momentum to become something memorable in the long term. I appreciate what it’s trying to do, but we’re at a point right now where developers either need to do something truly unique or deliver something simple but perfected. I don’t see either here.
Vedict
In 2026, Motorslice underwhelms, but for a game designed for the early aughts, it has a lot I could have enjoyed 15 years ago. Despite the simple gameplay, the platforming sections show some appeal, but the rest is bogged down by simple, forgettable combat and unnecessary sexualization of the protagonist. Add in a lack of a narrative, and there’s not enough on offer for players to really enjoy or even remember.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: PC
