Resting after key moments fills in the world’s lore and building.

Set in the future, the world has been overrun by machines. You play as a “slice” named P, sent into a dead, crumbling city with one job: take those machines down. She’s not completely alone, though. Accompanying her is a hovering drone she calls Orbie, which doubles as your guide and the game’s camera, quietly tagging along as you move through the ruins. Naturally, P’s trip through the city doesn’t stay quiet for long, and she’s soon thrown into fights with increasingly dangerous bits of hostile machinery.

Most of your time in Motorslice is spent navigating its world using a parkour system clearly inspired by Mirror’s Edge. P can wall run, grab ledges, swing from poles, and chain these moves together to keep momentum going as you move through the environment. It feels fast and fluid when everything clicks, encouraging you to keep moving rather than stopping to think too much about your next step. She also comes equipped with a chainsword, which isn’t just for combat. It lets her latch onto glowing orange machinery and zip or glide alongside it, either carving through enemies or using it as a way to traverse the world. It adds a nice layer to movement, giving you more options both vertically and horizontally, and helping the game stand out from its inspirations.

Motorslice features some fanservicey closeups that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Be advised.

When it works, Motorslice’s movement feels satisfying to pull off, and thankfully that’s most of the time. Chaining moves together as you flow through the environment can feel great, especially when you hit a rhythm and everything just clicks into place. That said, it’s not always smooth. There were quite a few moments where the Motorslice ability itself felt a bit off. I’d be aiming upward, only for P to veer off to the side or fail to latch onto a surface, which usually meant a trip back to the ground. Some of that could definitely be chalked up to my mistakes, but the mechanic does come across as a little inconsistent. Thankfully, death isn’t overly punishing. The game has a generous checkpoint system, so even when the controls misbehave, you’re never set back too far. It doesn’t fix the issue, but it does take the edge off the frustration.

The combat in Motorslice is fairly straightforward, not offering a huge amount of variety. Most encounters boil down to dealing with standard digger enemies and a bulkier ranged type that soaks up more damage. Both can be parried by timing your attacks correctly, and the ranged enemies have a neat twist where you can send their projectiles right back at them. On their own, they don’t pose much of a challenge, and fights can feel a little basic because. But when you factor in the movement, things start to click. Zipping around arenas, chaining parkour with combat, and weaving in and out of attacks is where Motorslice really begins to show what it’s capable of.

Boss fights appear at the end of chapters, and these are usually just huge construction machinery, and this is where the Shadow of the Colossus influence starts to come into play. Your task is to take down this massive machinery by slicing through the weak spots; however, getting to them is more of a puzzle or platforming challenge rather than a traditional combat encounter. You will need to pay attention to the machines to find a way to climb them or stop them.

See that big machine? You can parry that.

For the most part, the boss fights are a highlight, but a few of them don’t quite land. Some end up feeling a bit too simple once you figure out the solution, while others lean on mechanics that come across as more awkward than enjoyable. That’s especially noticeable during some of the clunkier Motorslice sections, where you’re forced to rapidly change direction and hope the game keeps up with you. It can feel a bit messy rather than challenging in a satisfying way. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it does take a small bite out of what should be some of the game’s best moments.

As a whole, Motorslice is a lot of fun, especially when the game lets you loose in its more open areas and simply trusts you to figure things out. There’s a real sense of freedom in working out where to go and how to get there, experimenting with the parkour system, and then taking that momentum into the larger set piece encounters. If you’re still hungry for more, there are secrets tucked away across the world. These involve guiding small orbs back to safety, and they’re often more challenging than they seem. They push you to really understand the movement system and throw in a bit of puzzle solving, making them a nice extra layer for anyone looking to test themselves beyond the main path.

The world and visuals in Motorslice lean into a retro style, with lower poly models giving everything a slightly old school feel. It’s a look I’m a big fan of, and it’s helped along by some slick animations and a clean, simple approach to the overall design. Nothing feels overly busy, which suits the game nicely and keeps the focus on movement. If you haven’t been keeping up with the marketing from Regular Studios, you might also be a little surprised by the bit of fanservice sprinkled in. There are a few close up shots during cutscenes, but it never feels excessive, and if anything, it adds a bit of charm rather than distraction.

The sound design holds up just as well. The music fits the tone without ever becoming overbearing, and P’s voice acting does a lot of heavy lifting, since she’s carrying most of the game’s dialogue on her own. It all comes together in a way that complements the experience without trying to steal the spotlight.

Motorslice’s parkour is just too fun.

One thing that really stood out to me about Motorslice is how all the little details come together to give it a bit of personality. Take the camera, for example. It isn’t just some invisible viewpoint floating behind you, it’s actually Orbie, the same robot companion that follows P around. It moves naturally as you play, hovering and shifting like you’d expect, and even shows up properly in photo mode (though you can switch this behaviour off if you’d rather keep things simple).

Even smaller touches help sell this idea. Subtitles and prompts subtly shift depending on how you move the camera, which is a nice bit of polish that you don’t always see. None of these features are huge on their own, but together they give the game a bit more charm and identity, and it’s something I ended up appreciating more the longer I played.

Motorslice is available now on PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X|S.

Reviewed on PlayStation 5

A copy of Motorslice was provided by the publisher.