Mindustry
"Mindustry is a hybrid tower-defense sandbox factory game. Create elaborate supply chains of conveyor belts to feed ammo into your turrets, produce materials to use for building, and defend your structures from waves of enemies. Features include a map editor, 24 built-in maps, cross-platform multiplayer and large-scale PvP unit battles."- Mindustry's official page (anuke.itch.io)
Mindustry is a free and open source strategy game developed by Anuke. The game is a hybrid between factory/logistics game (e.g. Factorio) and tower defense.
The main premise of Mindustry is stategy and logistics; mine for resources, move the resources around, put them in factories to produce different resources, generate electricity for power, and hook every machinery to each other into an elaborate system of ordinance and production. It is a pretty complex strategy game with deep depths and vast possibility.
History
Mindustry started its life as an entry for GDL - Mental Monstrosity Jam game jam (an event where developers are tasked to make a game from scratch in just days) on itch.io. The game won first place in the game jam, and Anuken continued to develop the game until it becomes what it is in the current day.
Various updates would overhaul the game in a significant way. Version six, which was released back in 2020, overhauled the game and added real-time strategy elements into the game. Version seven of the game, which was released in 2022 and is the version used in this review, added a new planet to explore, Erekir. As of the time of the review, version v8 is available to download as a beta, though this review will focus on the latest stable version, which is version v7.
Installation
Mindustry is available on many platforms including Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. On Android, the game can be found through the Google Play Store, F-Droid, itch.io, and Github page. As of 23 May 2025, the latest stable version of the game is v7 build 146 (though, beta version of v8 is available on certain platforms).
We installed the game through the Google Play Store and did not experience any issues throughout. Mindustry's download size is around 61 MB which would expand to 73 MB after installation.
Gameplay
When you first started campaign mode, you will be asked to choose between two planets available in-game: Serpulo and Erekir. The game describes Serpulo as older, open-ended, having more content, and less-polished; while Erekir is described as more polished but also more difficult with linear progression. You can choose either and switch between the two planets at anytime, though the two planets are an entirely separate experience.
Keep in mind that this review will be focused on the planet Serpulo. Erekir has some of unique game mechanics not found in Serpulo which may not be covered here.
The game is mostly played on a top-down, two-dimensional grid. The primary objective of the game is to survive by protecting your core from waves of enemies, though some maps may also have the additional goal of destroying enemy's core. To do this, you should first gather resources by placing drills on ores such as copper and lead (in Serpulo; Erekir has completely different ores). These drills should then be connected via conveyor rails back to your core, as you need the right amount of resources in the core in order to build structures such as drills and factories.
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| Silicon Smelter powered by electricity through Combustion Generator and liquid pumps extracting water |
Further, you'll then build factories and processing facilities which convert one resources to another, such as Graphite Press (which turns coal into graphite), Silicon Smelter (turns sand and coal into silicon), Plastanium Compressor (turns oil and titanium into plastanium), and so on. Many facilities also require electricity, which can be generated using power generator (such as steam generator, which turns water into electricity), and many facilities work better with liquid coolants such as water and cryofluid. These would need to be pumped or created and then distributed via pipes.
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| An array of turrets |
With resources secured, you will need to defend your core from the enemies by building towers (stationary weaponry) and units (robots with weapons that you can use to defend yourself and/or attack the enemy's bases). These towers, and the unit factories, will require a steady supply of ammo (or assembly material) which you must deliver with conveyors. You can also build walls, force fields, menders, and so on to help defend your base. The enemies will attack you from either the ground, air, or water, and they will try to seek out poorly-defended gaps in your base. In this regard you must be careful; if your core is destroyed by the enemy, you'll lose that sector and you'll have to rebuild your base in that sector from the start.
Once you survive enough waves of enemies, the sector you are currently defending will become yours. From this point, you can begin expanding into other sectors and defeat new waves of enemies there to take more territory. Expanding into other areas may help you unlock new resources and new items to play with. Later on, you can even export materials to other regions and chain various regions together in a web of ordinance.
Looking at the previous description, it may seem that the game is going to be very complicated, and it is complicated in a way. However, the game provides tutorial at the beginning to help new players get a grip of the gameplay. Furthermore, you unlock gameplay mechanics slowly; at first, you'll only have access to very few items and game mechanics to help you get a grip on the basics. As you play further, you'll slowly be able to research and unlock new items and game mechanics so you have time to get used to new mechanics.
Example of Schematics
The game put a lot of focus on logistics. You should try your best to be as efficient as possible; make factories with smaller footprints, avoid bottlenecks in your production, and make your base clean to avoid complicated or messy bases. To help you achieve this, the game has schematics. You can use save arrangement of blocks into schematics which you can easily reuse later.
This description of gameplay only scratches the surface for campaign mode in Serpulo. There is also Erekir, custom gamemodes (where you can play with custom maps), and multiplayer to play with.
There are several gamemodes available for custom gamemodes in Mindustry, which are:
1. Survival: survive against waves of enemies
2. Sandbox: infinite resorces are available for messing around
3. Attack: destroy the enemy's base
4. PvP: fight against another player and destroy their base
From the interview we conducted, our respondent gave this game a 7/10 rating, citing that the game had potential to be fun in later levels and once the respondent understood the game mechanics. However, the respondent found the game to be too complex and complicated, mentioning that it was surprising to see that the game is "so large in scale."
It is clear from the interview that Mindustry is a rather complicated game that requires a bit more dedication to comprehend, and it is certainly not a game for everyone. Though, this game would be enjoyable for fans of strategy and logistics games.
Performance
Overall, the game performs quite well even on smartphones. During our testing, the game rarely lagged, though the game's performance might tank in larger maps with many working machinery or many units/enemies acting out at once. The game also lagged sometimes in terrain editor mode and when using heavier mods with many contents.
Graphics
The design of the environment, especially natural ones in Serpulo like rock, grass, etc are simplistic. Erekir's block design is more complex but still within the same art style. However, the design of player-built blocks, particularly the more advanced late-game ones and most of the ones found in Erekir, seems more complicated and intricate, which reflects the more advanced nature of the late-game items.
Aside from that, if enabled in the settings, the game also has various weather and lighting effects which really sets the tone of the game. You can really feel the atmosphere (in this case literally) of some sectors as they are covered in darkness or enshrouded in harsh weathers like rain, sandstorm, or spore-storm.
From the interview we conducted, our respondent found the game's art style to be grid-like, highlighting how the game's grid-based design and placement were obvious. At the same time, the respondent found the game to be well-designed, particularly late-game levels.
Audio
Mindustry has both music and sound effects. The music in mindustry tends to fit sci-fi or space theme, which fits the game's theme of post-apocalypic robot-dominated space-expansion well. The main menu and the planet view theme generally feels foreboding and slightly-intense. When you are playing in a sector, the music can vary from calm to intense, which seems to be dependent on what's going on in the game. Our respondent noted that sometime the music was quite tense while other times it was quite calm.
The sound effects of bullets, machinery, and the environment tend to be more realistic, as our respondent noted. On the other hand, gameplay-related sound effects like the wave start or ui selection sound effects tend to sound more synth-like, much like a good chunk of the soundtracks.
Story
The lore of Mindustry is mostly implied rather than shown, and it is mostly revealed through the descriptions of various items and locations in campaign mode. For instance, the description of lead in the game states that it is "likely toxic to biological life forms, not that there are many left here," implying that Mindustry (particularly the planet Serpulo) is set in some sort of post-apocalyptic world where life is mostly gone.
Looking at the descriptions of items, Mindustry's lore can be summarized as the following: back in the day, researchers were researching ways to cultivate fungal spores. However, one day, the spores breached containment and spread all over the planet Serpulo. The spore out-competed all lifeforms on Serpulo, leading to a mass-extinction. Now, all that remained in Serpulo were robots such as the player.
Multiplayer
You can play online in Mindustry. In general, multiplayer in the game can be divided into two types:
- Survival, where all players work together to survive against hordes of computer-controlled enemies.
- Player vs Player, where teams of players compete against other teams by attacking and defending to be the last one standing.
Multiplayer can be done locally, where all players are playing and connecting through the same network (such as the same WiFi network), or remotely through the internet. To play remotely, you can either join available public servers or play with remote friends through port forwarding (which is beyond the scope of this review). Cross-platform play is supported, in case some of your friends would like to play from a computer or other platforms.
Customizability
Mindustry is a rather customizable game. You can install various mods trough the in-game menu that add new features, change the way the game works, or make the game look different. Generally, these mods add new ores, weapons, factories, planets, and so on, and they can be a fun experience for seasoned users who wanted to try out new content. Our respondent said that it was quite interesting to see the option to install mods from the main menu because games rarely come with that feature.
You can also play the game in custom maps that you or other players made. The game features an extensive map editor with many features that you can use to create a map of your liking. You can also import maps created by other players, though they can be hard to find. On android, the easiest way to install maps (in our experience) is through a mod called Mindustry Tool that adds the ability to browse custom maps in-game. You can also make or import schematics (preset for player-made buildings) to help you build structures and factories.
The in-game settings also provide various options, particularly for graphics, including save interval, hints, block suggestions, sound, language, and so on. In the graphics section, there are various settings for bloom, display effects, planet atmosphere, lighting, weather, and animated surfaces/shields. These options can alter the graphical effects of the game substantially.
The game also supports a large number of languages, including less-common ones, such as Indonesian, French, Filipino, Polish, Swedish, router, and so on.
Verdict
Mindustry is one of the more popular free-and-open-source games with acclaims for a reason: it is fun and quite addicting, especially if you like CMS (construction and management simulation) games such as Factorio or Satisfactory. It is a great blend of tactical and logistical strategy that may keep you hooked for hours as you try to build and maintain your base.
That being said, Mindustry is not for everyone. It is a complex game with many elements (the long-winded gameplay section alone should give you a clue), and mastering the game will take some effort and lots of trial and error. That said, if you are well within the target demographics of logistic strategy games, then Mindustry is worth a shot.
External Links
Google Play Store - Google Play Store listing of the game
F-Droid Repo - F-Droid repository of the game
Github - The game's source code
Official Website - Mindustry's official website
Mindustry Wiki - Mindustry's official wiki
itch.io- Mindustry on itch.io
Mindustry Tool - A mod that adds the ability to browse maps and schematics in game
Results of Metal Monstrosity Jam - Ranking and results of the Mental Monstrosity Game Jam that Mindustry is a part of
Google Play Store - Google Play Store listing of the game
F-Droid Repo - F-Droid repository of the game
Github - The game's source code
Official Website - Mindustry's official website
Mindustry Wiki - Mindustry's official wiki
itch.io- Mindustry on itch.io
Mindustry Tool - A mod that adds the ability to browse maps and schematics in game
Results of Metal Monstrosity Jam - Ranking and results of the Mental Monstrosity Game Jam that Mindustry is a part of
