PC and Switch Review – ROBBOTTO

Robbotto was released on 16 August 2018 on Steam and Switch. It was developed and published by JMJ Interactive. It is a fun arcade platform game that pits you against enemies during every stage.

I was treated to PC and Switch codes, and decided to give both a try for a comparison.

If you are subscribed to our AIR Entertainment Youtube Channel, you can catch a glimpse of our gameplay video along with some of our other game videos. For your convenience, you can also watch it here below:

STORY

In a Galaxy, far far away…

There is a galactic space freighter flying through space when it is hit by a huge magnetic storm. Great chaos unfolds when machines suddenly try to take over the ship.

Enter Robb and Otto (hence the game’s name, Robbotto). They are maintenance machines whose job it is to make sure the spaceship runs in tip-top shape. And now it is their task to get rid of these pesky machine.

Each level is designed to get harder as you progress through the ship and the enemies. There are 100 levels in total, with 20 different types of enemies and 10 bosses. The best part is that you can play it in single player mode or co-op.

GAMEPLAY

Even though the game controls are minimal (move, jump, shoot, repeat), I found Robbotto easier to play on the Switch. You need to use the keyboard with both hands, since the mouse is not used within the game. At least, not that I could discover. This made Robbotto more enjoyable on the handheld console, especially since I could play the game anywhere.

Playing co-op on the Switch was also more enjoyable, since you don’t have to share a keyboard. As for the movement itself, there were times where I was not sure if I was getting the button-bashing timing wrong or if it was the game’s input feed that lagged. It took some getting used to, but Robbotto definitely gets the retro feel of gaming right. This game was designed to bring back that old nostalgia of retro gaming, in case we forget what it was like in the world-class stage of AAA titles today.

What is fun is that there are different ways to kill these machines. I love that they integrated various types of tools, like water to electrocute some machines. This creative thinking always excites me about games. They could just have easily just had yellow balls of light for all levels. But thankfully they changed it up a bit which was great.

So the only major hangup for me was sometimes when the controls did not seem to respond properly to my instructions. But I have noticed some updates on Steam for the game, and the mention of some bug fixes. However, the game is still very much enjoyable for the retro gamer out there.

SOUND AND GRAPHICS

Beep boop beep boop….

Not only do the graphics bring back that old block style retro feel to it, but the sounds and music rely on the old arcade sounds too. Which is actually fitting for a game like this. I feel modern music would have messed with the atmosphere of the game.

I also enjoyed the type of machines that were faced and the thinking that went behind each machine’s abilities and firepower. Although not spectacular in terms of today’s art, it pays tribute to the old arcade games we used to play, especially on the Nintendo back in the day. Which is also why playing it on the Nintendo Switch is perfect.

FINAL VERDICT

Robbotto is a fun game to play and pass time with. There isn’t really much I can fault on it, since it is very much a retro game intended to have that retro feel to it. There is room for improvement, especially with input response, but the array of levels and machines makes up for this… if you can pass the levels.

Fun for those who love retro arcade games.

Disclaimer: AIR Entertainment received a review copy for reviewing purposes. This review is the author’s own opinion and not influenced by the developer in any way, as per our reviewing Code of Ethics.

SHAUN M JOOSTE

Author, Poet, Screenwriter, Gamewriter, Journalist,
….and Elemental Mage Supreme in his spare time