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While some games are interested in only approximating platformers from the 90s, Robotriot by Glowing
Eye Games seeks to be the kind of game you'd have shelled out for on a Super Nintendo or
Sega Genesis (Mega Drive). Although it doesn't reach the par excellence of titles like Super
Metroid, it does bring back memories of Summer days spent trying to knock out the next in
a series of brutal, but fair stages while blasting away bad-guys wholesale.
The main character looks much like a robotic enemy you'd dispatch with the 'hero of the
day' in any other game and this it's no coincidence - 'SLUG' as he's referred to is a repo-man
for an intergalactic company out to reclaim space-faring vessels that have failed to pay
their dues. There are no 'bad guys' to take out, just an assortment of helpful robots
re-tooled to defend against intruders attempting to destroy the power-cores keeping the ship
active.
While conceptually interesting, the game never really cashes in the concept aside from the
back-story; instead you'll spend each of the ten currently available stages (not including
the two 'tutorial' levels) smashing robots and getting past defenses while picking up
various power-ups and avoiding deadly traps.
Although the controls feel a bit floaty, the standard virtual buttons for getting about
while jumping and firing are easy enough to master. Things are made a lot less strenuous
thanks to a health-bar system and plenty of checkpoints, though the addition of instant-kill
platforming challenges (such as mines) feels out of place.
Despite the small amount of content, Robotriot ends up feeling repetitive early on and the
addition of boss fights does little to change things up. Perhaps with updates the game will
find its feet, but for now it's worth checking out if you enjoyed the odd mindless platforming
romp back in the heyday of its time.