Pyrodactyl is releasing Good Robot soon, and they’ve really hit it out of the park with this roguelike twin-stick shooter. Upgrades, great weapon variety, and decent enemy AI, these are key to making a game like this addicting, and they’ve managed to do it all. I was able to get my hands on a preview build and after several fun-filled hours I still didn’t want to put it down.
You play as a robot in a dystopian Terminator-esque future where the machines have finally won. The humans have been slain by their own creation, and now PyroCorp – the company responsible for the robots who initiated the extermination – is about to face some serious consequences unless they can clean up their mess and pretend that nothing ever happened. That’s where you come in, little robot. It’s your job to erase all the bad robots and every shred of evidence linking PyroCorp to the disaster.
The setting is pretty funny, and one of the best parts of Good Robot is the humour being persistent throughout. As you advance through zones killing robots, you’ll arrive at vending machines where you can make weapon and upgrade purchases. At the bottom of these menus, there are also Breaking News bulletins that capture the mood perfectly; “Supercomputer sets singularity threat level from ‘High Threat’ to ‘Very Low Threat’” is just one example of the great work written for this game, and I found myself always having a quick chuckle while shopping. You can also expect to deck out your robot with hats like crowns, cat ears, and halos. Overall it’s a lighthearted that contrasts well against the tense moments you’ll encounter just moments after leaving the shop.
_______________________________
“Any fans of similar games should have a lot of fun with the challenge and fresh feel that Pyrodactyl has managed to accomplish here, and I’m sure there will be a bit more added to the final package before release.”
Good Robot isn’t exactly easy. While most damage is easy to avoid, there’s a pretty good variety that can be thrown at you all at once. Suicide enemies, heat-seeking missiles, and even electrified walls could easily be your downfall if you’re not playing carefully. Thankfully not only can you upgrade your shields, but you can pay to repair yourself or purchase a Warranty at weapon shops that will respawn you with your current build.
Progression is a bit of risk versus reward which is usually good. At the end of each zone, you generally have three doors to choose from that are labelled by colour and icon. This indicates what’s past the door, and how difficult it is. So far I haven’t found much reason to ever not choose the $$$ doors, as it’s your primary way of improving your robot and staying alive. Different weapons can drop from enemies and bosses, but they can vary in terms of power and technique quite a bit so you often want to purchase what you’re comfortable with using. One handy feature that should really be in any game like this is the ability to pick up whatever weapon you just dropped. This lets you test out new weapons without being stuck with them, as you can always just switch back to what you dropped.
Visually you’re in for a treat. There are a lot of great colour pallets for each zone so you’re never bored of looking at the same scenery, and the effects for most of the weapons look great. You’re going to look and feel powerful as you zoom around killing robots, and the hats give you a nice sense of looking unique. My only real complaint here is that some of the enemies’ shots do blend in with the background a bit at times, and when things get hectic it can be easy to get lost amongst the effects going off on-screen. At least two of my deaths were due to just not seeing that lone pellet making its way towards me until it was too late.
Otherwise, there really isn’t much at all to complain about so far with Good Robot. Roguelike twin-stick shooters aren’t anything new, but they’re often over-complicated or much too simple, lacking things like solid upgrade systems or weapon variety. AI is often terrible too, just sending waves of enemies after you that do nothing except move towards you and shoot in your current direction. While some of the easier enemies do just that, I noticed a couple bosses that were programmed to shoot ahead of where you were moving to, eliminating the classes strategy of just circling them and shooting. I actually had to think quickly about my strategy during several encounters; Good Robot really keeps you on your toes.
Honestly, even if it released in its current state, I think this is a solid game that’s worthy of your time and money (unless the final price is outrageous of course). Any fans of similar games should have a lot of fun with the challenge and fresh feel that Pyrodactyl has managed to accomplish here, and I’m sure there will be a bit more added to the final package before release. It’s not buggy from what I can tell, but maybe I was just having too much fun to notice.
***A PC preview code was provided by the publisher***
