RobotRiot: Hyper Edition [PC]

RobotRiot Trailer

RoboRiot: Hyper Edition, developed by Retromite is an indie platform shooter where you play as what appears to be V.I.N.CENT from Disney's 1979 film, 'Black Hole'.

Times have be hard on old Vinnie [as I shall call him henceforth, his real name is actually Slug] and he seems to have gotten a new job as an intergalactic repo-man. His daily activities include forcibly entering star cruisers that haven't paid their TV licenses and such, disabling the guards, then blowing up their reactors so his boss can tow the offending vessel back to the space impound.

As you journey through the ships you must complete the traditional 'find key & shoot switch' routine that is prevalent in most games of this ilk, occasionally shooting up the robo-guards along the way. The game seems way too easy at first as you breeze through levels in less than 12 parsecs [I know, its actually distance...], however the difficulty gradually increases with each ship. You do get to choose your missions though so if you don't feel robot enough for difficult levels you can do a few easier one first to get used to it.

When I say get used to it, I kind of mean learn the game's tricks. Every now and then something harmless like a platform, the same as you have seen in the last 3 ships, will suddenly become a trap to crush you into the ceiling. Also the game has a fair share of what I call 'leaps of faith' or the more common term, 'I can't see the fucking platform'. Many jumps have you blindly flinging poor Vinnie into the abyss, hoping to find a solid surface to land on.

This brings me to a small gripe regarding the levels, as in every platform game ever created there are the [seemingly] mandatory conveyor belt platforms... why/how do they effect a hovering robot?

At this point you may think I dislike this game... You would be wrong. Its got a fantastic visual style reminiscent of the 16bit classics we all love and should it have appeared on the Amiga 500 it would be regarded as a bit of a 'looker', it certainly has buckets of charm thanks to some lovely pixel art. The controls are good and responsive, the levels varied and interesting. There is a lot of good in this game.

Which brings me to the soundtrack. The music is great! Again we have a lovely chip tune soundtrack that never is abrasive or too 'bleepy'. It provides some life into what could be quite a stark game without it. Deep space is a lonely place for a little droid...

So how do I tie this review up then? Frankly, its good. The game provides a welcome challenge later on after the initial easy levels, My only issue with it though is I feel its a little too 'safe'. I think should there be a sequel, the game would do well to have something to set it apart from the pack.

For £1.99 the game provides a lot of entertainment, I think its certainly worth more than they are charging for it. It may not go down in history as a classic, but the time you share will be well spent.

Verdict: THUMBS UP

Buy the game from Desura here.