I, Robot Review

I, Robot is a passable platformer, but shoddy controls make it a below-average game.

Movie-based games can be spotty, especially since the priority is usually on getting the title out in time to coincide with the theatrical release rather than getting the gameplay right. In its new platform game, I, Robot, Mobile Scope wisely borrows from some of the best platform games instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. Unfortunately, shoddy controls and repetitive enemies will only make you long for the games that I, Robot is trying so hard to emulate.

I, Robot has decent graphics, but the animation frames are jerky.
I, Robot has decent graphics, but the animation frames are jerky.

I, Robot takes place in a multistory office building, and it presents a side-view gameplay perspective. Like an update to the Taito classic Elevator Action, the player moves from top to bottom (or reverse, in some levels) by using stairs and elevators. You can sometimes dispatch the main adversaries--who come in the form of generic, alabaster-colored robots--but most of the game is spent running away from them. You can also find energy and bullet power-ups throughout the levels.

There are three levels, each of which is split into two stages and features a different character from the movie. There are two action buttons, action key 1 (button 5) and action key 2 (button 7 or 9), that change actions based on the current character you're using. The first character, Sonny, is a renegade robot that can destroy the other robots with punches and kicks using action key 1. Sonny can guard against other robots' fisticuffs by pressing action key 2. The second character, Dr. Calvin, is a scientist, not a fighter. She can jump by pressing action key 1. In an ode to Atari's Rolling Thunder, she can also hide in doors by pressing action key 2 while waiting for any passing robots to go in the opposite direction. The final character, Will Smith's Detective Spooner, is strong enough to stun robots temporarily by kicking them with action key 1, which usually gives him just enough time to sneak past them. He also has a six-shooter that fires with action key 2, but the bullets are limited, and it often takes more than one bullet to stop a robot.

It's an admirable idea to have three playable characters, but the gameplay never changes much. In the first level, you climb stairs and use elevators to beat up robots. In the second level, you jump on platforms and use doors to avoid robots. In the final level, you climb stairs and stun or kill robots. The same stale robot clones inhabit each level, and they just run back and forth, occasionally engaging in battle. Functionally, the robots could have been replaced by people, aliens, or escaped zoo animals, and it wouldn't have made a difference.

When robots do engage in battle, it often feels unfair, mostly because of the shaky controls. Blocking with Sonny usually takes a second, and enemy robots tend to punch in sets of three, meaning that letting one punch slip by usually leads to half of your energy disappearing. The same applies to using the other characters--except, of course, they can't block, so energy depletion is more of a concern. A robot on both sides of you pretty much guarantees death. The game doesn't handle turning very well, so even action game veterans will have a hard time trying to turn their characters fast enough to battle two robots. The frustration is exacerbated by old NES-style level design common to games like Mega Man, which means that an enemy robot can emerge from a hallway that you just left, even though you know the hallway is a dead end.

The control problems also affect simple things, like using an elevator or going up stairs. The characters tend to take large steps, and taking the elevator requires the player to be right in the middle of the shaft. Even worse, taking the stairs requires the player to be exactly one step away from them. This is an annoying requirement, especially when three robots are running toward you from that dead-end hallway.

I, Robot can be beaten within a half hour, in total. There is no ending, but Mobile Scope has included a handful of minigames that unlock after the game is completed. They range from a collect-the-items game with Detective Spooner (Collector) to a survival game with Sonny (Last Robot Standing). The games truly are minuscule, and all of them can be beaten within a matter of minutes.

There are three playable characters with different strengths and weaknesses.
There are three playable characters with different strengths and weaknesses.

The display in I, Robot is uncluttered and clean. On the left-hand side is a vertical energy bar. The upper right-hand corner shows the level time limit. During rounds with Detective Spooner, the number of bullets left is shown under the time. I, Robot's graphics are above average, but they're not great. The characters are cartoonish, not unlike the aforementioned Elevator Action, but they are just big enough for you to see some fun details, like Spooner's running shoes or Dr. Calvin's big hair. The graphics would be more impressive if the animation was up to par. Action animations consist, literally, of one frame, so kicking a robot consists of the character standing still, then extending his foot, and then standing still again. I, Robot has a fine tune for the title screen, but sound effects and music are notably absent during the actual game. The only sound effects that are employed come into play when either the player or one of the robots dies. What is heard then is a simple melodramatic tune that makes the game feel empty and cold, not unlike the robots that inhabit it.

I, Robot could have been an average platformer, but its sticky controls and monotonous gameplay get in the way of the fun. There's a big difference between getting the classics right and merely going through the motions, and this game falls a little on the robotic side with regard to getting a good value for your mobile dollar.

The Good

  • N/A

The Bad

About the Author