Mr Robot really needs a healthy dose of characterisation to make it stand out a little more.

User Rating: 5 | Mr. Robot and his Robot Factory C64

There are some games that are adequately easy to review as they are good enough to stand on their two feet. Yet there are some that you really cannot help but compare, not how hard you try not to. Mr Robot and his Robot Factory is the latter – seriously I cannot help but compare two of the greatest platform games to date which are Miner 2049er (1982) and Lode Runner (1983). Granted there are some elements that made this game stand out like crisp graphics and some new twists to the ever-so saturated platform genre, however it’s just doesn’t seem to stand out other than being a little annoying.

So you control this robot (that looks like a space cadet) and your goal is to collect all the ‘power pills’ on one level before proceeding to the next. To collect them is to simply walk over them. There are obstacles that can benefit you to complete this task – ladders, escalators (only goes up), poles (slides down), magnet (makes you perform a longer jump when being triggered), transporter, trampoline and the treadmill. So there’s a decent variety of obstacles to navigate for which I like.

One of the few innovative features - platforms made from bombs.
One of the few innovative features - platforms made from bombs.

Yet there are enemies that try to thwart your progress named the alienfire. No, they are not aliens that fire projectiles at you – they are literally alienfire – fire looking beings. All they do is move back and forth with no set pattern and they can even climb / decent ladders - basically doing random things. A fine approach to keep you alert for the most part of the time. Also when you jump on the edge of the screen, you bounce right back – learn this technique as there are some levels that requires you to do just that. Also Mr Robot cannot fall down more than 1.5 times his height.

You can extinguish the ‘alienfire’ by walking over the energisers (looks like a pulsating square). Once you walk over them, Mr Robot will be covered with a force field that only last for about approximately four seconds. Use this wisely as there are some levels that requires you to knock two or maybe three alienfires using just one energiser. Also the magnet has a limited use so one activated, you can never use it again as it has about four seconds of usage too.

There are twenty two levels to complete and once done, you start the game again – yep, no fanfare finish celebration, nothing. Also most levels have a set pattern to complete and some are quite devious that requires a bit of forward planning; not so devious like Lode Runner however it will make you use that grey matter. However most are quite simple to complete in one go though. Yet there are some levels where the platform is made out of bombs – meaning once you walk over them, they detonate in about two seconds. This is a very impressive feature as it adds a twist and besides, once a bomb detonates, all you have is empty space; other words, the platform simply is not there anymore.

Another nice feature - trampolines as platforms.
Another nice feature - trampolines as platforms.

Each level starts the countdown clock from one hundred seconds. Once the time is up, you simply have to start the level again. Yep, just like finishing the main game, no fanfare, no suffocation, nothing other than the screen flashes a couple of times. Finish the level before hitting zero earns you points and killing the alienfire also scores you more points. Collecting those pills earns you crappy amount of points and killing the alienfire by detonating a bomb underneath them scores you heaps. There are other ways of earning points however quite frankly, I don’t care about points. Why that is is because the score does not count towards earning an extra robot – what dictates this is by collecting those rare ‘bonus robot token’ so keep a look out for them.

Also packaged in this game you get to create your own levels. Now that’s pretty cool considering not many games have done this prior. Lode Runner and Pinball Construction Set are the pioneers of this however that’s not to say it’s bad –it’s actually quite fun to do and I thought it’s a lot better than the main game itself. Using the joystick, it’s a matter of click and drop where you want it to go. Also take note you cannot have no more than four alienfires and only allow to have one Mr Robot. Also the maximum allowed levels to create is twenty six.

The mandatory bonus level.
The mandatory bonus level.

The game itself is pleasant to look at with all those vibrant colours. Crisp looking graphics with recognisable features is a plus for these types of games. The opening musical score is pleasant to hear as well as it does utilised all of the Atari’s sounds. However the rest of the sound effects like explosions, shields activation and so on are a direct rip off from Miner 2049er. Seriously, if you close your eyes and just listen to the sounds, you think you are playing Miner 2049er.

Mr Robot and his Robot Factory doesn’t really add anything new to the table. I guess it took all the best elements from the previous greats and lumped them into one package. Thankfully, there are some innovative level designs like having a row of bombs serving as the platform or even have a trampoline with reasonable physics however I cannot help to think this is a pure rip off, especially from Miner 2049er. The entire game from start to finish almost have the same feel save for the Robot Factory. Thankfully that made the game a little more unique however the game really needs a healthy dose of characterisation to make it stand out a little more.

5.5 / 10