Lockpickle has given us a charming physics-based indie platformer that would either give a good laugh or make you frustrated the longer you play it. Robotry! is a lovely gem to add to your puzzle platformer collection packed with hours of gameplay.
Learning to jump, swing, and grab things with your two robot legs feels rewarding the longer you immerse yourself in this challenging physics game. Read more about the game in our Robotry review and see if it’s indeed worth trying out.
Story and Presentation
You play as a broken baby robot and are rescued by merry astronauts. While trying to escape the basement at the beginning, you’ll discover some movement skills along the way. The progression that the devs made with the first part was fantastic, and I wasn’t swayed from leaving. The pacing was just right.
The story is cute and has a linear narrative showing you different planets to explore along with their unique levels that gradually become harder the longer you play.
Its presentation is quite charming as well, with little details throughout each level. In one of the later levels, you can tease the astronauts by grabbing and throwing them into a toxic pit if you feel frustrated with having a hard time moving your robot.
Gameplay and Physics
It’s nice that the Lockpickle came up with an easy-to-learn but hard-to-master physics mechanics where you can play with up to eight players. During the first hours of my playthrough, Robotry! reminded me of another space physics game I played way back called Heavenly Bodies.
Robotry! also has a speedrun option if you want to challenge yourself to beat your personal times in finishing a level.
If you are planning to get Robotry!, make sure you have a controller because this game doesn’t support keyboard and mouse controls at the moment. The gameplay is one of the highlights of our Robotry review.
The Co-op Experience
I enjoyed playing the single-player campaign, but the co-op is where the game actually shines. I tried to play the share-a-robot mode as well and Robotry! gave me and my friend the encouragement to work together since we are controlling one robot.
At the same time, the devs also considered adding variety for multiplayer, allowing you to control your own two-legged robot if players don’t want to share a robot. I could imagine the chaos that can ensue if you have more of your friends joining in the party.
I observed in the co-op campaign that if one of you reaches the finish line, the level is done. That’s a slight deal breaker because others might rely on you to figure out how to proceed to the following levels.
Level Design
Each world has over 10 levels, and it has enough content for you to enjoy, especially if you’re the type of gamer who admires defying the laws of physics. Collect some blue gems and try to reach out to hidden astronauts to potentially unlock other hidden levels.
A level usually consists of easy obstacles at first, then scaling into more difficult platforming. However, I saw some inconsistencies in the degree of difficulty on some planets. Your objective for each level is to reach the green finish line or the pipes to advance to the next puzzle.
Some levels will take you less than a minute to finish, while others might take you even half an hour. You’ll need mental hand-eye coordination and a bit of logic to figure out which joysticks to move the robot properly.
The Hub
In Robotry!, you have your own starship hub whenever you finish visiting all levels on a planet. The game also gives you an antique shop where you can spend your blue gems on cosmetics.
You can also find red chips from hidden astronauts on other planet levels, which you can unlock portions of your starship hub such as a flight deck and more.
The Verdict
Robotry! is one of those casual puzzle physics games with a good mix of easy and frustrating obstacles that’ll make you obsessed with finishing an entire planet in one game session.
Right now, it only has a single-player/co-op campaign mode and a share-a-robot mode, but the devs are looking to add more versus mini-games in their next updates. Although their roadmap somewhat sounds like an early-access game, at least players who’ll buy the game will get the free updates.
Robotry! has hours’ worth of gameplay, and it’s worth trying out. We hope you don’t rage quit during some of the more difficult levels.
What did you think of our Robotry Review? Share what you think about it in the comments below.
This review is based on the PC version of Robotry! The key was provided by Future Friends Games.
