Amy Hates Robots

A fun and silly roguelike where you can become crazy overpowered if you play your cards right!

Amidst a world full of robots, evil AI, and roguelikes taking over, this one stands out as an absolute gem. After just the first hour of understanding the mechanics, I'm hooked. While it has a few glitches and it's not top-notch audio or visuals (which isn't expected of a solo developer), the uniqueness, comedy, and interesting mechanics make the game very enjoyable and far outweigh the "packaging". Even within the art and sound, however, you'll find an enjoyable sound track, helpful sound effects, and detailed visuals that make the game come more alive, especially in the animations and environment (although it can be rather dark at times). The combinations of abilities and mechanics is very interesting and definitely makes me curious and excited to try different combos in the future, although I'm staying away from the more risky ones for now. There's so much thought and intentionality in so many small details, to the point where even the customizable ability system is based on so many small mechanics as well. You can either just run and shoot and have fun that way, or you can really dive into strategies and make sure to get the most out of the abilities you do have. Since I haven't gotten very far yet, I can't say much for the story, but I'm definitely interested to see how it plays out. I get the sense it's not a narrative heavy game (being a roguelike), but the story fits in well with the gameplay, and there's a lot of good (and funny) environmental storytelling. Each of the characters is different and has personality to them. There appear to be a few bugs to be worked out, although they are so minor I can't even remember them by the time I'm writing this review. For the complexity of this game, I'm pleasantly surprised at how fast, responsive, smooth, and polished everything feels, especially for being a 2D platforming shooter that can almost become a bullet hell at times. It can be a little overwhelming in combat at times, but that's where creating a good build comes in. Some builds are overpowered, but then you may beat a boss and realize they aren't as strong anymore. There's plenty of challenge and I haven't tried the assist mode, so that may help for people that need an extra assist here or there. The bosses are interesting and each enemy is unique. Given that they are all ordinary house / office supplies and electronics, I'm once again pleasantly surprised to find how their mechanics fit with what they are. You can definitely strategize how to battle these different opponents, and there are so many strategies at that, with more to come as I get past a few hours. To sum it all up, I'd say it's the better 2D platforming version of Enter the Gungeon, but robot themed and honestly more interesting in some respects. It's got more story-wise it would seem, there's a lot more thought with different mechanics and how they all interact with each other, and I think the difficulty is balanced better. Not to mention you can actually choose where you go / the path you take, what shops or NPCs you run into (to some degree), and how much challenge you want to add or remove for yourself. Thanks for reading this, and give "Amy Hates Robots" a try. Give it a bit, try different things, and have fun. Most importantly, help save the world because these robots are driving us all crazy. Who knew your worst enemy early on would be a printer (and those bouncing staplers)!