[quote]Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews,[/url] so you can be updated whenever I post a new review.[/quote]
[h1]Overall Rating - Mediocre ★★★☆☆[/h1]
[h1]First Impressions[/h1]
Having played a few larger releases from my library recently, I've decided to go to the opposite extreme, looking for smaller, shorter games that I can play and review. iZBOT (ZB) had some previous playtime in it, so I decided to check it out. It's the sort of game I've seen several times before, and wound up not holding my attention for very long.
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
Out of the numerous games I've played, platformers have to be one of the most frequent genres I've dabbled in. That's the main reason why I wasn't that enthused when trying ZB, because it doesn't do enough to stand out. Every stage has an optional gem you can collect, but their placement is quite inconsistent. Oftentimes, they aren't placed somewhere that makes it hard to obtain, so it hardly feels like an accomplishment to get it. I just had enough patience to spend five seconds picking the thing up, instead of zooming straight for the goal. Otherwise, you simply have to avoid spikes and other obstacles in order to reach the elevator doors. Thankfully the difficulty isn't overly obnoxious, but I just don't see much reason for playing this title. If you've played a few indie platformers, you won't notice anything different here.
[h1]Controls[/h1]
An important element to platforming games is your sense of control over the character, and I didn't particularly enjoy how it felt in ZB. It feels floaty and slippery most of the time, like I don't have the ability to make precise movements. I was able to handle the character okay most of the time, but still didn't like the sensation of trying to handle his movements.
[h1]Story[/h1]
Machines are rebelling against mankind, but the titular character is seemingly a traitor to the uprising, siding with humans instead. That's what the introduction states. I question it because most of the enemies you fight against aren't robots, but slime monsters and bats. With such a small game, there's no reason for not being more consistent with your theme and plot. If I'm a robot trying to stop a robot uprising, I should be fighting against machines, not generic fantasy monsters.
[h1]Visuals[/h1]
I like that the background gives the impression of a cityscape, but I think this works against the game to an extent. With all these large buildings, and you smack dab in the middle of a city, it makes the stages seem oddly vacant. If there were signs of destruction and mayhem, it would better suit how nobody else is around. Since you don't see more indication of a rebellion or battle, I'm left wondering why I'm the only robot around.
Normally, I don't question platformer logic too much, as it's so common for blocks to float without explanation. However, since most of your immediate surroundings are made up of buildings, it makes the construction look all the weirder for being set up this way. A simple change of making everything look more futuristic, instead of like a regular skyscraper, would probably remove this problem entirely, “Those are floating billboards. Of course those would exist in the future.”
[h1]Sound Design[/h1]
From what I could tell, there was only one song that played constantly while I was in the game. A benefit is that it wouldn't stop and restart after each death, or as I went into the menu before loading up the next level. Instead, it maintains a consistent loop, which is much less annoying than hearing the same song restart after each failure. It fits the robotic theme well enough, but is also a bit high-pitched for my personal preference. This isn't a song I'd want to listen to for very long, so I'd suggest muting it and playing other background music instead. None of the obstacles would assist you with sound cues anyways. In fact, I didn't notice any sound effects, either from the enemies, or weapons being shot at me.
[h1]Pros[/h1]
🌟 There's a bit of silly banter when you collect the optional gems. Too bad the antagonist doesn't use more dialogue to comment on specific levels, or maintain a simple plot/conversation as you progress.
🌟 It has enough difficulty you can't just mindlessly zip through stages, but it's not especially brutal either.
[h1]Cons[/h1]
❌ Unless you got stuck on a particular achievement or stage, this game is quite short. Any given level can be finished in around a minute, and there's only 60 of them.
❌ Stages can be just long enough to make starting over from the beginning again annoying.
❌ You aren't able to look around the environment to see what's below or around you.
[h1]Tips[/h1]
🔍 Trying to land on enemies is harder than it should be. That's why I'd either use the low ceiling to force my landing onto them, or let the homing enemies line themselves up below me. Lining it up as I'd imagine the developer intended isn't something I'd suggest trying.
🔍 Except for rare occasions, I always moved while sprinting, as the extra speed is needed for most jumps anyways. It also made it easier to avoid hazards.
[h1]Final Thoughts[/h1]
I made it about halfway through the game's 60 stages, but I wasn't having much fun or entertainment from the experience. Between controls that feel kind of floaty and slippery, and level design that doesn't do anything refreshing or novel, I didn't have a reason to keep playing. At this rate, I imagine I could 100% the game, but I'm not that addicted to achievement hunting. There's nothing wrong with ZB, yet it also does nothing to draw anyone's attention, or make it worthwhile to someone who's played several platformers. Having enjoyed other indie platformers more, I don't have a reason to recommend this one.
[table]
[tr]
[th]PC Specs[/th]
[th]Performance[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ryzen 2700
RTX 2070
16GB RAM
ADATA SSD
1920x1080
[/td]
[td]The game ran without incident on default settings.
💖 - ZB is healthy
[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
