Gobtron Review

The ancient Gobtron has awakened from a deep slumber, and all of humanity is bent on destroying him. You must take control of Gobtron and wield an arsenal of mucus related defenses in order to prevent his demise. The game is a quirky mix of arcade action and castle defense with a dash of RPG elements to keep players motivated. The object of the game is to defeat waves of enemies from different time periods by flinging your over-sized snot glob down upon them.

Gobtron is a monster of the ages, and he's a dopey pink giant to boot. It's a shame that everyone is out to kill him because he looks like the type of laid back monster that would rather be minding his own business than laying waste to decades upon decades of humanity. As you beat levels you will advance through time facing off against deadlier foes with better and better technology (prehistoric, medieval, modern, etc), but don't fret because Gobtron has the ability to evolve! When you beat a level you're rewarded with DNA points (the game's currency) that you can spend to enhance current abilities and unlock new ones. There are also power-ups that can be snagged by shooting down unsuspecting birds during each of the levels.

The majority of gameplay relies on a slingsot mechanic that has you pulling back, aiming at your targets, and releasing. It is simple and fun, but when the action intensifies it's easy to misfire. The graphics aren't a technical marvel, but they have a vibrant colorful style and the animation is smooth. The soundtrack is neat because it changes with the flow of the timeline, but don't expect to be humming the tunes from Gobtron ten years from now. Juicy Beast Studio has included Gamecenter achievements and Openfeint support, but the rest of the extra features department is pretty bare.

The short levels are easily digestible, and I found the game to be suitably challenging. Don't expect to blaze through every level without a hitch because if you don't spend the time to evolve Gobtron then the armies will outgun him. I had to replay more than a few of the levels to earn enough DNA for Gobtron to stay competitive, but I never felt like I was grinding. Even when replaying levels the game manages to keep a nice flow.

GOBTRON iPhone/iPod Trailer by Juicy Beast from Juicy Beast on Vimeo.

There isn't much more to say about Gobtron. It is an addictive, casual experience that lends itself to short bursts of portable gaming bliss. In a world where a lot of iOS developers are striving to imitate console games, sometimes it is refreshing to see a mobile game that looks and feels like a mobile game. If you have a slight tolerance for booger jokes and a short attention span, then give Gobtron a play.

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