Robot Wants Kitty Review

It's almost like Robot Wants Kitty was designed for the Internet. I say this because everyone knows that the Internet, collectively speaking, loves kittens. So, here comes a Metroid-style platformer in which you must rescue a kitten each level. What other demographic could this be for? Duh.

Robot Wants Kitty first appeared online as a flash game. The iPhone version, however, expands considerably on the concept put forth by the flash version, taking the experience to a new level.

The best way to describe Robot Wants Kitty is that it's Metroid with robots and kittens. Any Nintendo and Metroid fan is probably sold by this description alone and rightfully so, really. There are a total of six levels in the game, and each has the same goal: you must control a robot to rescue a kitten that is trapped within some kind of prison. Sounds simple enough, but at the start of each level, your robot lacks any abilities other than it can walk forward. You're limited to where you can go and have to avoid any enemies you come in contact with. As you explore the level, you'll upgrade his powers – eventually he'll be able to jump, shoot lasers, teleport and perform many other abilities that allow you to access areas earlier in the level that he couldn't before. Indeed, it's just like Nintendo's beloved Metroid series.

The level design here is well done. There's a lot of backtracking, but it's part of the experience and is essential to delivering that satisfying feeling you get from games like this. It's also quite challenging – especially in the later levels.

For the most part, Robot Loves Kitty is awesome. One complaint I have with it, though, is that its designer favored the idea of creating just a small number of levels that are all quite lengthy. I think the experience might have flowed better if the levels were shorter and there were more of them. Thankfully, the game saves your progress in each level, so you don't have to beat them in one sitting.

Robot Wants Kitty is easily one of the better-designed platformers I've played on iPhone. And considering it's only a dollar, it's hard not to be impressed.