Robot Rundown Review

Tying into the web series, Transolar Galactica, comes Robot Rundown - a fairly entertaining side-scrolling shoot-em-up. Admittedly, much of the fun stems from the storyline and its many references to other Sci-Fi based things, rather than the gameplay, but it means that $0.99 is a fair price to pay.

You control SOL-BOT, a medical droid for the Star Ship Transolar, and one that can turn surprisingly violent when needed to. On a mission to kill all the enemies in his path while journeying through space, it’s a pretty simple game to control. On the left hand side is a button to tap in order to hover through the air, while to the right is a button to activate a shield and a button to fire at enemies. In both cases, they need to be held down to work.

It’s a simple set of controls but they work quite well. At all times there’s a steady flurry of enemies coming at you, so careful switching between shields and weapons is imperative to your success. Using the hover button well, you can also frequently dodge opposition when things get tricky. There are power-ups to pick up along the way to reinforce your weaponry, but unfortunately there’s no sign of an upgrade system here.

That’s the thing about Robot Rundown: it’s really very simple, albeit quite charming thanks to its 16-bit style visuals. Its true strength is in the storyline that unfolds during intermissions between levels. It throws in some humorous references, plus tempts you into checking out the web series. Skip past those cut scenes though and you’ll realize that Robot Rundown is actually a pretty typical side-scrolling shoot-em-up, and one that lacks real depth.