Hot Mess Review

Mildly repetitive and with some awkward controls, Hot Mess still manages to remain endearing thanks to some very quirky gameplay.

Players control a firefighting robot as it works its way through hotel floors, extinguishing fires and extinguishing the passions contained within various couples scattered around each level. Yes, there are indeed couples in the throes of passion despite the fires raging elsewhere. Fortunately a quick soak of the hose and their mood is immediately less romantic.

It's a fun if simple concept that's backed up by a three-star system based upon the speed in which one completes a stage. Its 8-bit visuals and musical score add to the retro feeling that's bound to entice gamers of the 1980s in particular. Speed can be quickly boosted through hitting couples with a water spray, although in turn that can make navigating the rest of the area much harder.

The game turns much harder thanks to the control system. Using a two button approach, one has to hold a finger to each button in order to fire the hose. Otherwise, each button rotates the robot with moving forward conducted automatically. It's cumbersome at best, with it all too easy to smack into a wall. Given that walls cause the robot to lose health, this is far from a good idea.

With practice, the control system doesn't feel so bad, but it still feels at times as if one is fighting the game rather than playing it. That's a shame as it does detract from the entertaining, tongue-in-cheek comedy going on here. While Hot Mess is distinctly simple in its intentions and does veer into repetition at times, it's a fun idea; if awkwardly implemented.