Botlike - A Robot’s Rampage Review
One well oiled machine
Botlike is a little game you may not of heard of. For two reasons, one it is still in early access and two it is an rouge-lite developed by a new studio called Binji. Even though you may not have heard of this game it is a game that is deserved to be known by all in the indie community and the rouge-lite community.
The aspect of the game that should catch your eye the most is the gorgeous steampunk era art. You play as an adorable bot named S.I.R and travel thru a rundown slightly lush jungle area which leads into a caverns system which then finally takes you to a massive junkyard complete with robot crushing pillars and incinerators. Many times iv’e died in this game just looking at my surroundings and not realizing an enemy was creeping up on me.
The game play is a splendid mix of the rouge legacy upgrade tree and 2d side scrolling platforming and enter the gungeons weapons and chest system. Though unlike enter the gungeon which boasts a whopping 100+ guns Botlike only has 9 weapons to discover, though they can all be upgraded 5 times either by finding them again or purchasing the gun from the shops that appear randomly throughout the level with scrap you collect from dead enemies. The weapons range from a rifle that shoots thru multiple enemies to a gatling gun that mows down heards of robots. At level 1 the weapons are rather modest but as they grow in level their strength reaches tremendous heights and the aesthetic of the gun changes as well.
Alongside the weapons in the game there is a healthy amount of items to find as well. Items such as the Gentlemen’s Mustache or the Four leaf clover which give you massive damage modifiers and buffs. The most intriguing part about the items though is that if you find two specific ones in a certain run they combine together to make an ultra version of the items. The items have 5 levels to them as well.
The game has 6 difficulties 3 of which are locked from the get go and can only be unlocked by beating the hardest difficulty you currently have available to you. Like any rouge-lite the game starts off brutally hard on any difficulty and gets made easier and easier as you push thru enemies and get a little further each time and re spawn in your tiny starting area where you can spend your hard earned currency called Circuits on upgrades. Upgrades such as permanent health buffs, armor buffs, dmg output, shot speed, dash distance, etc.
Verdict
This is a MUST play for any rouge-lite fan and at only $10 on steam is a must buy. It took me 8 hours to get to the end (Which when you do so and the credits roll lets you know that there is more to come in the full release of the game!) Its simple hook of kill, obtain money, purchase upgrades, get a little further each time is so addicting i cannot wait to jump right back in on the next hardest difficulty.
Score 9/10
Positive Negative
Gorgeous art Platforming feels awkward at times
Super fun weapons and items
Replayability
