Puzzle Bots Review
“Great things come in small packages.” – Anonymous
No one knows for sure who first uttered those proverbial words of wisdom, but they certainly apply to Erin Robinson’s’ downloadable adventure, Puzzle Bots, published by Wadjet Eye Games.
Set at the appropriately named “Dr. Hugo’s Factory for Making Robots,” Puzzle Bots tells a story centered around five human inventors (and their boss, Dr. Hugo) and their tiny robotic creations. The diminutive robots each have their own special abilities, and it’s not long before they’re teaming up to explore the lab, solve puzzles, and unravel and foil a diabolical plot.
I got my first real glimpse of Puzzle Bots at the IndieCade booth during this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. After only a few short minutes of play, the game’s great sense of personality and charm were readily apparent. When the announcement came that Puzzle Bots would be one of the featured indies at PAX 10 this year, I wasn’t at all shocked.
During the game’s opening sequences, players are gradually introduced to the game’s five different bots and their human-inventor counterparts. All of the core gameplay focuses on controlling the bots, with the human characters relegated to furthering the narrative. Players are taught to use the robots’ core abilities to solve puzzles, most of which require the little machinations to use teamwork. You’ll first be introduced to a bot named “Hero” that can pick stuff up and “Ultrabot,” who can push heavy stuff around. They’re later joined by an aquatic bot, a bot with a flamethrower, and one that can throw tiny bombs. It isn’t long before the robots decide to break free from their tiny domicile to explore Dr. Hugo’s Factory, and eventually stumble across an evil plot that must be foiled.
When it comes to story and presentation, Puzzle Bots hits that incredibly narrow bullseye that’s both kid-friendly, but intelligent and witty enough to appeal to adults. It’s more ‘Nickelodeon’ than ‘Comedy Central,’ but between the immediately-likeable locations, characters, and animation, and the smart dialog and voice-acting, Puzzle Bots really feels like a well-made interactive cartoon.
The classic inventory-management system used in so many point-and-click adventure games is absent, and it’s actually quite refreshing. Instead of collecting every odd bit of junk you encounter and then subsequently trying to find out which combination of said junk will unlock the developer’s intended (and often unintuitive) path to progress, each of Puzzle Bots’ little protagonists has a small list of very specific actions available to them. When adventuring with multiple bots, you’ll still need to figure out how to approach a puzzle depending on the available bots and their individual prowess, but the solutions are logical, making them rewarding to discover.
Perhaps an unintended side-effect is that more hardcore adventure gamers may feel that the streamlined puzzle-logic and mechanics make the game seem too easy. After all, us old-time adventurers have been conditioned over the years to expect the occasional brick-wall-puzzles that can only be surpassed by combining random inventory items until something magically works. I’d argue that Puzzle Bots is the near-perfect argument against such archaic design. Adventure games are all about experiencing a story, and the puzzles in Puzzle Bots do their best to enhance that experience without derailing the narrative. Experienced adventure gamers aren’t likely to get stuck on many of the puzzles, but because the yarn Puzzle Bots spins is so entertaining (and legitimately funny), it’s not difficult to recommend to both adventure game newcomers as well as anyone who already has an affinity for the genre.
Domo arigato to Erin Robinson, Wadjet Eye, and the incorrigible Puzzle Robotos for a fantastic little adventure.
Puzzle Bots can be purchased on the Wadjet Eye website for $9.99. At the very least, do yourself a favor and check out the free demo.
