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Shoot Many Robots review

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Demiurge Studios’ first original title was released last week on XBLA and PSN. Mixing side scrolling shooter with RPG customisation has worked before but will it work this time?

You play the role of P. Walter Tugnut a beer swilling hillbilly who has been stockpiling his RV full of weapons and gear in anticipation of the robot apocalypse. Some may have called him crazy but the apocalypse has started and look who has all the guns now! Shoot Many Robots follows Tugnuts journey in a Metal Slug style side scrolling fashion, with plenty of robots to shoot and gear to unlock along the way.

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The levels are standard side scrolling fare, make it from one side to the other. The design offers some choices of paths to take, such as going across the roof of a building instead of through it. Occasionally, picking the correct path will reward you with some bonuses so it pays to do some exploring if given the opportunity. The level designs can be a stop/start affair which at times may spoil the flow of the game. Enemies spawn when you reach an area and generally have to be killed before you can continue.

The enemy robots come in a few varieties but mostly remain the same throughout the game opting for more health and damage as you progress. At the end of most levels you can expect to find a mini boss or a larger main boss which use time-honoured pattern based firing patterns or movements. The bosses do get reused often, so once you learn their patterns it is more of a hindrance than a challenge. Destroying robots will reward you with Nuts which are the currency used in the game to buy new gear. Kill enough robots in a short space of time will increase your multiplier which earns you more nuts and a higher place on the leaderboards. You also earn experience which levels you up, and in return your health and damage increases. If you choose to use real money, you can even score yourself a really huge nut sack. Ha.

Using the RV as a base of operations – you have access to your gear conveniently found in the shower, why not? Tugnut can change his primary and secondary weapons of which there are over 100 varieties ranging from machine guns, shotguns, flamethrowers, to rocket launchers, beam guns, snipers and gatling guns. You can also change his appearance which can lead to some hilarious fashion decisions; how about a hockey mask, fairy wings and tutu combination? The clothing does have its benefits because many items have ability modifiers that alter your character. The game takes a big gulp of RPG influences and you can spend a long time choosing your setup with item modifiers such as weapon damage, gravity, sliding power, accuracy, health recovery and many more.

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The ideal choice of weapons and clothing becomes more clear further into the game, especially if you are playing by yourself. Enemies do get a lot tougher and at times you can hit a brick wall because you are not using the correct weapons or clothing. You can always replay/grind earlier levels to collect more nuts, buy better gear and increase your level, but playing co-op is the easier and much more enjoyable solution.

Shoot Many Robots allows for up to four player co-op and it multiplies the fun factor by ten. I spent a few hours playing co-op with friends and had no issues with lag or disconnects. Any dropped gear and nuts are evenly distributed between players so there is no cause for argument over who picked up the last item. It all works very well and makes the game much more approachable in the later stages when things get tough.

Shoot Many Robots is a very enjoyable game. There are a few shortcuts such as reusing level designs (though they are increased difficulty) and the lack of variety of robots and bosses, but the positives outweigh the negatives. The vast range of gear to unlock and use keeps you hooked as you want to cause the most destruction and it is this that keeps you playing. As a single player game you may find it hard going at times but in co-op it is great fun, if you plan to do the latter with friends then I highly recommend the game.

Rating
Description
8.0Gameplay
It can be tricky in single player but great fun (and easier) in co-op. A wide choice of weapons and clothing keeps the game interesting.
8.0Graphics
Decent graphics for the characters who change appearance, game graphics are pretty good and look the part.
9.0Sound
Sleazy rock/jazz and rock tunes go well with the game. A definite highlight of the game
8.0Final Score
0

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