Gato Roboto can best be described as a 2D “Metroidvania” (ie a mixture of Super Metroid and Castlevania) developed by doinksoft and published by Devolver Digital in May of 2019. The game is available on Steam for approximately $8, and can be purchased for less during sales. I believe the game is also available on Switch for the same price. What are my thoughts on the game? Read on to find out.
What Worked For Me:
- The game’s 2D, black-and-white aesthetic is both visually pleasing and a nice throwback to games of yore. This is only re-enforced by some of the game’s unlocks (“cassettes”) which offer ability to change the game’s color palette. They have options from “Game Boy” and “Virtual Boy” to … “Urine.” It’s something. Perhaps this goes without saying, but the game doesn’t require much processing power to run. As someone with an older machine, this is definitely a relief.
- You play as Kiki the cat, who’s both cute and precocious. The game also includes a portrait of Kiki in the top right corner that show’s her mood while in the mech or submarine; it reacts to various actions (jumping, shooting, etc). You don’t get to befriend or pet the cat, which isn’t great. You are the cat, though, so it balances out.
- The “mech” Kiki spends a large portion of the game is fun and responsive. By the end of the game, it feels quite powerful, too, adding a suite of offensive and movement options (e.g. a dash, extra missiles, a more powerful blaster, etc).
- The game includes generous check points. The game doesn’t auto-save, but it offers plenty of places to save. Save points regularly appear near the most difficult rooms and boss fights in the game, which is always appreciated.
- The game is short. I’ve said this in previous reviews, but I appreciate games that stick to a core idea and execute it in a timely manner. This type of game design is a a breath of fresh air compared to the “everything and the kitchen sink” time sucks many AAA developers put out (Assassin’s Creed comes to mind immediately). The developers must be aware of the game’s length, too, since there’s an achievement for beating it in an hour or less (called “speedrun”).
What Didn’t Work For Me:
- The submarine Kiki pilots (because her mech is damaged by water) feels increasingly underwhelming as the game goes on. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I wish it could’ve received an upgrade or two like he mech.
- The game includes far too many “mini-boss” rooms for my taste. I understand the point of these rooms: as a way to acclimatize the player to enemies that they will see in the broader game space. As my time with the game went on, however, these felt more and more like an annoyance that stopped the flow of the game. This frustration was only exasperated as I went on by my mech becoming more mobile and powerful and the fact that enemies don’t “drop” anything for the player to pick up (meaning there’s no reason to defeat them beyond opening a locked door or making a room more “safe”).
- At first, I didn’t realize Kiki could climb walls outside of her mech. This led to a bit of frustration in the main area. I figured it out quickly enough, but it would’ve been nice to have a little nudge from the developers about this (e.g. a collectable, a text prompt, etc). I understand that this speaks to the “throw-back” nature of the game, but I could also see it as a “quit point” for some gamers. This was especially frustrating when mixed with the issues I had with the UI and remapping the game’s controls (see: my next point).
- I have some gripes with the UI. I wish, for example, that I could see multiple area maps from the pause screen. At present, the game only displays the map of the area Kiki’s in. On some level, I understand this as a nostalgic throwback; on the other hand, it made secret-hunting more annoying. The game also offers controller support; I was able to use my Xbox 360 controller with ease. When I tried to remap the controller’s buttons, however, the game only allowed me to remap the keyboard. On a related note, I found it weird that there was no screen that displayed the game’s controls (ie showed what buttons did what). Also, this isn’t a gripe with the UI precisely, but it’s kind of annoying that you can’t outright skip dialogue before boss encounters. The game sort of does this when facing the final boss (a cut-scene still plays, but there’s no dialogue); I just wish it was implemented throughout.
- I am tempted to say the story struggles a bit with tone, jumping from the death of a friendly NPC to fourth wall breaks. On the other hand, the game features a boss that’s a basically a hot pot with a mustache, so maybe I’m the one taking things too seriously.
- (Spoiler Warning) The ending felt a bit anti-climatic. Sure, you get a final boss fight, but after that you just jump in a spaceship and fly away. In short, this game has nothing on its fore-bearers (like Super Metroid’s escape sequence).
Conclusion:
If your ears perked up when you heard the game’s pitch: “Metroidvania staring a cat in a mech suit,” you’ll definitely enjoy this one. If you were drawn in by the game’s aesthetics (as I was), you’ll also likely enjoy the game if you’re prepared for a bit of “old-school jank.” Ultimately, the game does not redefine the genre; if you’re looking for that, you’ll be disappointed. If you want a game that’s a mix of old school graphics, storytelling that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and a dash of modern game design, Gato Roboto will be right up your alley.
