Super Robo is a passion project by solo developer Vincent Penning. Using his artistic talent as a tattoo artist and the programming skills he learned alongside his late father, Penning decided to pay tribute to his grandfather by creating a video game he felt they would enjoy making together. slow This led him to take his indie game to Kickstarter to help get additional funds, player testers and feedback to create the final product that fans can now try out. All these elements are combined Super Roboa hand-drawn Metroidvania adventure that sees the main android character making his way through a desolate world in search of his memories and his missing father.
right off the bat Super Robo It breaks itself into several niches – as a Kickstarter-funded title, a standalone game, a solo developer venture, a 2D experience, and as a Metroidvania. These aspects of Penning's debut make it unique in its own right, impressing in some areas while leaving a little more to be desired in others. Super Robo It's supposed to invite players to an experience where fans can explore and fight the bad guys that populate the pages of a comic book in a satisfying way. However, the growing pains of trying to render an open world with its own skill system can make or break the fun. Super Robo Recommended for fans who jump into the title without a guide or previous gaming experience Super Metroid.

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Super Roboy excels at everything fans pick the game for
Metroidvanias have certainly grown to stand on their own outside of the platformer genre, but players still seek out similar titles expecting tight controls, movement systems, and intense combat. On the surface, it may be easy to make a mistake Super Robo For a nice introductory title to the subgenre, but almost exclusively made for those who love the genre and are looking for something new yet nostalgic. Sure enough, it opens simply, with an AI guard named Virgil telling Robowie that his memories have been erased and that they need to find his father. From there, Virgil serves to mark important points on Roboy's map, but beyond that, it's entirely up to the player to find their own path and upgrade.
Explore in Super Robo That's how it starts, and it's easy enough to understand as players jump and shoot around platforms and enemies as expected, but soon, they discover their first crystals and are told It can be that their first skills are available. Instead of offering powers scattered around the map as expected in games like Metroid, Super Robo It replaces them with an enemy skill system that requires defeating a certain number of enemies and collecting crystals to unlock. At first, this doesn't hinder players much, as enemies are plentiful and green crystals (at least) aren't hard to come by, along with many basic skills that act as optional upgrades.
Players are given enough time to learn and figure out what Super Robo It's in the same area as the first, which is only enhanced by the amazing feeling the game controls. Jumping, shooting, sliding, and rolling are incredibly responsive, making these abilities fun to use and ultimately satisfying to upgrade once discovered. It goes well with exploration and platforming Super Robo offers, which is one of the free and player-oriented adventures. But this acts as both a blessing and a curse in terms of the game as a whole. When players finish the tutorial, there's almost no clear indication of what to do next, which can be confusing.
Innovation in Super Roboy may hinder more than it excites
Arguably, the best video games straddle the line between telling and showing. Metroidvanias in particular have always allowed players to figure things out as they go. still, wonderful Roboi It ends up shooting itself in the foot with its Enemy Skill system. The enemy skill system works great when it comes to unlocking those interested in stats and weaknesses for specific enemy types, but there is a problem with the necessary upgrades being locked into the same system. Moves like double jump, wall jump, and underwater abilities are locked behind a certain number of enemies and bosses, and some essential baddies are only found in one challenge room among four different areas. Just wanting to explore and missing one room out of an entire maze can easily prevent players from finding the ability they need to progress with only vague guidance and no proper guidance on how to obtain it.
Furthermore, the use of metroidvania with a more open ending has already been done and it seems that Super Robo It still shows how much more work needs to be done to combine both features. Four areas almost completely accessible from the start with no proper direction as to whether an enemy skill upgrade is necessary or not can cause people to find secret passages very quickly. This problem might get easier over time as fans get used to it, but the way all the skills are poorly organized and managed can lead to pointless frustration searching for missing enemies to unlock missing skills against a map that's only half as needed. Shows the players. to see
many of Super RoboThe formula changes look great on paper, but not so well in practice. Critical skills almost require them to be made into regular locks instead of hiding behind major enemies, and making critical Floater collectibles invisible on the map without skills while locking the rarest crystals behind them is more of an annoyance. is up to a prize. Some of the ships required for yellow crystals are even locked behind optional side missions, making hunting for yellow crystals problematic in the long run. Even with the essential skills behind the unpredictable needs and keeping the collectible baffles in the arms, the movement system and the basics are just how great it is. Super Robo The feeling makes players move just to jump around the world and see what's around them. I was able to find solutions to the puzzles that hindered my progress just by testing a hump or two to see what would stick, but that shouldn't be the answer to all obstacles. Super Robo. It is not fully explained, especially when players have to discover key information such as the Bounce skill that allows players to jump on deadly bombs.
Just a few helpful tweaks would prevent pointless runs like marking boss rooms on the map, but also, more content conversations with Virgil and Robo would provide more guidance than a few notes scattered around the map. . . Story-wise, it's certainly not one of its attractions Super Robobecause the characters hardly get a chance to interact during the story. While Super Robo It tries to set up a world from which it aims to take cues hollow knightThrough letters and journal entries, Hallownest fails to capture the same intrigue and charm.
Super Roboy is a Metroidvania purely for the love of the genre
This is not bad at all Super Robo However, it zooms in on its exploration, movement, and combat mechanics. In fact, these aspects are absolutely where this indie game shines. Even aimless exploration rewards players with Essence for defeating repeated enemies, which helps Roboy deal with subsequent bosses and enemies with ease. The skill system even adds depth to the inclusion of four elemental upgrades and status ailments that might be a basic combat system. Super Robo It even takes notes from a number of RPGs to add a collection of enemies, where players can see enemy weaknesses in a simple yet uncluttered menu.
Basic weapons and status ailments end up being incredibly prominent super robotBosses, where the right combination can make quick work of challenging bosses in a satisfying way. Fighting Mutant King Minus felt great at first, but when I used the extra crystals to upgrade my bio resistance and create poison against him as well as maintain his attack pattern, he didn't put in much effort. These skills will certainly be important on higher difficulties, as hard mode makes health particles rarer and increases health bars significantly compared to the other two settings. The penultimate part of the game – when players reach the power plant – pulls no punches and is sure to test players through all the odds. Super Robo It's surprisingly challenging to see through to the end.
Breaking the mold isn't necessary for Super Roboy to be a worthy Metroidvania
Video game design is similar to many other mediums in that during the journey it takes to create something, a core value usually needs to be identified as its message and purpose. When it comes to that Super Roboits main goal was to create a hand-drawn metroidvania experience, and in that sense, it certainly delivers. The movement system makes it a lot of fun to explore even when the objective may not be clear, the bosses are in challenging patterns that challenge careful observation to master, and nearly every area has collectibles to revisit with unlockable upgrades. . This is only enhanced by the adorable and engaging art style throughout Super Robowith sprite animations and some well-made backgrounds that hold many surprises. Super Robo It may have its flaws, but it also shows considerable potential for other 2D animation games from the same developer.
Super Robo A good, straightforward Metroidvania for the target audience of genre fanatics, even if it's hard to recommend for newcomers to the platformer subgenre. Those who have already made their way through Hallownest or even made their way through a mega me The game will easily find itself at home during the short yet challenging gameplay. Super Robo It delivers on its promises in a way that is unique to itself, and that makes it worth exploring.

Checked on PC
- was published
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January 20, 2025
- Developers
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Vincent Penning
- Publisher(s)
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VP games
- The 2D artwork is well drawn
- Fun movement and extensive exploration
- Challenging boss fights
- Elemental weapons add depth to status effects
- Lack of direction at times
- Side quests are a chore
- Robo's story goes into action
Super Robo Now available for PC. Game Rant received a PC code for this review.