The presentation of Roboquest is reminiscent of a comic book. Featuring cell shaded graphics, the game also currently contains comic book style cinematics. With voice acting being non existent, sound effects being good enough, and the soundtrack being hype inducing, the presentation is sufficient. That said, for a self described "triple-i" developer, it does fall short of expectations. While the graphics are by no means bad, the style chosen feels flat when compared to other titles aiming for the same look and the cinematics leave a lot to be desired. That latter point may change though, as their early access roadmap does include new cinematics. However, this game has already been in early access for over 2 years and I can only review the presentation that's currently implemented which is average at best.
Another aspect that's average at best is the gameplay loop. Featuring several classes to choose from, along with numerous ways to build out each one, the combat is best described as fast enough, but nothing mind-blowing. That said, the game's level design and environments feel very similar, just with different color pallets, which is disappointing. On top of that, the game's basic AI feels samey throughout as well. Sure, they each have different attacks, but they all look fairly similar, which made the games world feel very small and homogeneous. Thankfully though, the bosses stand out through having unique move-sets and looks. You can also tackle them through 2 player coop, as with the rest of the game!
There's also plenty of weapons for you to obtain, such as dual uzis, various assortments of energy guns, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and pretty much anything else you can dream up. When you have this amount of weapons, sometimes the amount of choice can end up hurting a game's balance, but Roboquest finds a good middle ground, as pretty much everything you pick up is viable.
Unfortunately, while there's a lot of fun weapons to choose from, the upgrades obtained through leveling up are quite meh. Usually, the upgrades in Roboquest result in some passive increase or a minor active one, instead of complete shifts in how a weapon performs like in other roguelites. When you die, you're sent back to the main lobby to begin another campaign. Before you do, you can utilize currency earned through your run to obtain passives that help you progress even further the next time. This is usual roguelite stuff and Roboquest doesn't stray too far from the norm here, allowing you to increase the number of guns to choose from at the beginning for example.
Overall, while playing Roboquest I just kept thinking about how its price tag compares to a similar, but higher quality roguelite called Gunfire Reborn. Sitting at $20 in early access, while Gunfire Reborn sits at $20 as well, it makes you wonder what the value proposition is. If Roboquest was priced at $10, I could see it finding a better spot in the market and it's shortcomings would be more tolerable. Instead, it's priced the same as a title with a better art style, grander boss fights, more interesting basic AI, and more captivating build diversity. That said, if you can find it in a Humble Bundle like I did, the few hours of fun it can provide is at least worth the download, I just wouldn't go too far out of your way to play this one.
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