Anilrgowda

RoboBlitz, the latest Xbox Live Arcade title, has a number of notable differences from previous releases. Most obvious is that it’s not a well-known coin-op classic, such as Galaga and Pac-Man.

However, it’s also interesting that the game was built on Epic’s Unreal Engine, which powers Gears of War and the Unreal franchise, among others. It’s not common for a “casual” game like RoboBlitz to be made with such advanced development tools—though it does weigh in at nearly 50MB, so it’s hardly a simple game.

One result is that RoboBlitz is also a bit more expensive than most XBLA games. It costs a pretty penny to license the Unreal Engine, and while it provides a solid foundation that can save a developer a lot of time and effort, in this case it seems that some of that cost needs to be passed on to the player. And with a price of 1200 points (or about $15), you have to expect a bit more from the game.




Is it worth the cost? Let’s take a look.

RoboBlitz is an action/adventure game that requires the player to do a lot of puzzle solving. You play the part of Blitz, a simple robot on a space station who finds himself in the middle of an invasion. To save the station and his own metal butt, Blitz needs to activate the six main parts of the station, which will in turn make it possible for him to set off the Space Cannon and take out the MegaNoed attackers.

Each of the six sections features three levels, which combine with the final Cannon level to make up the game’s 19 stages. The varied puzzles require Blitz to do such things as power up the electrical system, build a giant bullet for be used in the Cannon and divert laser beams, which are accomplished by traversing winding passages, using multiple elevators and different devices. None of the puzzles are all that difficult, but some are time consuming and involved, and the third level in each section can be considered a “boss level,” where you take on one of the more powerful Noeds.

On top of the puzzles is a wealth of baddies wandering the halls, the appearance of some being triggered by completing a part of the mission. Thankfully, each level offers a certain amount of “upgradium” that you can take back to the station hub, where it’s used to provide various (say it with me…) upgrades. These include stronger weapons and improved movement capabilities for Blitz.

A robot buddy also crafts a couple of devices during the journey, including a tractor beam that can be used to get to hard-to-reach spots. These are unlocked in the course of your gameplay, and also come in handy as RoboBlitz gets harder.The game’s look, as you would expect given its Unreal Engine base, is slick, with lots of moving devices, intricate textures and fabulous particle effects. One of the key selling points is the rich physics, which makes up some of the puzzles, but also adding to the game’s quality feel.

However, the detailed physics and level design also end up detracting at various points—as odd as it is to say, some of the elements are so good technically, that they end up being bad for the gameplay. For instance, there are lots of layering and items strewn about, and some times it makes navigating your clunky robot difficult. If you don’t make a clean leap, you might find Blitz slightly caught up on the edge of a conveyor belt or with his arm hooked on the cable holding up a hanging platform. When Blitz has to carry something, the object might catch on the floor or something he’s passing if he’s not holding it just right. Placing a reflective box on the floor so it deflects a laser beam to just the right spot can take many more minutes than intended. Again, it’s the high level of realism created by the Unreal Engine that actually gets in the way and perhaps “takes you out of the game” for a few moments.


Unfortunately, RoboBlitz is also a game of frequent dying. Especially in the Noed battles, the slightest wrong move can put you into a pool of lava or in the stream of enemy rockets, and though there are a few wrench icons (which clear your damage gauge), they’re not always in reach when you need them. So, you end up with the frustration of having Blitz blow up, then you can pick to start from where you left off (if you’re on Normal difficulty; if you’re on Master Technician difficulty, you’re forced to start the level over) or go back to the station hub to start there.

I found it to be a great-looking game that has some fun challenges—but more often than not ended up being unbalanced and frustrating. I suspect that this will be one of those cases where Xbox 360 owners will be divided on whether RoboBlitz is great or disappointing.

Of course, the game provides a dozen Achievements that total 200 points, and most of them are easy to acquire, so there’s something to shoot for in addition to completing the levels. There’s also been talk of post-release additions, such as a multiplayer component, which will hopefully build on what the initial game provides. If that’s promising enough for you—especially if you liked the demo and think the $15 price tag fits—then you should go for it. I can only say it didn’t do it for me.