Puzzle platformers have paved new ways in the over-abundance of digital indie games, whether it be for the better or worse. But the most straining thing to come out of this protracted tread, is not the “too many good games to choose” mentality or the bad apples of the few, it’s really the forgettable games that squandered their potential. Before playing Tetrobot and Co., I was optimistic that this wouldn’t happen, and that we would get a gem on our hands. But I soon realized even a gem requires a lot of polish and cleanliness to become a diamond.

Gameplay:

The best I can say about the game is how it handles the too few and far between enemy encounters

Tetrobot and Co has a rather simple premise, but in the end, it’s one that isn’t fully utilized for the power it could have contained. In the game, players move blocks around and guide a robot through pipes to get through stages, as more and more features and even enemies are introduced. While this does sound fun, Tetrobot and Co’s control scheme does not work well for console, and fits better on something like the WiiU, PC, or mobile phones. Dragging the robot around for the umpteenth time can quickly become tedious.

Plot/Design:

Loading screens and visuals seem more fit for a mobile game or endless runner, softening the experience

The game tries it’s best to add new rules to it’s level set and structure, but this is done far too slow and unwillingly. While I’m all for games that don’t throw you right into the experience, Tetrobot and Co kills this argument in it’s respect. The difficulty curve is so overarching and climaxed, that it’s always a challenge to feel like you are making any real progress. The often inventive solutions to some of the game’s levels can help this, but not by a significant amount.

Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:

The game has wonderfully drawn out cutscenes, but the lack of a meaningful plot fails to captivate

In presentation, Tetrobot and Co is also lacking. The options menu is barebones, and lacks a proper audio and visual settings, and the art design is used sparingly, which shouldn’t have been the case. Backgrounds are the same, and the only time the game truly innovates are in opening and closing scenes. Even worse, a lot of in-game humor is shoved into the presentation, when it obviously could have been used for something a lot more useful and helpful.

Conclusion:

Tetrobot and Co isn’t a horrible game, and some puzzle diehards may get their fix off of it, but it fails to pull new chords or even play old ones. At it’s worst, it’s stale, repetitive, and overbearing, while at it’s best, it can be a blast to finally figure out the problem to a stage you had been trying so hard on previously. Yet this is something that can be found in a variety of puzzle games far and wide, showing what little Tetrobot and Co can really offer.

Tetrobot and Co. gets a 6/10 (Limited Appeal)

We’d like to thank NEKO Entertainment for sending us a code!

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