Growing up, I was always a huge fan of the Metal Slug series. The cooperative elements paired with cartoon-like demeanor offered a fresh quality to the run-and-gun shooter. Despite the number of sequels it spawned, it unfortunately never caught on well with Western audiences. Fortunately, developer Demiurge Studios has taken that formula and placed their own influence on it.
Shoot Many Robots opened with my character, P. Water Tugnut, dressed in eccentric outfit and stationed in a mobile home while waiting out the eventual robot apocalypse. I could almost smell the stench of my RV as I lingered over a filthy toilet which served as a storage container as well, allowing me to change a number of items on my character, including head gear, clothing and armament. The comedic influence shined through as I selected a pair of tight leather chaps that allowed me to dash across the floor quickly and a football helmet which displayed the description “Makes you run faster. Why? We’re not quite sure.”
Making our way out the door, my partner Taylor and I were accosted by renegade machines akin to robotic spiders whose sole purpose was to see our demise. I began by maneuvering towards an enemy through the lush 2.5D cell-shaded environments, guns blazing, as I elegantly slid across the floor like Mega Man before vaulting skyward courtesy of my jetpack. Yes, there are jetpacks in this game. I shred through enemies from above while using my decked-out M-16 (with unlimited ammo), before I dropped a hailstorm of grenades. I now see why Demiurge Studios considers this “Borderlands meets Metal Slug on a drinking binge.”
Considering I haven’t had much of an opportunity to brush up on my shooter skills as of late, I became incapacitated pretty frequently. Fortunately, if Taylor was able to make it over to me before time expired, I could be revived, just as in Borderlands. I was also able to heal my Tugnut back to four full health bars by slamming a beer. In situations where I found myself in short supply of a brew, I could simply sit back and let my health regenerate, although it was capped at 50%. Movement was fluid as I had a 360 degree range of fire, and holding the L-trigger allowed me to stare down the barrel of my gun for precise accuracy.
I would liked to have had more time with the game to see my character progress with the acquisition of superior items that offered varied aesthetics and benefits like stat buffs, however only one level was playable at the time. Although Demiurge Studios has not confirmed a release date just yet, nor a platform, it was playable on a debug Xbox 360. The controls felt a bit unwieldy at first, simply because there were so many methods to maneuver the character, but that seems to be my only complaint at the moment. In all fairness however, we were dropped into a point in the game where our characters had an advanced assortment of items, so I’m confident that tutorial or opening level would greatly ease the transition. With a bit more development time to add some polish, I believe this title could have a magnetizing effect on fans of the currently underwhelming shooter genre. Be sure to check back here for updates on the development process and our full review when the title is released.
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