Tetrobot and Co.- Review (PC)

Tetrobot and Co.- Review (PC)

Tetrobot and Co. is probably one of the most deceptive titles I have played in quite some time. On the surface it looks like little more than a cutesy puzzler that is only designed to be little more than aesthetically pleasing. While in actual fact it hides a genuinely complex, mechanically sublime, game that is constantly builds on pre existing game mechanics.

Tetrobot and Co is the sequel to the successful mod turned indie game Blocks That Matter, also featuring the now-eponymous Tetrobot. The two titles differ quite drastically in terms of mechanics, as the original was a side-scroller in the vein of early Mario or Sonic titles, and the sequel is more akin to a puzzle-platformer. The developers make light of how sequels often seem to be rehashes of the source material, all but confirming that they made a deliberate effort to differentiate the titles. It keeps the titles fresh and I think that the sequel has really benefited from such a design philosophy.

In essence it is a puzzling title, and a rather unforgiving one  at that. The game’s main mechanics revolve around manipulating terrain in order to collect items and reach the end of the puzzle. Reaching the end of each individual level is not normally that difficult, what the game does make difficult is the gathering of certain collectables, gold bricks and keys. I applaud the developers for the fact that these aren’t just a vanity project  (we’re looking at you Assassin’s Creed), they are required to unlock successive levels. Essentially the more of these gold blocks and keys that you find scattered throughout the levels, the more levels you have access to.

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This has “see me after class” written all over it.

The devil is in the detail as far as Tetrobot is concerned, objects can only be manipulated or picked up horizontally. A lot the game’s challenge comes from being able to get yourself in a position where you are able to solve the puzzle in the correct way. A lot of that requires some very left field chains of thought. I’ve pulled out more than a few hairs trying to solve some particularly fiendish puzzles. You’ll quite often find yourself restarting the whole level all over again because you did one thing out of sequence meaning that you can’t humanly complete the puzzle. At the same time starting again isn’t too much of a chore as most of the levels are reasonably small, your time is wholly devoted to solving each individual puzzle. Once you’ve solved it you’ll find yourself simply breezing through the content, until you reach an untested challenge.

The way the game divides the content is through a series of unlockable robots, that’s where the gold blocks and keys come in to play. Each robot’s levels have a unifying theme. For example one has walls made of jelly, combine that with a cannon that fires through it and you are able to find other parts of the puzzle which you did not realise were there. In another surfaces are sticky, meaning that the boxes that your robot throws will not necessarily follow the exact same rules as they would in a more conventional level. It is nice to see a franchise teach the player the game’s basic mechanics and then allow them to apply those lessons in successive chapters – not always with great success.

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Thanks to these prompts I know exactly where to go!

There is a story but it has little to no effect on the enjoyment of the game. It is just simply there. I won’t deny that it would have been awesome to have some sort of GLaDOS-esque narrator to give the game some kind of direction, but I can’t have my cake and eat it. As it stands the narrative is little more than a conceit that gives the title a reason to be, but in it’s current condition I feel that the absence of a narrative would have been a better option. The game mechanics alone make it a gripping enough title.

I guess what I like about Tetrobot and co most of all is the fact that it is a neat, well packaged game. It knows exactly what it is and does feel at all muddled by scope. It gives the player exactly what they are asking for in terms of a decent gaming experience without the dross you often see in more mainstream releases. It is no less enjoyable because of the absence of romanceable characters or even the distinct lack of grit. Quite simply it’s best feature is how perfectly distilled it is as a game, no bullshit.

Pros

  • Clever game mechanics that’ll boggle your mind.
  • Brilliant time sink.
  • Teaches player the important information, doesn’t simply drop them in the middle of it.

Cons

  • Doesn’t really need a story, and its inclusion feels a bit pointless.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
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