The twin-stick shooter is becoming ubiquitous on downloadable game services like XBLA and PSN. It takes quite a bit for a game to stand out from the rest of the dual-analog pack. Microbot does just that with a unique setting: inside a human body. But is there more to it than just the novel environment?
I’ve always been a big fan of the film Fantastic Voyage. The visual style and impressive special effects are still noteworthy today. But what stayed with me through the years was the sense of awe at how intricate, seemingly alien, and yet beautiful the human body is when viewed on a microscopic scale. This wide-eyed feeling of wonder is strong in Microbot as well, from the opening scene where you are plunged into the bloodstream through a needle to the various vistas and scenery encountered on your journey through the body.
Microbot’s story is very basic: you are a good nanobot sent to destroy the bad nanobots infecting a human body. Simple, yes, but a more involved narrative isn’t needed. As you play, your nanobot will float through flowing rivers of fluids, ranging from blood to bone plasma. Unlike most twin stick shooters, control is imprecise, but this is by design. You will not be able to make hairpin turns or dodge with a quick twitch of the stick; the flow of the streams of liquid around you affects your movement greatly. There is a grappling hook that allows you to attach to walls or other objects, which helps a bit. It’s still difficult to get used to, but the ebb and flow really make you feel as if you are inside a living, breathing body.
Adding to the sense of realism is the environment itself. The renderings of the body in extreme closeup are very well done, even gorgeous in their level of detail. While the effect is aethetically pleasing, there’s also a sense of “eww that’s gross” every once in a while, adding to Microbot’s charm. The music is very soothing and calming, adding to the aforementioned sense of wonder and awe. By far, the biggest strength of the game is its feeling of immersion, if you’ll forgive a bad pun.
As you navigate through the body’s systems, your nanobot collects atoms, some of which heal you, while others can be saved as a type of currency for upgrades. From time to time, blue tech parts can be found, and these unlock new gear for your bot. At the beginning of the game, your nanobot only has three appendages, but later on you’ll gain up to seven. Each can be slotted with a weapon, propulsion device, or other useful bit. Experimenting with different combinations is an interesting bit of player development, but you’ll probably end up using a fairly balanced ship, since you can only upgrade at stations sparsely spaced throughout the checkpoints.
As the game progresses, there is a constant swing back and forth from lazy explorative sections and frantic enemy-filled areas. I’m not sure what the intention was here; it often felt like just when you were really getting into the flow of exploring things, moving quickly from one area to the next, when you’d have to stop and run around in circles to kill off dozens of infected nanobot attackers. Some battles seem to go on just a bit too long for my tastes, but once they are over, it may be a few minutes before you even see another enemy. This ebb and flow of zen-like peace and pulse-pounding blitzes feels odd. I’d really have preferred a bit less fighting and a bit more exploration and puzzle elements.
Cooperative elements in Microbot are fairly light. Two player local co-op is all that is supported, though you can drop in and out at any time. When atoms are collected in co-op play, both players earn credit, no matter who actually found them. Players are tethered together, so one can’t wander off far from the other. When one player dies, their nanobot will respawn at the other player’s location within a few seconds, another nice bonus. There is actually a weapon called the co-op link gun. If both players equip and use it, a beam of light connects the two nanobots and zaps any bad guys it touches, as long as the players stay relatively close to one another. I can certainly appreciate the idea of such a teamwork-friendly weapon, but it’s very difficult to pull off given the currents pulling and pushing players apart all the time. Still, kudos to the developers for including such a unique weapon.
Microbot, at its core, is a standard twin-stick shooter. There’s not a lot of new and exciting ideas as far as gameplay elements go. However, the theme and overall experience are fantastic. Every once in a while, there’s a memorable moment, like finding a white blood cell ally, or fighting while stuck in some thick bodily goo, and these make the theme even more enjoyable. As long as you’re not looking for groundbreaking gameplay, and just want to relax with a friend for a few hours, co-op style, Microbot is the game for you.