Bring the funk to puzzle games

Frobot is a pseudo 3D top down action puzzle game, with a futuristic blaxploitation theme.

Movement is done via the keyboard, while aiming and most actions are handled by the mouse. The first level acts as a tutorial, introducing you to all of Frobo’s abilities, and how they can be used to solve puzzles. Unfortunately, after level one Frobot loses all but one of his powers, which are then introduced through the game as you rescue your kidnapped robot girlfriends! Who says robots can’t have girlfriends?

This makes the second level a little dull, which is a shame. The puzzles aren’t too hard, although some are based on times shooting, and bouncing bullets off walls into targets, and this requires a little skill. Your Frobot looks good and is well animated, as are the baddies, but the environments are a little dull and could do with more polish. This makes the sometimes repetitive puzzles seem a chore when funkier backgrounds would have made it all cool!

This is a demo, and the full version’s not out ’till 2010, so perhaps it’ll be developed a bit more before then. As it stands Frobot is a good idea, but a robot in an afro isn’t enough to lift it out of mediocrity.

Frobot has the makings of a cool puzzler, but needs fresher environments and music to really get its groove on.