Harness the power of gravity

GraviBots (SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis) is a free puzzle-platformer video game wherein you must clean up rooms using the amazing power of gravity. Developed by RetroSouls, this 2D retro pixelated game features cool gravity mechanics that you need to use to clear each level. This title was designed for the SEGA Genesis or SEGA Mega Drive and is the 16-bit version of GraviBots by the same developer—released in 2014 for the ZX Spectrum 48K/128K console.

Time to clean up

In the world of GraviBots, research on the nature of gravity has finally been completed—the end result being a universal robot that can easily change the local gravitational fields. However, to fully close the research program, all of the old equipment must be disposed of. This includes the old model bots that are now roaming inside the experimental rooms. You must guide the universal bot in using the abandoned and forgotten gravitational traps to do so.

The gameplay mechanics aren’t clear as there’s no in-game tutorial or instruction to guide you. You’ll have to refer to the text file that comes with its downloaded folder. To destroy the old red bots, you must control the green bot to retrieve the gravity traps, reposition them on a wall somewhere, and use them to push the bots into deadly spikes. There are 20 challenging levels to clear but you can take your time.

Graphics-wise, this version is a step-up from the original one and has overall upgraded designs for both the character sprites and each environment. Unfortunately, it still doesn’t have any in-game cutscenes or narration to briefly introduce the story. Additionally, there’s still no save system and it only uses passwords to allow you access to your previous progress, which can be such a hassle. You’ll need an emulator to play this.

Needs more polish

All in all, GraviBots (SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis) is a great puzzle game to try out if you’re a fan of the SEGA Genesis console and its puzzle-platformer games. It’s been given a visual upgrade and the gameplay is still as fun as the 2014 version. However, it hasn’t improved on what that version lacks, as there’s still no tutorial or save system. If you’re interested in the developer’s works, however, another recommended title is AlterEgo.