"Akimbot" is a single-player, 3D action-adventure platformer with excellent game mechanics, stunning visuals, and epic music. Play as outlaw robot Exe and his sidekick Shipset, escaping prison and battling through armies of robots in a sci-fi world to save the universe. Discover colorful environments, unique planets, and engage in a thrilling race against the chaotic Evilware. However, be prepared for some bugs and glitches along the way.
The game captures the charm and nostalgia of classic PS2-era platformers like Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter.
The gameplay is engaging with a good mix of platforming, combat, and mini-games that keep the experience fresh.
The visuals and audio design are impressive, with vibrant graphics and a catchy soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
The vehicle controls are clunky and can detract from the enjoyment of certain levels.
The story and character development are weak, with some characters being annoying and lacking depth.
The weapon system is limited, with only a few guns available and a lack of meaningful upgrades, making combat feel repetitive.
gameplay
236 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring engaging combat and platforming mechanics reminiscent of classic PS2 titles like Ratchet & Clank, but often suffers from repetitive level design and a lack of weapon variety. While some players appreciate the diverse gameplay styles and mini-games that break up the action, others find the overall experience to be bogged down by linearity and underwhelming mechanics. Despite its visual appeal and nostalgic charm, the gameplay can feel basic and occasionally tedious, leading to a polarized reception among players.
“The combination of smooth mechanics and varied challenges makes this game stand out as one of the better-made platformers currently on the market.”
“Despite being very short, the richness of gameplay more than compensates for its brevity, especially for 20€, offering a deeply engaging experience packed with varied mechanics, creative challenges, and thoughtfully designed moments that ensure every minute feels like you were transported back into the old days, when you were just a kid playing on console in front of the TV and having pure fun.”
“The gameplay is obviously heavily inspired by some of the staple 3D platformers of the PS2 era (namely Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter), but I think it does some unique enough things to set itself apart and not feel like a completely reskinned imitation.”
“This game stretches a section of its levels out for about 10 minutes longer (without a change in variety) than it needs to in about every gameplay section.”
“The gameplay, for the most part, doesn't hold up to expectations for several reasons.”
“While the gameplay is passable, it starts to get tiring with the weapon system that doesn't feel interesting enough with stages that leave a lot to be desired.”
story
215 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
69%
11%
The story of the game is generally viewed as simple and somewhat cliché, often serving as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a central focus. While some players appreciate its humor and charm, particularly in the interactions between the main characters, others find it predictable and lacking depth, with certain elements feeling drawn out or unnecessary. Overall, the narrative is considered serviceable, providing enough engagement to keep players interested, but it doesn't stand out as particularly memorable or innovative.
“The story has been interesting enough so far, which certainly has me intrigued enough to see how it ultimately unfolds.”
“Throw in a sprinkle of humor and a healthy dose of pop culture references, and the story gains enough charm to keep you engaged.”
“I found myself loving the story of the game, and I really like that this story has more of an edgy feel; it's a grown-up platformer.”
“Let’s not dive too deep here, but it’s clear right away that the gameplay does most of the heavy lifting, while the story serves more as a backdrop to keep things moving.”
“The story is very overblown and doesn't always make sense; character behavior is inconsistent and often seems to just serve a trope. Dialogue is seldom meaningful and often overblown for the sake of mentioned tropes.”
“There’s a lot of unexplored potential in the game’s writing; it all feels like the story exists for the sake of having a story.”
graphics
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
47%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, colorful visuals and impressive artistic style, striking a balance between cartoonish and semi-realistic elements. However, many users report significant performance issues, with the game being demanding on hardware, leading to overheating and crashes. Overall, while the visuals are a standout feature, they come at a cost to performance, which detracts from the overall experience.
“The vibrant and colorful visuals in each scene and level immediately catch your eye, and the graphics are genuinely impressive, especially given the artistic style they chose to go with.”
“The graphics, which aim to strike a midpoint between cartoon and realism, are truly stunning; whether it’s a colorful beach, a war-torn battlefield, a large-scale space battle, or an off-kilter dreamscape, the artistic vision for these spaces is fully realized and cohesive.”
“The art style brings together a perfect balance between cartoony robots and semi-realism with an amazing sense of color theory, with many levels and set pieces just having areas that looked so good I had to stop and gaze for a moment.”
“Sadly, the game has a big problem with performance as it requires too much PC power for its graphics (to the point of overheating), and I couldn't enjoy it.”
“You will fail because there are surprise turns, and the level aesthetic is so bad that it is not obvious if you're going the right way or not until you find out you made a turn that leads to your death.”
“It also can feel a bit straining at times hearing shipset, which is basically a claptrap that can fly at times, and it does end up crashing my PC's graphics drivers after about 4 hours (but I could relaunch the game just fine and go for another few hours).”
music
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
50%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its upbeat and energetic soundtrack, which enhances the overall gameplay experience and evokes nostalgia for classic action platformers. Players have noted that the music is catchy and memorable, often getting stuck in their heads, and many expressed a desire for a soundtrack release. However, some critiques include the default volume being too quiet and occasional mismatches between the music's tempo and gameplay mechanics.
“The music fits the game so well, it brings action and energy to the battles!”
“The humor is great, the gameplay was outstanding, the design was charming while full of personality, and the music had me hyped the entire time.”
“Overall the soundtrack is full of catchy tunes I find stuck in my head after playing.”
“The only negative thing I have to say about it is that it's set too quiet by default – I'd rather listen to the music than the constant dialogue!”
“Music 1/10, probably from a music library but too loud at times and inappropriate but no choice for a small indie game.”
“And finally the movement system is fun at first but gets very boring and repetitive and doesn't help much in combat since they shoot at you not where you used to be (shots seem to track) and finally they seem to have stolen some music from the Jak and Daxter games or at least sampled it heavily since during the buggy part you can hear the actual music from the games.”
humor
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is often described as childish and hit-or-miss, with some players finding it amusing while others consider it grating or unoriginal. The character Shipset, intended as comic relief, elicits mixed reactions; some appreciate his quirky jokes and pop culture references, while others find him annoying. Overall, the humor adds charm to the narrative, but it may not resonate with everyone, leading to a varied reception among players.
“Throw in a sprinkle of humor and a healthy dose of pop culture references, and the story gains enough charm to keep you engaged.”
“I would easily recommend this game to someone who wants to play a relaxing game, enjoy a good story, and have a couple of laughs, because man is Shipset hilarious!!”
“The humor is on point and the amount of references is just amazing; love the game.”
“Why do you keep me waiting for so damn long, just to tell some unfunny jokes?”
optimization
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
59%
30%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including overheating and frequent stuttering, particularly during combat. While some users experienced stable performance, others noted that the game demands excessive PC power, leading to frustration and a less enjoyable experience. Overall, there is a consensus that optimizations are needed to improve the game's performance and reduce the impact of these issues.
“As for performance, I didn’t encounter any issues at all.”
“Performance-wise, the game works fine.”
“While performance was rock solid, I had the impression that the game was quite a power hog, having my GPU run hotter than Lords of the Fallen (2023), which runs on the same engine and sports a higher visual fidelity.”
“Sadly, the game has a big problem with performance as it requires too much PC power for its graphics (to the point of overheating), and I couldn't enjoy it.”
“The drawback to this ambition and variety is the lack of optimization and fine-tuning to some of the mechanics, which means the game can at times feel a bit messy or frustrating.”
“Shame, I was looking forward to playing the game, but it's just a stuttering mess.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with players noting that while the driving mechanics, particularly for the buggy and tank, can feel stiff and frustrating, the game runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck when frame rates are limited. Vehicle sections are generally short enough that any issues don't significantly detract from the experience, although some combat mechanics can feel janky. Despite these quirks, the game is still recommended for its engaging design and fun gameplay elements.
“I'm about an hour in on the Steam Deck (runs great if you limit the frame rate to 30 in the in-game settings).”
“Driving feels awful at times, especially for the buggy.”
“The buggy, for example, feels stiff and kind of slow, but is otherwise perfectly functional.”
“This isn't without its problems though; some of the vehicles are a pain to use, namely the buggy (landing jumps really slow you down) and the tank (constantly veers off to the side).”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with some segments being enjoyable and well-paced, while others are described as tedious and overly long. Although there are moments of fun, such as engaging puzzles, the overall gameplay is often criticized for its repetitiveness and lack of excitement, overshadowing the game's positive elements like graphics and music.
“One segment will be really fun and last the right amount of time, another will be tedious and/or boring and last forever.”
“It does have its positives, such as graphics, characters, and music, but these just aren't enough to make up for the gameplay itself being tedious.”
“This game is incredibly tedious.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its vibrant and visually appealing design, particularly within its futuristic robot world. Reviewers highlight the captivating environments, impressive lighting, and a standout soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, contributing to a rich and immersive gameplay atmosphere. The combination of colorful visuals, intuitive controls, and top-tier voice acting further elevates the game's ambiance.
“Visually appealing world: the game's futuristic robot world is well-designed and visually appealing, creating a captivating atmosphere.”
“The main cast is colorful, the atmosphere is incredible, voice acting is top tier, and the soundtrack is an absolute legend!”
“Otherwise, the controls feel quite free and intuitive, the environments are vibrant and atmospheric, and the soundtrack hits hard.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The character development in the game is criticized for being shallow and lacking depth, with a simplistic narrative that fails to explore the motivations and themes of its robotic world. Players find the character designs uninspired and note a lack of meaningful progression, as characters shift abruptly in their roles without any development. Overall, the experience is likened to that of a flash game, with minimal engagement in character arcs.
“Shallow narrative: the story, while simple, lacks depth and character development, failing to delve deeper into the themes and motivations of the robot world.”
“Exe profoundly refusing to help the ambassador...and then an hour later (without any character development) we need to help a civilian to repair his bike, even though we did not want to save the whole universe!”
“+ the character designs are very boring.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game offers a thrilling initial experience, but its replayability is limited due to a lack of alternate pathways and content, making it feel more like a one-time adventure. While players may enjoy their first run, the absence of engaging elements for subsequent playthroughs diminishes its long-term appeal.
“It may not be highly replayable, but this riveting robotic rollercoaster is undoubtedly worth experiencing for that first rapturous run-through.”
“While this does swiftly chaperone the player along their way, it hampers akimbot’s potential replayability, as there are few alternate pathways to explore on future playthroughs.”
“While this does swiftly chaperone the player along their way, it hampers Akimbot's potential replayability, as there are few alternate pathways to explore on future playthroughs.”
“I enjoyed my time with it; I would love to get more, but the game is not replayable; it is a one-time go game.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that funds were misallocated towards advertising rather than quality assurance and testing. Players have reported significant technical issues, including hardware damage, which further exacerbates the perception of the game as a poorly executed product aimed at exploiting fans rather than delivering a quality experience.
“This game feels like a scam; it seems like all the money went into advertising for PlayStation. It's just a quick cash grab aimed at Ratchet and Clank fans. There was no quality assurance testing, and after just one day with the akimbot, it overheated and ruined my Day 1 Steam Deck. Now it doesn't work, and Steam quoted me £150 to fix it. I've tried to fix it myself without success, and it even destroyed an OLED Steam Deck in the same spot after dying in the water. The game wasn't even properly tested, and to top it all off, they disabled PS5 controller features!”
“This game is a complete joke. It feels like a cash grab with no real effort put into it. The lack of quality assurance is evident, as my Steam Deck overheated and broke after just one day of playing. Now I'm facing a hefty repair bill, and the game has disabled essential features for PS5 controllers. It's frustrating to see such a beloved franchise treated this way.”