Bad Bots
- May 17, 2013
- Point Five Projects
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Bad Bots" is a challenging 2D shooter game where you must survive waves of relentless robotic enemies. Utilize a variety of weapons and power-ups to strategically blast your way through numerous levels. With increasing difficulty and variety of bots, the game offers hours of engaging and fast-paced gameplay.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging gameplay with a fun premise, reminiscent of classic side-scrolling shooters.
- Bright graphics and an interesting story that keeps players immersed.
- Good controls and a variety of weapons, making it enjoyable for casual play.
- Repetitive gameplay with poor level design and overwhelming enemy encounters.
- Significant bugs and performance issues, including game freezing and control problems.
- Lack of achievements and limited upgrades, leading to a feeling of unfulfillment.
- story44 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered typical and predictable, often drawing comparisons to familiar sci-fi tropes, such as a robotic uprising led by a malevolent AI. While some players appreciate the engaging atmosphere and comic-book style cutscenes, others find the narrative lacking depth and originality, with repetitive elements that detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, a few reviews highlight the story's ability to maintain interest and provide a decent backdrop for gameplay.
“Its atmosphere, graphics, and story are really engrossing.”
“Bad Bots has several different weapon upgrades and choices, tons of hidden rooms, and a great story that keeps you on your toes and guessing the whole time.”
“It gets very repetitive, has no map despite a maze-like ship, has a terrible animation when you get hit that causes major problems later, and has a boring storyline whose sole twist you'll see coming from the start.”
“With a plot right out of an Asimov novel, Sam McRae finds himself the only survivor of a robotic uprising incited by a malevolent AI; a story we are all familiar with, but maybe originality isn't what this game is going for.”
“The game features storyboards that narrate the story and the overall presentation is decent, but the previously mentioned flaws keep me from recommending this title.”
- gameplay32 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay experience is highly polarized, with some praising its balance, engaging mechanics, and retro aesthetic reminiscent of classic titles like Contra and Metroid, while others criticize it for repetitive mechanics, poor pacing, and frustrating design flaws. Despite the mixed feedback, many appreciate the game's writing and the satisfying feel of combat, suggesting that it may appeal to fans of pixel art and throwback gameplay. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a blend of strengths and weaknesses, making it a divisive experience among players.
“This is quite possibly the best game I've ever played; superb writing paired with excellent gameplay and AI makes this a worthy purchase.”
“On the positive side, besides the pixely graphics and retro gameplay (which is entirely subjective), the feel of destroying enemies is quite good.”
“This is a mix of Contra and Metroid sort of gameplay.”
“There is no reason you should subject yourself to this level of shoddy design and broken mechanics.”
“It's a mediocre 2D sidescrolling shooter with among the most repetitive gameplay I have come across in a shooter game ever, and the game has really poor pacing since it goes on forever before the first thing happens... and then you are all of a sudden at the end boss.”
“I suspect the challenge level would increase later on, but based on the previous gameplay, how much of this challenge is derived from unavoidable damage taken from laser-accurate gunfire.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the bright, mood-lifting visuals and engaging art styles, particularly in 3D and pixel art formats. However, others criticize the overly saturated colors and describe the graphics as reminiscent of low-quality, retro games, leading to a perception of poor quality. Overall, while some find the graphics captivating and integral to the experience, others feel they detract from the game's appeal.
“Bright graphics that lifted my mood.”
“Its atmosphere, graphics, and story are really engrossing.”
“Never have I been so compelled to finish a level, because of the beautiful stunning 3D graphics I was fully captivated to learn more about the unique world, reading every bit of dialogue along the way.”
“The bosses are pretty jank, and the art style has way too many saturated colors.”
“I feel the graphics are bad.”
“But, I saw other games doing the same, and this game's graphics are terribly ugly.”
- music20 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's music has received mixed reviews; while some players praise the ambient synth soundtrack reminiscent of classic films like "The Terminator," others note the lack of music during regular gameplay, with sound only featuring prominently during boss battles. This has led to the perception that players may need to provide their own music to enhance the experience. Overall, the music contributes positively to the atmosphere, but its sparse implementation has left some players wanting more.
“The music is also fantastic... I was expecting some generic metal/rock but instead it was ambient synth, (think the first Terminator movie).”
“Whoever did the music did a really good job, I think.”
“Very good combat and cool soundtrack.”
“The game has no music while you play at all and has a bunch of other strange design choices that are really weirdly defended by the developer in a FAQ on the forums.”
“First of all, there's very little music in the game; I even thought the game was broken at first.”
“So, this is a BYOM ... bring your own music type of game.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for being engrossing, complemented by impressive graphics and a compelling story. Additionally, the music contributes positively to the overall ambiance, enhancing the immersive experience.
“Its atmosphere, graphics, and story are really engrossing.”
“It's a good game, with good music and a captivating atmosphere.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its strong replayability, with multiple users rating its replay value at 8 out of 10. This suggests that players find enough content and variety to warrant multiple playthroughs.
“Replay value: 8/10”
“It has replayability too.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally appreciated, with players finding it funny overall, though some elements, such as certain enemies and map obstacles, lack comedic impact. The game balances its humor with challenging gameplay, making it enjoyable yet somewhat difficult.
“Funny game, a bit hard.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including unpredictable aim jumps, rough sampling with analog controls, and glitches when the aiming cursor approaches screen edges. While players find the game enjoyable, the numerous bugs detract from the overall experience.
“The aim sometimes jumps unpredictably, is very roughly sampled despite using analog aiming, and glitches when the aiming cursor is near the edges of the screen.”
“The game is fun but extremely buggy.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with users reporting massive performance leaks that result in extremely sluggish gameplay.
“Tldr: massive performance leaks, plays extremely sluggishly.”
“Tldr: massive performance leaks, plays extremely sluggishly.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of the game is largely diminished by its repetitive gameplay, lack of a navigational map in a complex environment, and a predictable storyline with a twist that fails to engage players. Additionally, poor hit animation detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration rather than emotional investment.
“The emotional impact is severely diminished by the repetitive gameplay and predictable storyline.”
“The lack of a map in a maze-like environment makes the experience frustrating rather than emotionally engaging.”
“The animation when you get hit is jarring and detracts from any emotional connection to the story.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived negatively, with users noting that the game's title reflects its poor quality, suggesting that the advertising is at least straightforward about its shortcomings.
