Bot Vice
- July 11, 2016
- DYA Games
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Bot Vice" is a fast-paced gallery shooter arcade game where you play as Erin Saver, battling against criminal Wildbots in frenzied action. Each stage features a unique challenging boss, with three difficulty modes to choose from. The game also offers an unlockable "Extra Missions" mode, accompanied by polished pixel art visuals and a catchy 90's synth-rock soundtrack .
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Bot Vice offers fast-paced, challenging gameplay that is reminiscent of classic arcade shooters, providing a nostalgic experience.
- The pixel art and soundtrack are vibrant and engaging, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The game features a variety of enemies and bosses, each with unique attack patterns, which keeps the gameplay fresh and exciting.
- The difficulty can be overwhelming, especially for casual players, with some levels feeling unfair due to the rapid barrage of enemy attacks.
- The auto-aim mechanic can be frustrating, often locking onto unintended targets, which can lead to unnecessary deaths.
- The voice acting and cutscenes are often criticized for being cheesy and drawn out, detracting from the fast-paced action of the game.
- gameplay400 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by fast-paced, bullet-hell mechanics that challenge players with a mix of dodging, shooting, and strategic use of cover, though the effectiveness of the cover system is often questioned. Players find the experience rewarding once they master the controls, despite some frustrations with difficulty spikes and finicky targeting mechanics. Overall, the game offers a nostalgic arcade feel with engaging graphics and a fitting soundtrack, making it a compelling choice for fans of challenging action games.
“The gameplay is fast-paced and it's easy to lose track of time while playing it.”
“Bot Vice's gameplay is a little hard to master in the beginning, but after a while, the game becomes incredibly rewarding and enjoyable.”
“The gameplay is exquisite and requires a lot of mastery on the part of the player.”
“Design of gameplay sucks.”
“Initially you have to learn the gameplay and you'll feel rewarded with your progression, but once the learning phase stops, you quickly hit a brick wall of artificial difficulty, straight after the second level that is.”
“The gameplay is repetitive with little variation, despite this you're constantly challenged and enjoying yourself that you can ignore this tiny fact as you climb ever greater heights of difficulty.”
- music312 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its catchy, high-energy soundtrack that perfectly complements the fast-paced gameplay and vibrant pixel art. Many reviewers noted its nostalgic 16-bit and synth influences, drawing comparisons to classic titles like Mega Man and SNES games, enhancing the overall retro experience. While some found the music repetitive or less memorable, the majority praised it as a standout feature that elevates the game's appeal.
“The music is fun to listen to and perfectly matches the gameplay; I really like the FM synth-bass the tracks use.”
“The catchy music and really nice graphics captured me right away, but I can see myself dodging and blasting my way through this again to get better ranks.”
“Then, you add to the mix an indisputably inspired soundtrack that captures the entire experience and gives it a spin of brilliance — I cannot stress this enough — that mirrors many of the great gems of the past, that managed to do so much with so little.”
“Additionally, the music is repetitive and annoying.”
“The voice acting is obnoxious, the soundtrack is blaring, and the gameplay is too cheap.”
“Well, the music is forgettable.”
- graphics230 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming retro aesthetic, featuring vibrant pixel art reminiscent of classic 16-bit titles like Mega Man X and SNES games. Reviewers highlight the smooth animations, colorful visuals, and overall appealing design that effectively complement the fast-paced gameplay and engaging soundtrack. While some mention minor issues with voice acting, the overall presentation is considered top-notch, evoking nostalgia and enhancing the gaming experience.
“The presentation is mostly good, with enjoyable and fitting music throughout, and clean pixel graphics that clearly convey what they need to and just look good overall.”
“The graphics have a fantastic retro style, and all of the frantic movement on screen is fluid.”
“The graphics are charming and pleasant, with a style reminiscent of Neo Geo and Super Nintendo titles.”
“The graphics look like your average flash portal game circa 2012.”
“Given the retro aesthetics, it would have been more than acceptable to leave it out.”
“Cute pixel art graphics marred with cheesy cutscenes and voice acting.”
- story230 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as lighthearted and cheesy, with a mix of whimsical elements and absurdity, culminating in a cliffhanger that hints at a sequel. While the main campaign can be completed in about 2-3 hours, many players find the narrative to be serviceable but not the main draw, as the focus is primarily on fast-paced gameplay and replayability through extra missions. Overall, the story is seen as a fun backdrop to the action, though some critiques highlight its lack of depth and engaging dialogue.
“The pixel art is awesome, and the story, at least at the beginning, is lighthearted and fun with some mystery.”
“Great, great, great game with a story that I never expected to be invested in... until I was.”
“A story like it's an '80s action flick, art that's clearly influenced by late '80s and early '90s cartoons, and challenging bullet hell-like gameplay makes this game a must-have.”
“The story goes from whimsical but surprisingly interesting to utter nonsense, and then has the audacity to end with a cliffhanger and post-credits scene teasing a sequel I have no faith in.”
“The story and voice acting are ridiculously flat and the gameplay gets repetitive, but the game feel, art, and animation are brilliant - as a budget indie title it's good value for money - if you're looking for a challenging blast-em-up this one is worth a go.”
“The story was long-winded and moronic, so I skipped most of the story scenes which went on forever.”
- replayability38 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability despite its short main campaign, featuring a variety of challenges, a ranking system, and extra missions that encourage players to improve their performance. With multiple difficulty levels and a focus on achieving better scores, players can enjoy a fast-paced and engaging experience that invites repeated playthroughs. Overall, it combines fun gameplay with a wealth of content that enhances its replay value.
“The main campaign may be pretty short (which I don't mind, a solid compact experience can hit harder than an overblown massive 150+ hour game) but not only are there challenges and a ranking system for added replay value, there's also extra missions after you beat the game that are also pretty hard.”
“The game controls great, the visuals and music are well done, and it seems to have solid replayability with its 3 difficulties and 25 levels, each giving you a time & health score at the end that you can replay to improve.”
“It provides amazing raw immersive gallery shooter fun, it offers incredible replayability and value for money, and the soundtracks are phenomenal.”
“I would expect a dedicated player could polish it off in 5 or 6 hours though, so it's still a short game - albeit one with decent replayability, and is available for a very low price.”
“Each level can be completed in a couple of minutes when played well, but replayability is boosted by aiming to finish missions with full health and/or higher letter ranks for time taken.”
“Toss in some achievements that require you to complete levels in certain ways and there's a lot of challenging old school replayability here.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some voice acting and character designs elicit genuine laughs, particularly with parodic references to pop culture, the dialogue often falls flat and feels awkward. Overall, players appreciate the comedic elements, especially in the context of a simple dystopian story, but note that the humor can be cheesy or poorly executed at times.
“It's a great game with a funny, simple dystopian story.”
“The final boss's voice made me laugh (I think that was on purpose).”
“Some of the more hilarious bosses include parodies of Bebop and Rocksteady, as a bit of a TMNT fan tribute.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is praised for its smooth gameplay, allowing for immediate restarts upon death, which enhances the overall experience. This design choice contributes to good replayability, as players can strive for higher scores on each level.
“Optimized gameplay: if you die, you restart right away, making everything very smooth.”
“The optimization allows for a seamless experience, enhancing the overall gameplay.”
“The game is well-optimized, providing a fluid experience that keeps you engaged.”
“The optimization in this game is severely lacking, leading to frustrating performance issues.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that hindered the overall experience, making it feel poorly optimized.”
“The game runs poorly on lower-end systems, indicating a lack of proper optimization for a wider audience.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to its high difficulty level, which can lead to a challenging and often exasperating experience.
“Combine that issue with high difficulty, and you're in for a tedious and frustrating experience.”
“It's nail-bitingly, molar-grindingly difficult.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised, with multiple users giving it a perfect score of 10/10, indicating an immersive and captivating environment that enhances the overall gaming experience.
“10/10 atmosphere”
“10/10 atmosphere”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is praised for its transparency, standing out in an industry often criticized for exploitative practices like microtransactions and DLC. Players appreciate that they know exactly what they are getting without hidden costs or broken mechanics.
“In a modern world where we must constantly ask ourselves how the publisher and/or developer is going to screw us (be that via microtransactions, DLC, or broken mechanics), BV is refreshingly straightforward in terms of what you are getting.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers praise the character development for its quality design, particularly highlighting the appealing battle beast-themed enemies. This aspect contributes to a visually engaging and immersive experience within the game.
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting a sense of victory that resonates deeply with them. This feeling of triumph is noted as a rare and impactful experience in their gaming journey.
“It's been a while since a game made me feel this victorious.”
