Droid Assault
- January 9, 2013
- Puppygames
Droid Assault is a tactical arcade shooter with 8-bit inspired gameplay, where you battle through hordes of enemy robots across 50 destructible levels. Capture and command a squad of armed droids, each with unique abilities and weapons like lasers, rockets, and flamethrowers. Defeat 48 types of robots, including massive boss 'bots, to complete your mission.
Reviews
- Incredibly good graphics and sound design that enhance the overall experience.
- Addictive and strategic arcade-style gameplay with a vast variety of enemies to control.
- Fun core mechanics that allow players to build a squad of droids, providing a unique twist on traditional shooter gameplay.
- Technical issues with the engine, including poor controller support and bad hitboxes, detract from the gameplay experience.
- The AI for friendly droids is often ineffective, leading to frustrating gameplay as they tend to get themselves killed.
- The game lacks a substantial story and can feel repetitive, with limited replay value after completing the main levels.
- gameplay55 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Droid Assault" is characterized by its addictive arcade-style mechanics, allowing players to control and build a squad of droids while engaging in fast-paced, chaotic action. Despite some criticisms regarding enemy design and the simplicity of certain mechanics, the game offers a solid experience with intuitive controls, strategic elements, and a nostalgic retro aesthetic that enhances its overall enjoyment. Players appreciate the blend of modern and old-school gameplay, making it a fun choice for fans of the genre.
“Nevertheless, it's worth the price of admission due to its very solid and fun core gameplay, and luckily you don't have to restart from scratch if you lose, as there are handy checkpoints throughout.”
“Droid Assault is a frenzy arcade shooter with the great game mechanic twist of letting you possess other droids to the point of building a droid hit squad.”
“Its combination of great gameplay and good humor make this a simple but compelling game to play.”
“But it also seems to have done some missteps in its gameplay, which is unfortunate because this game is a cool sounding fun idea.”
“It's great fun but dying on the late levels makes the continue mechanic useless since you're respawned really weak and have close to no chance of succeeding.”
“There’s an idea here, buried beneath a thick crust of bland enemy design, bullet sponges that don’t actually pose a meaningful challenge, and general half-baked concepts of mechanical and aesthetic design.”
- graphics44 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Droid Assault" are widely praised for their vibrant neon aesthetic and retro charm, effectively capturing the essence of classic arcade games while incorporating modern design elements. Reviewers appreciate the game's unique art style, which features well-executed pixel art and a cohesive visual presentation that enhances the overall experience. While some critiques mention bland enemy designs and a lack of challenge, the game's graphics are generally regarded as a highlight, contributing to its engaging atmosphere and nostalgic appeal.
“Excellent game with incredibly good graphics and sound design, as well as a vast variety of enemies that you can control.”
“The graphics are always very well done with Puppygames games and Droid Assault is no exception, as the contemporized old school graphics are very well designed with that Puppygames genuine style that gives this game its beautiful unique flair.”
“The neon aesthetic both captures the arcade vibe of the game and seems to reflect Puppygames' style.”
“There’s an idea here, buried beneath a thick crust of bland enemy design, bullet sponges that don’t actually pose a meaningful challenge, and general half-baked concepts of mechanical and aesthetic design.”
“The graphics are bad, but this is too difficult to be a bad game!”
“While the graphics in this game 'Droid Assault' aren't exactly the latest Frostbite engine of today... I don't believe they're meant to be either.”
- music17 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the cool and immersive soundtracks that enhance the gaming experience, others find the lack of a substantial soundtrack disappointing. The sound effects are generally praised for their quality, contributing to an engaging atmosphere, but some players feel that the overall musical elements are forgettable or insufficient. Overall, the game's sound design is seen as a blend of nostalgic charm and modern quality, though it could benefit from a more robust musical presence.
“Cool music, nice graphics throwing you in a special universe.”
“Arcade style and excellent soundtrack make this a must-have for any collection.”
“The way Puppygames reflected the spirit of vintage games with elements like few-pixel objects and quasi 8-bit music tracks, while simultaneously delivering awesome contemporary graphics and sound, is pure genius!”
“Aside from my quality of life suggestions above, there are no real problems with the movement, sounds, music, or mechanics as they stand.”
“[u]droid assault[/u] has no music other than that of the main menu, but has fairly good sound effects.”
“Though there is no soundtrack to this game, which to me is the game's only downfall, the atmospheric backgrounds and sound effects are immersive and well done, though you may want to get an appropriate playlist together before you jump into this game.”
- story13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story in *Droid Assault* is minimal and lacks depth, primarily serving as a backdrop to its arcade-style gameplay. Players note that there is no significant narrative or character development, with the plot revolving around a corporate entity and combat robots, but ultimately feels linear and forgettable. While the game offers some lore through robot descriptions, it does not provide a compelling or engaging storyline, leading to limited replay value.
“In Droid Assault, the somewhat excuse plot is that you are with a multi-billion dollar corporate entity called Omni-Corp, who design and manufacture combat robots.”
“Droid Assault's gameplay mechanics aren't always the best thought-out, but it still made for a fun game up through completing the story mode.”
“Droid Assault has no obvious story to speak of, but small bits and pieces of a universe can be obtained from the descriptions of robots, available on the selection menu between levels.”
“While its story is relatively nonexistent, its arcade-style gameplay is addictive and strategic.”
“This might be a fun game to play over again from the beginning from time to time, but as it appears to have no particular ending, has no strong storyline, is highly linear (the same levels in the same order each time you play), and no alternate endings (and possibly no particular ending at all other than your robot’s destruction followed by a game-over screen), the replay value is, at best, mild.”
“Staying true to its origins as an old-school game (this was made in 2008, by the way), Droid Assault has nearly no story to speak of, and dives straight into the gameplay without a moment’s notice.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate its fast-paced and challenging nature, others find it limited due to a lack of strong narrative, linear gameplay, and minimal content variation. Although there are elements that encourage replay, such as variability and difficulty, many reviewers note that the experience may not be compelling enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.
“Pretty good variability and replayability.”
“Replayability is definitely one of this game's strong suits.”
“Fast paced, difficult, and tons of replayability.”
“This severely limits the game’s tactical possibilities and replay value.”
“Unfortunately, it suffers in some notable areas, with no relevant story, lousy AI, and limited content length & replayability.”
“I wasn't personally tempted to play more than that (which only took me 2 hours), even though it's got a lot of room for replayability, so the $10 price tag might be steep.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is heavily influenced by retro titles, featuring a vibrant neon aesthetic reminiscent of "Tron" and a cartoony style akin to "Robotron." Players appreciate the immersive backgrounds and sound effects, which create a compelling environment, although the absence of a soundtrack is noted as a drawback. Overall, the atmosphere is described as engaging and reminiscent of classic arcade experiences, enhancing the gameplay experience.
“Wonderfully atmospheric and retro.”
“Though there is no soundtrack to this game, the atmospheric backgrounds and sound effects are immersive and well done.”
“Will enjoy the uprise of the machine atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere feels recycled and lacks originality, reminding me too much of older games without adding anything new or engaging.”
“While the neon colors are visually striking, they don't create a compelling atmosphere; instead, they feel more like a gimmick than an immersive environment.”
“The game attempts to create tension, but the overall atmosphere falls flat, making it hard to feel invested in the gameplay.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a blend of dark humor and engaging lore, reminiscent of the style found in Portal. Players appreciate the lightheartedness and wit present in droid descriptions, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience that appeals to a wide audience. The humor complements the game's mechanics and variety, enhancing its appeal.
“Flavor text teases an interesting lore and a dark sense of humor loosely reminiscent of Portal's.”
“Funny little game for everyone! :D”
“The funny thing is, you are.”
- stability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game features good, retro-style graphics with intentional glitches that can be disabled, and it runs smoothly even on older hardware. However, players have reported bugs and an unbalanced difficulty curve, which detracts from overall stability.
“It runs great even on very old desktop computers.”
“The game maintains a smooth performance without any crashes.”
“I've experienced minimal lag, making for a seamless gaming experience.”
“It is also pretty buggy and has an unbalanced difficulty curve.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game runs smoothly at 50fps or higher without requiring any adjustments, although it lacks options for resolution customization.
“While there is no option to adjust the resolution, it still runs smoothly at 50fps or more with zero effort.”