Gladiabots

About

"Gladiabots" is a Science Fiction Strategy game where you construct the AI of your robot squad and compete in battle arenas, either in a single-player campaign or multiplayer mode . The game features simple and powerful AI programming with no coding skills required, and various game modes such as elimination, domination, and collection. Additional features include tournaments, sandbox mode, and the ability to unlock new robot skins by ranking up and earning points.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 483 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Great game for strategy lovers, offering a unique blend of programming and competitive challenge.
The game has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to learn programming concepts while having fun.
The community is supportive and full of resources, making it a great environment for both new and experienced players.

The user interface can be unintuitive and clunky, which may detract from the overall experience.
Some players find the AI programming options to be limited, making it difficult to create complex strategies.
The requirement to create an account for multiplayer access can be frustrating for those who prefer to play offline.

gameplay
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
68%
7%
The gameplay in Gladiabots is described as addictive and engaging, with a core loop that emphasizes programming AI for robot battles. While the mechanics are simple, they allow for deep experimentation and creative problem-solving, appealing to fans of tactical and programming games. However, some players find the gameplay can become repetitive and may feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the AI programming involved.
- “The core gameplay loop is great.”
- “Simple design hides a beguilingly complex gameplay.”
- “The main gameplay loop is essentially sending your robots to fight, watching the battle and judging their behavior, then iteratively improving or extending your AI graphs afterwards.”
- “Dumb, repetitive gameplay, camouflaged with many levels + multiplayer.”
- “The programming makes up the vast majority of the gameplay, and sometimes it feels like the smallest change, which should have just been an optimization, now makes all of your robots stand completely still or just jitter around and not attack anything.”
- “Not only does this completely break up the gameplay experience to have to stop watching a match to do this, but finding out exactly where the problem is can be troublesome as you often have to completely pause the game and go step by step just to figure out which decision branch is failing.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The graphics in Gladiabots are generally described as decent but not exceptional, with a mix of polished visuals and simple designs that suit the game's programming theme. While some players appreciate the visual customizability of the bots, others find the interface clunky and cluttered, detracting from the overall experience. The game prioritizes functionality over aesthetics, appealing primarily to those interested in engineering and problem-solving rather than casual gamers.
- “The graphics and automated camera are pleasing to watch your AI play out, but there is a fast forward option to skip through any predictable portions.”
- “Polished visuals, and I enjoy being able to customize the skin/color of my bots.”
- “Although graphics are good, the interface is very clunky.”
- “The graphics are nothing special, but the simple designs of the machines fit the game, and the varied paint scheme options are surprisingly varied, adding a lot of visual customizability to your team.”
- “Game doesn't have any graphics.”
story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The story aspect of Gladiabots is minimal, primarily focusing on arena-style battles rather than a traditional narrative progression. Players engage in single-player missions and PvP challenges, but the lack of a cohesive story or character development is noted, with some expressing a desire for better tutorials and clearer mission objectives. Overall, while the game offers engaging AI programming challenges, it lacks a compelling narrative to drive the experience.
- “And having enjoyed Exapunks a great deal because it too offered both those things as well as an enjoyable single-player story-driven campaign, I put it on my wishlist to buy when it came on sale and for this winter sale of 2020 it did become available.”
- “Even the early campaign missions greatly encourage me to design better bot AI.”
- “The game has plenty of solo (i.e. PvE) missions to practice on (and for playing offline), but I think the real substance is the PvP.”
- “Gladiabots does not provide any mission; it is basically an arena fight between mechs, but the challenge of programming the AI of the mechs is giving me hours of pure fun.”
- “Apparently without an account, you can't finish any single player mission.”
- “It is a good game, but I experienced a bug that kind of ruined it for me; if you go into any of the training missions, it overwrites any custom AI you made with the training AI.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
64%
21%
The optimization aspect of the game is a double-edged sword; while it offers a compelling experience for players who enjoy programming and fine-tuning their strategies, it can also lead to frustration when minor adjustments disrupt gameplay. Players can either invest significant time grinding for cosmetics or purchase optimization packs for quicker progress, highlighting a potential pay-to-win element. Overall, the game emphasizes optimization and programming puzzles, making it particularly appealing to those who relish in tactical challenges.
- “The multiplayer ranked and un-ranked matches are what interest me the most and have me spending hours analyzing my AI and making changes here and there to improve my performance.”
- “Great game for anyone who likes tinkering, programming, and optimization!”
- “The programming makes up the vast majority of the gameplay, and sometimes it feels like the smallest change, which should have just been an optimization, now makes all of your robots stand completely still or just jitter around and not attack anything.”
- “Expect programming puzzles and optimization first, tactics and strategy second.”
- “Each increasingly difficult fight against opponents tests whether the logic you gave your team of autonomous robots is good enough to win the current fight or whether it needs to be optimized.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the absence of aggressive microtransactions while others express disappointment over in-game purchases. Overall, the game is not considered a cash grab or pay-to-win, and many players prefer to support developers through upfront purchases rather than microtransactions.
- “There are no microtransactions!”
- “On the DLC and the points I haven't seen how they affect the game because I avoid microtransactions and prefer to support developers with the upfront purchases, but the game itself is an interesting one with scope for lots of creativity in approaches you can try.”
- “The game itself is decent-ish, but why it needs microtransactions is entirely beyond me.”
- “But seeing as there are in-game purchases, I was disappointed and rushed my first review/statement.”
- “Microtransactions seem a bit over-aggressive, but we're talking about changing the color of some robots; certainly nothing that I feel heavily impacts the experience very much.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in the game is generally well-received, contributing to a pleasant presentation and creating an excellent mood. However, some players feel the soundtrack can become repetitive quickly, suggesting that alternative music might enhance the experience. Overall, the implementation of music is seen as elegant, complementing the gameplay effectively.
- “The gameplay is rock solid (albeit totally mechanical) and the effects, sound, music, and UI give this game a really pleasant presentation.”
- “The idea is so simple, the implementation is extremely elegant (down to details like the automated camera, the music, the asynchronous multiplayer), the possibilities are immense.”
- “+ excellent mood music”
- “The soundtrack gets old real quick.”
- “If you turn the soundtrack off and play some synthwave in the background, I'd give this little gem an 8/10 for what it is.”
- “This process is analogous to reading the music sheet for a classical piano composition, without the grace and aesthetic of playing one.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, particularly in the single-player campaign where resource management becomes a chore. While some appreciate the challenge of debugging and optimizing, many reviews highlight the experience as frustrating, especially for those without a technical background. Additionally, the option to purchase shortcuts for cosmetics raises concerns about the balance between grinding and pay-to-win mechanics.
- “When playing the single player campaign, the design phase is incredibly tedious.”
- “You can spend a long time grinding for the cosmetics - or just buy the 'optimized edition' or the 'optimization pack' to get a stack of extra currency.”
- “I have experience debugging programs and have been doing it for a long time, so I can instantly understand when I have a sign flipped or am checking the wrong variable, but for anyone who isn't a computer scientist, it's going to be even more tedious.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is criticized for its confusing programming setup and a buggy tutorial that fails to effectively teach users. Additionally, players report frustrating UI glitches in the customization screen, along with frequent freezes and crashes.
- “The programming setup is pretty confusing, and with the tutorial being both buggy and not effectively teaching what needs to be understood, it makes trying to figure out how to make the gladiabot function all the more challenging.”
- “A number of UI glitches in the customization screen became too frustrating to overlook.”
- “Frequent freezes and crashes.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its entertaining battles and amusing achievements, with players appreciating the unique and funny concepts presented. Additionally, watching AI creations interact and react in various situations adds to the overall comedic experience.
- “The battles are entertaining to watch, and the achievements are funny to get. I can't really explain more; it's just so good!”
- “Quite a funny concept that I haven't seen before.”
- “Really fun and sometimes funny to watch the AI you created fight against other people's and see how they react to different situations.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The atmosphere is generally immersive and well-designed, thanks to effective AI algorithms; however, some players find it hindered by repetitive level designs and artificial movement limitations, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “The algorithm design of the AI is impressive and creates a very immersive atmosphere.”
- “The levels have a unique tron-esque virtual atmosphere that captivates the player.”
- “Every level looks nearly identical to the last one, and they all have a Tron-esque virtual atmosphere that I tend to get bored of quickly.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real sense of immersion or uniqueness.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the overall ambiance is dull and fails to evoke any emotional response.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate the reliable asynchronous multiplayer feature, which offers minimal waiting times for matches and enhances replayability by allowing them to continuously refine and test their bot AI.
- “The asynchronous multiplayer seems reliable, with minimal waiting time for a match, and provides endless replayability so I can refine and test my bot AI.”
- “Each playthrough offers new challenges and strategies, making it hard to put down as I always want to try something different.”
- “The variety of game modes and customizable options ensures that no two sessions feel the same, keeping the experience fresh and engaging.”