Gato Roboto: A delightful "meowtroidvania" (Switch)
I am a real sucker for both Metroidvanias and retro-inspired games.
So when I came across Gato Roboto (quite by accident) on the Nintendo store and saw it combined both, I was quick to add it to my collection.
I picked it up the night before it launched so when I sat down to play, it was very fresh because little was out there in the way of reviews or letsplays which was a lovely way to experience it.
Gato Roboto, by Doinksoft, is a "meowtroidvania" which puts you in control of a cute kitty named Kiki.
At the start of our adventure, Kiki must set out to explore a hazardous alien underworld after a crash landing leaves her human companion Gary stuck on board their spaceship.
Before long she gains access to her mech suit and can start really kicking ass.
The style and layout of the environments (particularly the earlier ones) strongly reminded me of the old Metroid games - which was delightful.
I loved the simplicity of its art and the fact that finding various hidden cassettes throughout the world allow you to tweak the colour palette. Personally, my favourite was the plain original - perhaps I'd just gotten used to it.
On the audio front, I liked the music. I find hard to describe the soundtrack other than to say it was fitting and felt a bit Metroid!
Gameplay-wise, Gato Roboto is a LOT of fun. Making your way through its (in my experience) four-hour story feels like a pretty smooth ride as you blast enemies, tackle bosses and explore a variety of areas which each have their own unique themes.
There are some areas which branch off, but ultimately finding the way to your next main goal only really requires you keep following the path you're on and make use of the map to make sure you keep filling in unexplored areas.
That being said there are plenty of optional hidden goodies to find, some of which require a little backtracking and re-exploring of past areas once your arsenal of abilities expands - so for anyone thinking it sounds a little linear, fear not!
Enemies are nicely varied and present a range of different threats to keep you on your toes - while bosses are very nicely designed and can be quite tense in places.
I won't reveal any plot, except to say that Kiki's objective of finding out what it happening around hers and Gary's crash site sees her gather snippets of data stored in various computer terminals.
Needless to say, there's more going on than meets the eye in this story and by the end all of those zig-saw pieces slot together nicely. Overall I liked the plot!
A gameplay aspect I really liked was how Kiki can take quite a few hits when in her armour.
But if you choose/need to eject her from the suit (to explore narrow passages for example) she will die in one hit.
This nicely changes the pace and creates some genuinely hair-raising moments where you're completely vulnerable and dodging for your life as you frantically sprint for a save room or a new suit.
Overall, Gato Roboto was an absolute joy to play and I'd definitely recommend it - especially to any fans of the Metroidvania genre.
Have you played Gato Roboto? Let me know your thoughts below!
So when I came across Gato Roboto (quite by accident) on the Nintendo store and saw it combined both, I was quick to add it to my collection.
I picked it up the night before it launched so when I sat down to play, it was very fresh because little was out there in the way of reviews or letsplays which was a lovely way to experience it.
Gato Roboto, by Doinksoft, is a "meowtroidvania" which puts you in control of a cute kitty named Kiki.
At the start of our adventure, Kiki must set out to explore a hazardous alien underworld after a crash landing leaves her human companion Gary stuck on board their spaceship.
I loved the simplicity of its art and the fact that finding various hidden cassettes throughout the world allow you to tweak the colour palette. Personally, my favourite was the plain original - perhaps I'd just gotten used to it.
On the audio front, I liked the music. I find hard to describe the soundtrack other than to say it was fitting and felt a bit Metroid!
— Stevo (@JetSetStevo) May 30, 2019Sound effects were really satisfying and punchy, which made the action all the more exciting.
Gameplay-wise, Gato Roboto is a LOT of fun. Making your way through its (in my experience) four-hour story feels like a pretty smooth ride as you blast enemies, tackle bosses and explore a variety of areas which each have their own unique themes.
That being said there are plenty of optional hidden goodies to find, some of which require a little backtracking and re-exploring of past areas once your arsenal of abilities expands - so for anyone thinking it sounds a little linear, fear not!
— Stevo (@JetSetStevo) May 30, 2019Gato Roboto feels very well paced, both in terms of action and story. There's a nice ratio of exploring and platforming to blasting and boss encounters.
Enemies are nicely varied and present a range of different threats to keep you on your toes - while bosses are very nicely designed and can be quite tense in places.
I won't reveal any plot, except to say that Kiki's objective of finding out what it happening around hers and Gary's crash site sees her gather snippets of data stored in various computer terminals.
Needless to say, there's more going on than meets the eye in this story and by the end all of those zig-saw pieces slot together nicely. Overall I liked the plot!
A gameplay aspect I really liked was how Kiki can take quite a few hits when in her armour.
This nicely changes the pace and creates some genuinely hair-raising moments where you're completely vulnerable and dodging for your life as you frantically sprint for a save room or a new suit.
Overall, Gato Roboto was an absolute joy to play and I'd definitely recommend it - especially to any fans of the Metroidvania genre.
Have you played Gato Roboto? Let me know your thoughts below!
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