Official Score
Overall - 60%
60%
RoboVDino has got an interesting arcade-like feedback loop, but the development team could have done more to flesh it out. Its low price point makes it easy on the wallet, but its short list of levels and lack of complexity makes it feel more like a diversion than an addiction.
The ultimate showdown of robots versus dinosaurs comes to a head with the release of Alex Bair Games’ new title RoboVDino. Offering up arcade-style thrills, should you bring a friend or four along for the journey?
RoboVDino Review
RoboVDino keeps things simple. As a blocky robot, it’s up to you to put the nasty dinosaurs that roam each stage in their place, stunning them with objects like pizzas, office chairs, sandwiches, and rockets, and throwing them onto party boats, crane games, and dumpsters. Each dinosaur wrangled adds time to the clock, and taking care of a set amount of them brings your little robot friend to the next level. The clock is constantly counting down, so it’s up to players to figure out how to maximize their time without getting hit by things like a stray fireball. Lives are unlimited though, with checkpoint beacons strewn around the world in case something goes wrong.
It’s a simple formula that only has one button, but it works as it should. It’s easy to fall into a pattern, and though there is some pressure with the time element, everything can be fairly zen. The top-down perspective and colorful pixel art add greatly to the game too, giving it a charming atmosphere.
Though there is an offline high score leaderboard to keep players fighting on, there are not many incentives to keep players going. If anything, players will see everything this game has to offer in around 30 minutes – there are only three stages (with the pun-tastic titles Rawrcade, Stock Rexchange, and Dinoshore) which repeat themselves as time goes on. Though the layout of each playthrough changes each go around, the same elements remain. As a result, repetition can quickly set in, especially with the looping music.
To keep things lively, players can join in with up to four other players offline. This makes things far more hectic, but it is still pretty fun when the going gets tough. Though this title does not support online play, this particular mode works as it should.
It’s just a shame that there isn’t more to the game. Though it can be entertaining in short bursts, it does not have a high skill ceiling, a variety of options, or anything else to serve as a carrot on a stick to keep players playing. Though the pixel art and chiptune music were no doubt created with care, there needs to be far more of it.
RoboVDino has got an interesting arcade-like feedback loop, but the development team could have done more to flesh it out. Its low price point makes it easy on the wallet, but its short list of levels and lack of complexity makes it feel more like a diversion than an addiction.
