Bot Gaiden
Before I begin this review I want to give a quick thanks to SwordSwipe Studios for giving me a review key to cover Bot Gaiden. Bot Gaiden has been out for over a year and I hadn't seen many people talk about this game which baffled me as the art style was what drew me in to begin with. There's something magical about a comic book-inspired art direction that gives me shades of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The vivid colors and various cartoon sound effects that burst out every time you defeat an enemy have always been an interesting touch. If I'm dashing across levels while slicing hordes of killer robots, I might as well look cool while doing it.
Bot Gaiden is a 2D side-scrolling platformer that has some roguelike elements but its pacing is linear enough that it doesn't overwhelm the player with too much. The first level serves as a tutorial that teaches the player how to jump, attack, wall jump, and glide. These basic mechanics are what will carry the player throughout the game, but the main core mechanic is the Gears system.
Scattered throughout each level are power-ups that give the player access to the abilities, Dashblade, Jumpjet, and Slingstar. Jumpjet gives the player an extra jump, Dashblade charges the player forward similar to Zero's blade dash in Mega Man X, and Slingstar gives the player a shuriken that attacks distant enemies.
Collecting all three powerups will enable the player to obtain a fourth hidden one called Hyperspeed. As the name suggests, the player gains a burst of speed in a short period of time, which helps greatly in getting to the end of each level. Unique to Bot Gaiden is the concept of speed and how it relates to the boss's health at the end of a level. Each level has a timer and while there isn't a "time limit," the longer the player takes, the more health the boss will receive up until a certain point. The faster the player makes it to the end of a level for the boss fight, the lower the boss's health will be.
It's a pretty ingenious boss mechanic as it gives the player immersion in the boss preparing for the hero to arrive. If the hero arrives sooner than the boss expects, naturally they won't be fully prepared and fights will end much quicker. The faster the player clears a level, the better the reward. Clearing each stage nets an extra life that adds to the total number a player begins a stage with. Silver and gold rewards are upgrades to a player's skill set, including beginning levels with gears installed and the ability to attack while gliding.
Getting hit at any point will cause the player to lose a piece of their gear, like getting hit by an enemy and losing a mushroom in Super Mario Bros. What's worse is that the player will be in hit stun, which if they are unable to mash in time, they will get stun locked. This becomes dangerous in later levels where every other jump is a pitfall. Later levels have pretty obnoxious boss fights that you'd want to end quickly, so the player needs to pick up the pace and go as fast as possible. This dance between being delicate in not making a mistake while also going fast gives it a "speedrun" style gameplay that many games boast of having, but very few execute properly.
Due to the nature of the game going as fast as possible, the game is on the short side. Most of the game's replayability will come with grinding levels away until everything flows together without making a mistake. Bot Gaiden drills it in the player to get from "Point A" to "Point B" as quickly as possible and the final level throws everything at the player including an army of robot enemies.
Any chance of getting gold in the later levels requires the player to avoid combat altogether which can be achieved as they rack up gold medals. Attacking while moving is the best way to acquire these medals and the instant restart option is a blessing. Neither of the stages is longer than four minutes after trial and error, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.
This was an enjoyable speedrun-based platformer that fans of the hand-drawn cartoon aesthetic will be drawn to, no pun intended. It was also brutal and challenging, yet forgiving enough to encourage the player to do their best. Bot Gaiden wasn't an easy game to get through but the game gives the player enough tools to succeed with enough effort. Again, thank you so much to SwordSwipe Studios for giving me the chance to cover this underrated gem!
Bot Gaiden is available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.