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Kiren Maelwulf
Canada
Richmond
BC
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I’ve been meaning to write a new game review for a while now and RoboHero has managed to catch my attention enough to follow through. What is it? Essentially I would call RoboHero turn-based Bomberman. The developers seem to see some similarities too since one of the in game weapons is a Bomberman bomb, complete with 4 way explosion.
POSITIVES
Turn based games in general are perfect for platform such as the Iphone and RoboHero itself is ideal. You choose up to 15 moves such as turn, move forward, change weapons, shoot, and once everyone has done so the round plays out these pre-programmed orders. There is great satisfaction when you have planned out perfectly to get behind an opponent and spent the rest of the round unloading your weaponry into them while they fire towards an empty space. To aid in your task, before the match starts, you can purchase weapons and armor. Overall the gameplay is simple, streamlined, and fun. While timing in the single player campaign may be a little challenging to pick up initially, I doubt many people would get stuck to such a point they cannot make their way through.
I initially did not enjoy the single player campaign but it does grow on you and works well as a teaching tool for my favourite aspect: The Arena. The Arena comes with 2 modes with option for varying amounts of rounds and AI difficulty, at the moment there is only pass and play multi but online has been promised in the near future. The two modes are Free for All, were everyone simply attempts to destroy everyone else and Hunter, which gives you a single target that you must kill. In Hunter you do not know who is after you and killing players other than your target lose you points. When online is added, these modes without a doubt will be what carries the game, and fortunately they both have the same addicting quality Bomberman had to do a good job of it.
NEGATIVES
So I have been comparing RoboHero to Bomberman quite a bit and most people are well aware how popular Bomberman was. Heck they released an online version onto Xbox Live years ago and I never had trouble finding players in it. So what is ultimately going to prevent RoboHero from becoming the next lasting big title in IOS gaming? Variety.
Maps: You can have 100 different maps that all use the same palette theme and they will not please people half as much as 10 that are completely unique. RoboHero has a number of maps but they are monotonous to look at, every one of them using the same color and tiles. The arena needs to seem some maps with color, jungle maps, arctic, desert, etc. Not to mention maps were things happen, lava rising every few turns, a tornado that streaks across the map knocking players around randomly. Things like these really give a game a soul and help add a touch of excitement and interest into what stage you are playing.
Weapons: RoboHero has a decent selection of weapons. Acid that pools out, mines, bubbles that move slowly across the map, and more. But still, I sincerely hope they do not stop there, more weapons will mean more choices and in a game like this that is key for longevity. There are already some prime things to be used from the single player campaign such as drones and spider bots. Drones are bombs that move in a square pattern making either right or left turns at every barrier they reach. Spider bots move back and forth is a straight line until someone passes into their view after which they change direction. These currently are enemies and obstacles in the single player and would make great additions to the arsenal in multi.
Armor: Armor in RoboHero is bland. There are 3 types of damage and 3 types of armor. Can you guess what they do? Yup, reduce each respective damage. This is one of the more interesting things that could be added to. Armor with duration that reflect a certain amount of shots, teleportation that lets you move 5 spaces once per game. Things like that would not only add to the variety of the game but also increase the ways people can play, choosing either to go offensive with weapons or mobile/defensive with armors. Whatever they add, 3 bland armors is simply not enough.
Customization: This is completely aesthetic, but when online is released being able to customize your Robo will go a long way. Bomberman online had a huge selection of preset, unloackable, and purchasable skins to customize your character. Goofy things like cowboy-ninjas in tutus as well as pirates, undead, etc, kept playing new players fun and fresh as well as added enjoyment for players fiddling with the character creator. This is far less important that the rest of the variety issues but is food for thought.
CONCLUSION
Overall RoboHero is currently one of my most played Iphone games, and I have a lot. With the promise of upcoming online multiplayer and the hope that the developers are going to push ahead, improving the game for the online multiplayer audience, I have no qualms giving RoboHero a solid 9/10. DLed the free version now and try it out for yourself!
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Joe Wasserman
United States
Portland
Oregon
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Nice review!
 I think RoboHero is a fun game, too. It will be interesting to see what multiplayer is like.
On another note, you might find this thread helpful: How to Take a Screenshot with Your iPhone! 
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Kiren Maelwulf
Canada
Richmond
BC
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Mymil wrote:
Thanks! That is good advice for the pictures, when I get some free time I'll try to add some images.
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