Space Robinson Review Exploring An Alien World In 2D The Nerd Stash

Title: Space Robinson

Developer: Luxorix Games

Publisher: Alawar Premium

Genre: 2D, Roguelike, Indie, RPG

Available On: PC

Tested On: PC

Official Site: https://space-robinson.com/

Release Date: October 7, 2019

Where to Buy: Steam

Space Robinson: Hardcore Roguelike Adventure is sure to hit anybody’s ‘hot button.’ There will be no shortage of frustration as a result of the consistent permadeath. Even if you’ve got what you feel is endless patience, this game is sure to give you a cap on that. If you are willing to take that challenge, get ready to take on a mountain.

Is the hardcore roguelike genre something new to you? Space Robinson is a great place to start if you are unsure of your interest. You are an engineer sent to Colony 21 to investigate a disaster and repair the base. As your character searches for a bag of chips, he checks the comms and the ship proceeds to disintegrate. Thus begins the hardcore roguelike as you arrive at your destination.

Harcore Roguelike Gameplay

The format for the game itself is pretty standard. Controls are your standard w and s for up/down and a/d for left/right. Your space bar will allow you to dash through the environment. The left mouse button shoots ammo from your current firearm and your right activates melee. At its base, it is a top-down shooter. Despite that simple explanation, Space Robinson is far more engaging than it looks at first glance. While it is easy to take on the lower-level enemies, you’ll have a tough time when you are being swarmed. Swarms of enemies will remind players why the game is classified as a Hardcore Roguelike. What you survive during the daylight hours on the planet may kill you during the night hours. Feel the need to adjust difficulty? Just switch your hair color from red to green and gain a few more life bars.

Purple creatures with exposed brain tissue will follow you when the moon’s out. If you manage to kill them before they take you out, the mines left behind by the corpses will still pose a danger. And it isn’t until the sun comes back that these creatures stop. Luckily for the player, sunlight will damage them at least 1 HP per second. Do not hesitate to use your dash ability to steer clear of danger. Manage to get far enough and you can upgrade your dash to damage or leave behind explosive mines.

Choose Your Weapon Wisely

Remember that this hardcore roguelike will punish you with permadeath. Despite your preference for a certain weapon, it may not turn out exactly how you hope. While the SMG is great for handling swarms of the smaller enemies, you’ll expend your ammo well before you eliminate all your enemies. I found that the best weapon against the purple floating spike mine was the Ice Machine Gun. Your enemies will freeze, allowing you to melee attack them. If you can’t find that, the next most common weapon will be a Rifle.

You might also come across the Exploding Grenade Launcher. Just like in any other game featuring such a weapon, I would highly recommend one keeps their distance before the round detonates. Respect the deadliness of the explosives weapons you acquire. I suffered a number of deaths by my own hand because I was not mindful of where I was standing when I fired my weapon. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for black lid boxes with a skull. These boxes may contain an Exploding Grenade Launcher or Ice Machine Gun.

Death is Not Your Friend. Or is it?

It is totally normal to feel frustration at being stuck on a certain level in other games. When it comes to Space Robinson, this Hardcore Roguelike likes to remind you how many times you’ve died. The interesting thing about this concept is how it’s explained. Once you arrive at Colony 21, you come upon a set of six cloning tubes. That means that the engineer you arrive as will not be the same engineer that gets the colony up and running.

During your exploration of the planet and Colony 21, you’ll be gathering purple crystals to upgrade the colony. They can be acquired in two ways. The first is by melee attacking purple crystal nodes around the planet’s surface. You’ll also come upon large crates with purple lids. These will contain far more crystals than the naturally growing crystals.

Final Verdict: Space Robinson is a hardcore roguelike that punishes the players with permadeath. With a procedurally generated environment, you will never explore the same place twice. The weapon you got at the end of one environment may greet you at the beginning of the next. If you’re looking for a change of pace with a new 2D game, add this lovingly frustrating title to your collection of 2D Steam titles.