~ ATOMIC ROBO-KID SPECIAL ~UPL
HuCard
1990
Atomic Robo-Kid Special is a fun game, more fun than I thought it would be. That's not to say it's fantastic, and some people might find that its flaws damage it beyond redemption.
But even the players who ultimately hate it will probably find ARKS likable in many ways at first. It's a pleasant (if not all that technically impressive) game aesthetically. The music is cutesy but maintains a bit of an edge to remain appropriate for the blast-'em-up action. Appealing color choices; bits of simple-but-nice-looking parallax; and large, chunky sprites make the visuals more than just acceptable. The bosses are quite huge, and you battle them in exciting walled-off showdowns; and while the first two are pushovers and the third has but one little trick up his sleeve, the last two can cause lots of trouble. You also get to fight other robo kids in confrontations that I find strangely reminiscent of the He-Man vs. Skeletor face-offs in the Atari 2600 Masters of the Universe game. Your own flying trash can is an endearing little bot, and the levels he explores range from simplistic fly-forward-and-blast affairs to intricate labyrinths.
That's all nice. What isn't nice is the control scheme, which practically cries out for an additional button. (This card might've benefited from a SideArms-type system, as inadequate as SideArms' system is, because of the TurboPad's limitations.) Also, the old combination of gigantic hit box and large projectiles never, ever makes for smooth gameplay, and the fact that you'll often find yourself in very tight corridors doesn't help matters. Some of the maze-like areas can be a bit boring, especially when they force you to tunnel through walls laboriously. And while the variety in level design helps keep things fresh, twenty-five boards is just too many. It's not that they require too much time--many can be completed quite quickly, in fact--but that it can be annoying to reach the Big Arm Boss in Area 25, lose, and have to fight through the twenty-four previous stages to get another crack at him.
I personally didn't mind replaying those stages a few times (at least not all that much), and winning the game felt quite good despite the crummy ending. Whether or not you'll agree with me that ARKS is a good game will likely depend on how willing you'll be to replay the early boards in order to get good enough to beat the last few and how forgiving you'll be of the pain inflicted on your hands by the lousy control setup.
But even the players who ultimately hate it will probably find ARKS likable in many ways at first. It's a pleasant (if not all that technically impressive) game aesthetically. The music is cutesy but maintains a bit of an edge to remain appropriate for the blast-'em-up action. Appealing color choices; bits of simple-but-nice-looking parallax; and large, chunky sprites make the visuals more than just acceptable. The bosses are quite huge, and you battle them in exciting walled-off showdowns; and while the first two are pushovers and the third has but one little trick up his sleeve, the last two can cause lots of trouble. You also get to fight other robo kids in confrontations that I find strangely reminiscent of the He-Man vs. Skeletor face-offs in the Atari 2600 Masters of the Universe game. Your own flying trash can is an endearing little bot, and the levels he explores range from simplistic fly-forward-and-blast affairs to intricate labyrinths.
That's all nice. What isn't nice is the control scheme, which practically cries out for an additional button. (This card might've benefited from a SideArms-type system, as inadequate as SideArms' system is, because of the TurboPad's limitations.) Also, the old combination of gigantic hit box and large projectiles never, ever makes for smooth gameplay, and the fact that you'll often find yourself in very tight corridors doesn't help matters. Some of the maze-like areas can be a bit boring, especially when they force you to tunnel through walls laboriously. And while the variety in level design helps keep things fresh, twenty-five boards is just too many. It's not that they require too much time--many can be completed quite quickly, in fact--but that it can be annoying to reach the Big Arm Boss in Area 25, lose, and have to fight through the twenty-four previous stages to get another crack at him.
I personally didn't mind replaying those stages a few times (at least not all that much), and winning the game felt quite good despite the crummy ending. Whether or not you'll agree with me that ARKS is a good game will likely depend on how willing you'll be to replay the early boards in order to get good enough to beat the last few and how forgiving you'll be of the pain inflicted on your hands by the lousy control setup.
Some of your foes try to surprise you by emerging from the floors and ceilings.
The visuals impress at times with large enemies and appealing backdrops.
You probably don't want the bosses to get this close to you (unless you're trying to nab a screen shot, of course).
You'll run into some interesting folks in the maze areas.
The last two bosses can be pretty tough.
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