Haiku, the Robot Review
Release date: September 9th, 2022
Developer: Mister Morris
Platforms: Switch (reviewed), Steam
Price: $19.99
Haiku, the Robot is a metroidvania based game from Mister Morris games. The quirky character who serves as the protagonist yearns for adventure is set in a machine based 16-bit environment. The game is pretty challenging but it offers some interesting elements that should keep gamers entertained if they are fans of this genre.
Let’s start with the interesting pieces that surround this strange take on a Metroidvania. First off, the game has very little narrative and doesn't do a great job of telling players the objectives. I spent about 30 mins wandering around looking for direction. Once players find out where they are going, there is also plenty of backtracking to do. Most of this is done after players gain new skills which are centered around the chips you find. Players can eventually upgrade their robot with more hearts and extra slots for active abilities. Gamers will eventually be able to wall jump and roll, both skills are essential for exploring/moving forward and backtracking.
One of the most interesting ideas is the chips players collect serve as currency. As mentioned above, the upgrades of extra hearts will cost chips. Players will also lose these when they die. There are ways to bank the chips. Most of the combat is confined to the melee weapons the robot has and players will be taking on enemies that look like spare parts. The robot protagonist can also repair itself at the cost of chips. I also rapidly discovered that the slide/dodge mechanic or fixing myself caused the heat gauge to rise. When it gets too full players can’t heal or dodge and just take damage.
Players are free to explore and the maps will become uncovered. One of the things I struggled with was the combat, it's all melee and it can get old fast. The controls were decent, I recommend a pro controller if gamers are gonna play it on Switch. I wish there were more checkpoints and save spots, this would have helped. NPCs will show up later to flush out the minimal story.
Soundtrack and sound effects fit the mood decently but after several hours in the game I started to lose interest. I don't think there is enough there to keep players hooked, and the combat against the bosses can be pretty challenging (would be good to have a re-spawn checkpoints close to bosses) or a way to change the difficulty.
If you are a gamer that likes retro themed adventure games, this might be right up your alley. I wish there was more to the story. But for $20, it might be worth it to check it out. Thanks to the developer for letting us review it.
Final Score
Pros:
Interesting healing abilities
Good controls
Cons:
Meh story
Game has a lack of direction or guidance.