Platform: Xbox 360 (Live Arcade)

Developer: Demiurge Studios

Publisher: Ubisoft

Release Date (NA): March 2012

Genre: Shoot ‘Em Up

Nerd Rating: 5 out of 10

Reviewed by AKA Persia

Shoot Many Robots has its charm. The sole object of the game is to kill as many robots as possible. Yes, there are bosses, but still, that is part of the murder spree.

You play as a redneck hillbilly named P. Walter Tugnut, a man living in his mobile trailer home, complete with bearskin rug in his “living room.” He lives in a post-robot-apocalyptic world with no apparent friends or family. There is absolutely no dialog throughout the game and no cutscenes or cinematics, therefore, no backstory in the beginning. The only explanation and tips are provided during the loading screen.

Gameplay is simple, with almost no puzzles or thinking required. The only skill needed is to be quick and choose the right weapons. P. Walter Tugnut is a gun enthusiast, which provides the player a large array of different guns and weapons, including pistols, shotguns, machine guns, rocket launchers, flame throwers, grenade launchers and so much more. Leveling up by killing the robots and collecting their mechanical remains unlocks more advanced weapons with each level.

There are flaws with the game, of course. There is little to no explanation as to what the different prizes are that you win by killing certain robots or bosses. There are green boxes provided that obviously are beer bottles (health) and red bullets that represent ammo, but past that, it’s difficult to decipher what the rest are. What does it mean when Tugnut turns yellow? Or blue? If it’s explained on the loading screen, I never caught it (and I tried my best to read every tip to find out). After research, I did find out that these special prizes are power-ups like extra speed or damage.

Robots are not really varied, but as you advance levels, they do introduce a few more. Bosses can be the same on different levels, which is disappointing. You might fight one boss on one level, and advance 3 more and fight the same one again. They’re fairly easy – not once did I fight a boss and lost at any point.

As far as the graphics go, they aren’t anything to be impressed by, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t unique. It’s a pretty light and fun game, which describes the 2D world’s graphics perfectly.

The game is fun and action-packed, but overall difficult to play over a longer period of time as the story is non-existent and the gameplay repetitive. I downloaded Shoot Many Robots off of XBox Live Arcade during a special where it was offered for free. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the game for purchase unless it’s a very low price.