Qing Robort

Qing Robort is, among others, one of the most unique things about interactive games: That's the essence of every time you're playing an action game, in the words of its creator. And unlike anything else, Qing Robort is still extremely mysterious.

At the end of each segment, you're given a choice, and can either kill, shove, or move on to the next segment. If you did do that, you'll walk away with a high score, and you'll be asked to take up the cause. But if you didn't, your brain will simply be jacked, only to begin snapping at your own weird life. In a strange twist of fate, however, this level ends in failure. With the number of targets and end-of-level goals being determined by the number of Robort points that can be earned, it's your job to deliver them all.

This kind of aural messaging can be exceptionally inspiring, especially if you have kids and younger gamers all raving about this innovative new form of communication. What's more, Robort is a constantly evolving environment that reacts to your choices. When you get down to the nitty-gritty of the scenario and deal with the threat, you'll also have to choose whether you want to act on your karmic instincts or remain calm, assessing your situation, and maybe helping him carry on with a faster response to certain stimuli.

Like in the narrative-driven game BIT.TRIP RUNNER, this smartly crafted mechanic of communication is broken up into distinct levels, which make up a variety of "chapters". In a similar vein to Waking Mars, these chapters will gradually introduce new enemies, obstacles and mysteries to deal with as you progress. Levels that have been designed as self-contained experiences are able to be completed at a normal pace or with less stress than the levels that come with them. As your progress on each chapter increases, the stages become more challenging, making them significantly easier to complete.

From the first appearance of this cerebral experience in BIT.TRIP RUNNER, I found myself falling into the abyss of grief and panic. Despite my best efforts, I was far more relaxed than many of those who had played the first entry. As a result, I was making myself way more uncomfortable and consequently feeling disconnected from my main goal, which would be to navigate my journey across a branching, winding stage. The sense of isolation of the primary goal could easily be likened to a walking simulator, requiring me to navigate my way through a sprawling maze filled with debris, peckers and bricks.

For a game that focuses heavily on challenging you on a single level, levels of confusion and panic seem like perfect segue into this feeling of confinement. The game does not have an extensive save feature for your progress and while it is possible to auto-save the game after every level, the inability to access the exit for a short period of time still has me on edge. Instead, I am encouraged to return to the real world after each level.

In terms of difficulty, the game also does not feature any tutorials. While there is a time limit for a few levels, the game does not automatically know the layout of each level. This means that the most experienced players will not have too much trouble finishing a level in just one sitting.

The only other time limit for a level, however, is your run. Like I said, the game does not include any sort of score system. You get to unlock the next level by going back and repeating the same stage again. You can unlock all of the game’s levels up to the fourth level by going back to the first level.

The levels that the game has to offer are designed to test your skills in both the gameplay and the obstacles. These levels are designed to be hard for a long time but are worth trying out for yourself if you are a seasoned gamer.

It might sound like I am biased, but this title is definitely not easy. It has a steep learning curve and some of the new characters are barely recognizable. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the game’s checkpoint system. Each level has checkpoints on the other side of the screen. If a level begins at the same checkpoint, the checkpoint will disappear.

The other thing that is even more disappointing is that this game feels incredibly punishing to complete. Levels that end up being harder for no reason are always more difficult than the last. Each level only has four checkpoints. Once you have only one checkpoint, you will be left with a level over and over again. I can’t imagine that’s a huge gripe, but it’s a big negative.

The game itself is marred by horrible voice acting and a multitude of bugs. Sometimes the gameplay slows to a crawl. Sometimes the game wouldn’t load from the start and the animation would load until it stopped.