The Girl and the Robot is a third person action/adventure game set in a fairy tale world where you take on the role of a young girl trying to escape from a castle ruled by an evil queen.
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I picked this up completely by chance; I just happened to be at a GameStop (out of town, no less) that just happened to be carrying a physical copy of a pretty obscure Kickstarter project helmed by an independent Montreal-based studio. Of course, at the time, I knew none of this about this game. All I knew was that I'd never even heard of this game, and that I liked the boxart.
It doesn't really happen anymore, now that I've committed myself to mostly playing games up until a certain era, but for the longest time I loved taking this sort of gamble. Sometimes it shook out, where I'd have yet another completely unheard-of also-ran title to hype up to my friends, like the sorts of things that represented the sum total of my gaming experiences as a kid. Didn't really matter; the fun was taking the plunge and seeing if it shook out.
I really wish I had more enthusiasm for the game itself, but I sadly don't have much to report. I feel like the game that exists is the start of something quite strong. There's a great high-concept with the dynamic between Girl and Robot, where the Robot is more combat-oriented but less flexible in its movements while the Girl is able to get around more easily but is completely defenseless. I don't think the Robot is super compelling to fight as, though given that ICO (ICO a nae) is a key influence, and combat isn't strong in that, I guess it's okay?
But the main thing is the cliffhanger ending, and the insistence that this is Act 1 of something bigger. Sort of a gutsy called shot on Flying Carpet's part, particularly knowing it's a Kickstarter project that didn't hint at this and the, um, lack of a second part. Definitely screams of something going wrong and the team needing to get the game out the door, at the most charitable interpretation. Doubly so since the follow-up effort is a card game ("inspired by concepts from Russian roulette", which is a really weird way to say a player can be eliminated at any time). Nothing wrong with the change of medium, it's just sort of a sign that this approach wasn't working.
Actually, speaking of the Kickstarter, that maze at the end that sort of comes out of nowhere and has little cohesion with the rest of the adventure was a stretch goal. Hmmmm.
The soundtrack is quite good, though. Sort of feels out of place in-game, but it's definitely worth the listen.
It doesn't really happen anymore, now that I've committed myself to mostly playing games up until a certain era, but for the longest time I loved taking this sort of gamble. Sometimes it shook out, where I'd have yet another completely unheard-of also-ran title to hype up to my friends, like the sorts of things that represented the sum total of my gaming experiences as a kid. Didn't really matter; the fun was taking the plunge and seeing if it shook out.
I really wish I had more enthusiasm for the game itself, but I sadly don't have much to report. I feel like the game that exists is the start of something quite strong. There's a great high-concept with the dynamic between Girl and Robot, where the Robot is more combat-oriented but less flexible in its movements while the Girl is able to get around more easily but is completely defenseless. I don't think the Robot is super compelling to fight as, though given that ICO (ICO a nae) is a key influence, and combat isn't strong in that, I guess it's okay?
But the main thing is the cliffhanger ending, and the insistence that this is Act 1 of something bigger. Sort of a gutsy called shot on Flying Carpet's part, particularly knowing it's a Kickstarter project that didn't hint at this and the, um, lack of a second part. Definitely screams of something going wrong and the team needing to get the game out the door, at the most charitable interpretation. Doubly so since the follow-up effort is a card game ("inspired by concepts from Russian roulette", which is a really weird way to say a player can be eliminated at any time). Nothing wrong with the change of medium, it's just sort of a sign that this approach wasn't working.
Actually, speaking of the Kickstarter, that maze at the end that sort of comes out of nowhere and has little cohesion with the rest of the adventure was a stretch goal. Hmmmm.
The soundtrack is quite good, though. Sort of feels out of place in-game, but it's definitely worth the listen.
I'm not sure whether I would recommend this game to a lot of people but I enjoyed it for what it was. It's simplistic and harkens back to generations past where visuals, level design, and gameplay are pretty basic but worth taking part in. Has a definite budget feel to it.
The Girl and the Robot was originally a kickstarter from some industry veterans to, and I quote from their campaign page:
"bring the thrill of classic games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Ico, and pair them with the sense of Wonder and adventure found in animated movies such as those from Studio Ghibli"
That's a pretty high bar they set themselves but as Oscar Wilde once said "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness" and never have I played a game in which that was more applicable. If you want to play a game about two trapped companions seeking to escape their confines through puzzles in an enigmatic world, just play Ico.
The Girl and the Robot just doesn't do anything well. It floats between bad, mediocre and occasionally frustrating but simply never raises above that bar. Each of the titular characters has their own role to play. The girl can jump and crawl through spaces whilst the Robot can move heavy blocks and fight other robots. The puzzles are mostly fairly clear in what they require where the two get separated and have to work together to reunite to progress to the next area. The puzzles are mostly fine if fairly forgettable. Occasionally even mid puzzle the enemy Robots appear, if they reach the Girl the game ends instantly and this can be extremely annoying at times, especially in the awful maze section where the level design is an absolute mess.
Combat itself is the worst aspect of the game by far. The animations and inputs just feel so stiff or unresponsive. Enemies run at you and block constantly. You only have 3 options, a three hit sword combo, a bow or block with a shield. The easiest way by far is to just hold up your shield and block one attack then combo back and win. This is for every fight for the two or three enemy types and manages to be both boring and sometimes frustrating in narrow halls or getting stun locked to death in groups.
Th game is also incredibly short. I 100% it in 3 hours and ends on a cliff hanger ending saying "End of act 1" but there seems to be no sign the series will continue to get any sort of resolution to the brief amount of story and lore presented here. It doesn't matter though because aside from the lovely art (look at that front cover!) this game is just a forgettable and sometimes buggy imitation.
Disappointing.
"bring the thrill of classic games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Ico, and pair them with the sense of Wonder and adventure found in animated movies such as those from Studio Ghibli"
That's a pretty high bar they set themselves but as Oscar Wilde once said "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness" and never have I played a game in which that was more applicable. If you want to play a game about two trapped companions seeking to escape their confines through puzzles in an enigmatic world, just play Ico.
The Girl and the Robot just doesn't do anything well. It floats between bad, mediocre and occasionally frustrating but simply never raises above that bar. Each of the titular characters has their own role to play. The girl can jump and crawl through spaces whilst the Robot can move heavy blocks and fight other robots. The puzzles are mostly fairly clear in what they require where the two get separated and have to work together to reunite to progress to the next area. The puzzles are mostly fine if fairly forgettable. Occasionally even mid puzzle the enemy Robots appear, if they reach the Girl the game ends instantly and this can be extremely annoying at times, especially in the awful maze section where the level design is an absolute mess.
Combat itself is the worst aspect of the game by far. The animations and inputs just feel so stiff or unresponsive. Enemies run at you and block constantly. You only have 3 options, a three hit sword combo, a bow or block with a shield. The easiest way by far is to just hold up your shield and block one attack then combo back and win. This is for every fight for the two or three enemy types and manages to be both boring and sometimes frustrating in narrow halls or getting stun locked to death in groups.
Th game is also incredibly short. I 100% it in 3 hours and ends on a cliff hanger ending saying "End of act 1" but there seems to be no sign the series will continue to get any sort of resolution to the brief amount of story and lore presented here. It doesn't matter though because aside from the lovely art (look at that front cover!) this game is just a forgettable and sometimes buggy imitation.
Disappointing.