Twin Robots Ultimate Edition Nintendo Switch Review by SwitchWatch
Developer: Thinice
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Release Date: Out now
Price as of Article: $7.99 USD, £7.99 GBP
Rating: E
File size: 243.27 MB
Sharing is caring. You may have encountered that quote at some point in your life, too. We believe in that quote in SwitchWatch as well while we carefully write our opinion about a game we are playing. We are not only sharing games with each other but also some good laughs. Especially with struggles on a game (this one goes out to you, Lachlan. I feel your pain, buddy!)
But sharing can also come along in different colours in Twin Robots Ultimate Edition. As in Twin Robots, it comes in black and white. Sharing is essential in this game, as it is in daily life as well.
My path of reviewing games with almost no story continues with Twin Robots Ultimate Edition. I am not complaining! I picked them myself, so… Prepare yourself for a short story section again.
The main story is just to reach your goal with your battery still intact while avoiding obstacles. Of course, this is a shared goal of you and your twin. Actually… It is just you. You are controlling both of those little walking boxes. Although you can share that experience in a local multiplayer!
When the game starts, one of those cute robots will be stuck behind a gate which is opened via a big red button. The free one has to wander around and find that button before his poor brother hits his fate. Sounds easy, right? It is, but the difficulty slowly rises within the 40 levels and it gets harder for our metal friends (they are named Watt and Volt, by the way!) to prove they are still intact and life-worthy.
While playing games, I can get lost in the world with the complete focus on my task pretty easily. Speaking of easy, easy to listen to is the soundtrack of Twin Robots Ultimate Edition. I found myself liking the different tracks from the beginning, very suitable for the slightly mechanic and cold environment. Sometimes I even stopped to listen to those tunes for a second as I realised my other protagonist is about to be crushed.
Levi Bond and David Robinson created three exclusive tracks for the Nintendo Switch port. All of them have a calm and cold touch, mixed with electronic beats in them.
Besides those acoustic pieces, Twin Robots Ultimate Edition offers sharp and crisp sound effects from the whirring of the robots while they jump or spikes rushing out of the ground.
Despite having an awesome soundtrack, the music gets repetitive very quickly, which is why I give the audio section a lower score. Three songs for those 40 level is a few too few.
The level design of the stages resembles each other. With the port came a touch up for this greyish environment, making everything feel more electronic. From time to time you will encounter pipes as platforms, some spikes that want you dead and the biggest issue of all: a magnet. Ironically, this magnet will not instantly kill you, but it will drain your energy as much as this acid mist on the floor you stumble upon from time to time.
With that being said above, the graphics of this game are not bright or rich in colours. This would not suit the theme of the slightly depressing objective to save yourself and your tin twin constantly from all the variations of death facing you. Twin Robots Ultimate Edition did a superb job in giving the player the vibe of this sterile surroundings.
Although, if you have the urge to add some colour to your game life, you can give the little robots a nice makeover!
Before I explain the gameplay and controls, I want to talk about what that “Ultimate Edition” exactly is. This Nintendo Switch version is more than just a simple port and includes what many ports for this new console have to offer as well: more content. As I got a little into the additions before in the audio and visuals section, I will not repeat myself on them here again.
Twin Robots Ultimate Edition provides the original 28 levels and added to for a total of 40. New secrets were added as well as improving the levels by paying the existing puzzles a revisit. The camera angles are improved and they made the experience run more smoothly.
Smooth was everything indeed. I did not have any issues with the game, just sometimes glitching when I died in some parts of the game. My robot would fly off and spin like a bowling pin while going down. It made me laugh, so I ran into the same trap a second time. Maybe I am a little bit cruel… But it was just too hilarious at that point.
The controls of the robots are not that complicated. You move them with the analoge stick and jump with A and you can easily switch between both protagonists while pressing Y. Holding that X-button will allow you to share energy or charge the power outlet at the end of a stage to open the gate to the finish line. You can open the menu with + to pause or restart the level, as well as exit it. To restore power, you can collect little batteries hidden in the level. You can see how many are left on the screen, though. The second source of energy lies on the ground. Light blue tiles that are lit up can be processed into energy when your robot passes them.
You are even given the possibility to get certain achievements like finishing a level under one or more minutes, depending on its length or sharing energy when your twin is about to die. Sharing is caring, remember?
As I said, the controls respond well. But while I proceeded, I could witness some slight delays in jumping, sometimes leading to my doom. Or Watts and Volts, to be exact. It is not too crucial, though. Each level has a decent length and is manageable. The first ones are easy, almost too easy sometimes. But you can see taking them steps upwards as you push farther in the game.
Sometimes I had to take a break between them, though, because my own batteries had run dry as I tried a stage a few times over and over again. There are some traps that are just unfair, especially after a long sitting of gaming and you are not at your most alert. For example, while proceeding forwards suddenly there’ll be a big gearwheel heading your way. Too big to jump over it and too late to turn and run, you end up being crushed.
Twin Robots Ultimate Edition has no provided video function. But, you could team up with a second player to share this experience and take control of each robot. The local multiplayer is set up in split screen and you have to work together to reach that goal safely and in one piece. A brilliant idea to not have one player waiting for the other to finish a job. Brian struggled with this experience in his Payday 2 review for SwitchWatch enough. So I am glad to hear that Thinice had made a better choice of multiplayer here, even though it is only local.
By the way, the pro controller can be used while playing together as a team.
*This review was written by Jennifer for switchwatch.co.uk.
After playing this game for a good amount of time, I can suggest it. It is a nice game, nothing that knocks you off your feet, but highly enjoyable. I had my good share of fun with Twin Robots Ultimate Edition and unlocked every level. I never was frustrated or triggered by my ambition here. My two other reviews challenged me a lot more. So that little platformer was a nice change of pace. $7.99 USD / £7.99 GBP is a fair price for the amount of content you get.
With the pleasure I had in this title, I hope that more developer will adapt to this idea. Switching between Watt and Volt to reach the end of the stage added a depth to my gaming experience. It worked out very well! Do you like platformers? Do you like puzzle games? And do you like cutely adorable robots?! Saying yes to all those questions means that Twin Robot Ultimate Edition will be a good addition to your game library.
* A review copy of this game was provided by Ratalaika Games.
Pros
Cutest robots ever!
Nice difficulty
Great soundtrack and controls
Much content
Cons
Low replay value
Early stages are repetitive
Sometimes unfair traps