Remember when PS Plus included a bunch of indie games every month? If so, then you may recall 2016’s Don’t Die Mr. Robot – an enemy dodging/fruit grabbing arcade-style game which greatly benefited from being added to the subscription service, helping it to find an audience. It must have sold well in the long run, as UK developer Infinite State Games are back with a more ambitious multiformat sequel.
True to its name, 3D Don’t Die Mr. Robot propels the titular tin man into the third dimension. Camera movement is mapped to the right analogue stick, and it’s worth tweaking the perspective to find something that suits. Our blue hued dude is tasked with avoiding enemies while grabbing explosive fruits that generate a chain reaction, with the edges of the playing field indicating where enemies are about to emerge from. A top-down perspective gives a good overview of the action, helping to recall the excellent Geometry Wars (which, incidentally, this takes inspiration from – especially when it comes to trophies/achievements) but does obscure the boundaries of the playing area. Tilting the camera down gives a wider view, but things can look a little cluttered when masses of enemies appear, while a slide-on view is a complete no-no, making it impossible to see what’s lurking behind large objects.
Thankfully, the need to find the ideal viewing angle doesn’t prevent this from being instantly accessible, and it’s easy enough to tweak the camera mid-game on the fly.
As before, there are a few different modes to jump into, helping to give the package a spot of variety. Remix Mode is the meatier, mission based, campaign mode (of sorts) with dozens of bite-sized challenges. These mostly involve collecting a certain number of fruits or coins, or destroying a set amount of enemies of varying types. Stage layouts change from one challenge to the next, and although the bronze medals aren’t too difficult to nab, you may have to replay stages a couple of times to earn a platinum.
The Arcade Mode is where your skills are on display for the world to see, with the main menu showing your placing on the global leaderboard. You’re presented with a large rectangular stage, a la Geometry Wars, and have a single life to obtain a high score. Enemy waves are easily to memorise, with certain enemies making their debuts a minute or two in. Initially it seems that the best approach is to avoid enemies while grabbing fruit to create explosions and whittle their numbers, but it soon transpires that you’re best off avoiding everything and letting the playing area fill with copious amounts of both fruits and enemies, forming a potentially gigantic chain reaction in the process. The difficulty lies in trying to stay alive long enough to repeat this process not just once, but multiple times.
Lime Attack sees the screen turn emerald green, with limes the only fruit available. Perhaps the name Lime Time would’ve been more apt. Two and a half minutes are given to rack up a high score, along with infinite lives – with each life lost making a dent in your score. Trying to survive without dying once is a pleasurable and challenging pursuit. Then there’s the ‘Chill Out’ mode, which is self-explanatory, featuring grassy terrane, blue skies and a more relaxed vibe. Taking a long time to get going, it’s perhaps too slow paced for its own good.
The presentation here is bold and brash, using a graphic equaliser as the central theme, often seen pulsating in the background in sync with the bassy trance soundtrack. The visuals are quite chunky, but it’s because of this that they’re easy to read; you’re highly unlikely to confuse fruit for an enemy, for instance. Humorous touches help induce a sense of personality – such as the pause music, which endlessly chants “the game is paused” – and Mr. Robot can be kitted out with different attire, randomly doled from a slot machine.
3D Don’t Die Mr. Robot is an easy recommendation for fans of modern arcade-style games, with the only caveat being that it’s a pretty simplistic affair. This isn’t a twin-stick shooter with different weapons, reloading dead time, bullet sponge enemies and beefy bosses – it’s a straightforward case of avoiding enemies and waiting for the perfect opportunity to trigger a juicy screen-clearing chain reaction. That’s to say, it’s lacking much of the tact found in similar arena-based survival games. But while it may not leave you thinking about googly eyed fruits in your sleep, the progressively difficult Remix Mode and the highly competitive Arcade Mode are moreish enough to justify a purchase. The other modes present are merely snackable extras.
Infinite State Games’ 3D Don’t Die Mr. Robot is out 12th March on consoles. Published by eastasiasoft. A PC version launched in 2024.