Akimbot

Ratchet & Clank vibe in this game. Good indie game at a low price. Not too long (around 9h) but pleasant game. Don't expect AAA type of games. However it's nice to see a platformer / shooting game in 2024.

I must say that I didn't get warm with Akimbot at first. It was well made, with good visuals and solid gameplay, but it didn't really catch me. Then I reached the twist in the story and oh boy, my opinion changed immediately. Seriously, the level after this is basically Jeff Goldblum saying:"Your developers were so obsessed with the thought if they could that they never bothered to ask if they should.". Not everyone will like that section, but I was constantly smiling and saying:" What were they thinking?!" And the game itself also becomes better after this. The levels become better, there are longer and more intricate plattforming sections and the enemy composition becomes less stressful. Despite of being a kids game, it's still challenging as an adult, because a lot of enemies will lead their shots and you will do a lot of jumping and dashing to dodge them. Weapons don't have ammo, but an overheating mechanic and you can wield one of four special weapons, which gain ammo by killing enemies. As for the gameplay itself, there is a good variety. The vast majority of the game are 3D action platformer levels in the style of Ratched and Clank or Jack and Dexter, but there are also several minigames spread throughout, like a 2D fighting section, turret sections, rail shooter like vehicle sections or a game of memory. I really have to critisize the vehicle sections though. The first fighter level is fun, because it has awesome visuals and there is a lot of fighting going on, but the rest is annoying. One is more of a glorified loading screen with not much action and the last one is fighting turrets for 90% of the mission. The main issue is, that you can't really evade hits, which is true for most vehicles. And the car is just awful, especially because it does a 90° turn when you barely touch the stick and later in the game, there is a race over a bottomless pit (hello stickdrift). All in all, Akimbot has flaws, but I would still recommend it for the price.

I finished this game after about 11 hours. It's a very good game, but towards the end I just wanted to be done with it. The game is actually somewhat reminiscent of Ratchet & Clank as an indie title and it really was surprisingly varied for one. The developers kept coming up with new elements. For example, you could hack terminals (or shields), which was one of 4-5 mini-games each time. There were also flying scenes in space, driving passages, 2D fighting/jumping scenes, running on walls and much, much more. Unfortunately, there are also (fortunately few) passages where you have time pressure and one of them almost made me stop playing. But I persevered because the game is really well made. The game consists mainly of 3D platforming with firefights, but as I said there is a lot more. There's not too much to collect though, just the points you find in jars that you can use to buy/upgrade your special weapons and “lost data” that you find off the main path. These usually contain funny story texts, but I have to admit that I didn't read them all. Well, for fans of 3D action platformers, the game is thoroughly recommended, the level of difficulty ranges from “fairly easy” to “quite challenging”, but if even I can manage the game, then it can't be too hard :) I also want to mention that the (English) voice acting is really great and the cutscenes are really funny. Shipset, the hero's little sidekick, is really likeable!

This is definitely going to scratch the itch for another Ratchet & Clank game....but only just barely. The weapons are okay, the movement is floaty AF and the enemies are spongy to boot. The characters are okay, neither of the duo is close enough to their inspirational character, which is nice I guess if you don't want too much "samesies*. /shrug - pick it up on a sale, give it a whirl.

This game is wonderful. The movement is great, combat is fun and intense and the music is catchy. The story is epic and has a lot of moments that will give you a chuckle at least. The vehicle portions of the game are pretty good overall. However, the car portion is a bit rough around the edges and too on the rails for its own good. It's an overall great homage to both the Jak games and Ratchet Deadlocked, and I can tell the devs not only put a lot of passion into the game, but also had a lot of fun making it. The game deserves a sequel.