Whew. Retro stuff on the menu. Remember the time back in the day when you spent all your lunch money at the arcade playing games like Metal Slug? I sure don’t because Germany never had arcades due to legislation putting arcade video games in the same corner as slot machines, thereby making it illegal for minors to have access to that. So yeah, no memories of arcades here. Bummer. Anyway. I remember playing Metal Slug back in the day though. When the internet was still young, full of hope, and the hotness of the year was Neo Geo emulators with which I spent at the summer of ‘99. Playing a lot of Metal Slug. Wow. That really was a good game, even without having arcades. Or a real Neo Geo.
Why am I talking about Metal Slug in this piece which is supposed to be a review of Demiurg’s Shoot Many Robots? Because that’s basically what that game is. Shoot Many Robots is a game made by people who obviously liked Metal Slug a lot, and thought it might be a great idea to make a modern version of it.
And that describes the game in a nutshell. It’s a 2D sidescroller rendered in cell shaded, stylized 3D graphics. The game has a lot of levels and despite not being too hard, it has a certain longevity to it due to many robots being there to be shot. And then salvaged into in-game currency. Which then can be spent between levels at a shop to buy better items to shoot even more of those many robots. Also, collecting in-game currency means not having to spend real money on items, which is also possible via microtransactions.
Shooting many robots as an alcoholic redneck (that’s the protagonist, by the way) is kinda fun. It’s neat looking, not very deep and not necessarily something to spend too much time with in a row. It’s not a bad game, but sadly it’s not really anywhere near Metal Slug’s style. Which is easily forgiven, because which game ever is?
The shooting of robots aplenty is the most fun when done with others. While the game can indeed be enjoyed alone, it’s something that cries for company. And possibly some brew. It’s good, solid fun. Nothing too special, but worth the while. While the many quirky robots that are being shot during the game may seem all tough and aggressive, the game itself isn’t really. It’s fun. Harmless, maybe a bit too close to forgettable, but certainly not on the bad end of the gaming spectrum.
Bring friends. Shoot many robots. Have a few drinks. And then play Mario Kart. Or Metal Slug. Hell it’s no shame being the opener for a superstar, right?
