Overview – developed by Infinite States Games and published by Eastasiasoft, 3D Don’t Die Mr Robot is an arcade style collection game, where the player must avoid enemies and collect fruits. Play through the 50 stages of Remix mode, alongside special challenge modes and a cosmetics unlock system. This title is available on all console platforms, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of 3D Don’t Die Mr Robot that was used for this piece, via the keymailer service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. There is no plot for this release, so I will be going straight into discussing the gameplay.
Gameplay – this title is an arcade style score game, where players must dodge the enemies and hazards that appear on screen. There is a top down perspective, allowing players to see everything that pops up. In these arena stages, there will be fruits that appear, exploding when collected, destroying the enemies and moving hazards within the blast radius. These explosions can be chained together, for bigger scores and to collect coins.
In this mode there are several challenge modes for the player to take on, with the main attraction being the Remix Mode. This challenge mode offers 50 stages for players to challenge, broken up into 5 level chunks. In the Remix stages, the player will have a variety of challenges to take on. These mission include collecting fruits, killing enemies and chaining together explosions. There will be 4 ranks to obtain, ranging from bronze to platinum.
The challenge stages can end in two ways, either through player death or achieving the platinum target. If the player does not reach the bronze target, they will need to retry from the start of the stage. When the player has earned enough target points, they will be able to unlock the next batch of stages. The stages that have been cleared can be replayed, allowing payers to go back and achieve the trophies that they may have missed.
All of the stages for this mode will be different shapes and sizes, with some special stage gimmicks that get added. These can include special stages where they are trapped in a section, with the player needing to chain off explosions to reach the other areas. All of the different stages keep the action of Remix mode fresh, preventing the game from being boring. The difficulty of Remix increases over time, with some real spikes in challenge at times.
Then there are the extra challenge modes for players outside of remix. The first is Arcade, which is a special high score challenge, where players must survive for as long as possible. In this mode, points are gained for killing enemies with bombs, getting near misses, collecting fruits and setting off explosion chains. The top score that the player sets will be added to the leaderboard, with the top scores on the main menu for quick reference.
Next to discuss is Lime Attack, which is a timed challenge, where the player needs to try their best to rack up the best score possible. The player will have 2 and a half minutes to survive, with points being lost each time damage is taken, with more points being lost with each successive hit. The best score is added to the local ranking for players to try and beat. There will also be a global ranking, where players will be able to compete worldwide.
Finally we have Chill Out Mode, which is set on a quiet island setting. Here the player must set off as many explosion chains as possible, causing coins to be dropped. These coins must be collected to add to the score, with enemies appearing and moving slowly across the island. Like the other modes, there is a local ranking keeping the score and increasing the replay value. Like the others, there will be additional global rankings for players.
Last to discuss is the cosmetics system, which has a gacha style of being unlocked. All of the coins that players earn will be added to the player total. This coin reserve can be used in the costume menu under Appearance, which puts the player in a separate space with a slot machine and wardrobe. Each try of the slot is 200 coins, with the chance to get hats, glasses and shoes. One of each can be applied to the character in the wardrobe setting.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to cover the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – the control system for this release is super simple to get used to, with the only thing needed during gameplay is the Thumbstick or D-pad. All the player needs to do is move around the stages, as the bombs explode when Mr Robot makes contact with them. The thumbstick allows quick movement in all direction, with the D-Pad offering more precision. This makes it an accessible experience that everyone can pick up and play.
Difficulty – there is a fairly moderate difficulty curve to this title, with the early stages of Remix being easy for players to get into the flow of action. But the further that players get, the tougher it will become to get the maximum score rank, with some tough spikes that can come out of nowhere. In general the game offers a challenge that is approachable, with it being beatable by all players, with a higher skill ceiling for those who want maximum completion.
Presentation – the look has a very old school look to it, with big chunky polygons and neon lighting to emphasise the aesthetic of the game. For the most part everything can be seen well, but it can get a little busy at times due to the way models and maps look. There were no issues with performance or lag during pay, which is important for a game like this. The sound is decent, with some good electronic music that works for the style and theming of the game.
Final Thoughts – I had seen the original game here and there back in the day, but it had been so long I had forgotten about it. When I saw this game, it was a blast from the past and I was very interested to get my hands on it. The experience I had felt a little clunky when I started, but the more I played, the better it felt during play. I had a lot of fun with this game, as it is a real throwback experience, emphasising a fun gameplay experience.
I very much enjoyed my time playing this, even if there were some high difficulty spikes and the occasional issue with visibility. The inclusion of global rankings is a good addition, alongside the extra play modes and cosmetics, as they increase the replay value on offer. This is a pretty fun budget release, with plenty on offer in a modest package. All of these elements make it easy to recommend this game, as it can be picked up and played by everyone.
In the end, I give 3D Don’t Die Mr Robot a final score of 4/5. This is an easy to pick up and play game, offering a fun experience with plenty of content, vibrant visuals and a gameplay system that makes it accessible by everyone. If you want to check this game out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to PlayStation version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to Xbox version (HERE)
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