Frobot is a disco-dancing, afro-wearing funky robot. But when his five robo-girlfriends get captured by evil mechs, Frobot hangs up his dancing treads and breaks out the battle leisure suit. Help Frobot blast bad bots and rescue his gal pals in this downloadable WiiWare release.

Frobot is similar to a couple of other top-down viewed action puzzlers. Go from room to room, blasting robots and solving puzzles in each single screen. Zapping robots is similar to Smash TV, while the switch and lever style puzzles are like some of the dungeon challenges in classic Zelda games.

Frobot has an arsenal of weapons at your disposal, but you’ll only be able to unlock one at a time. When you rescue one of Frobot’s girlfriends, another of his powers becomes available. Frobot has a standard energy bullet that can bounce off walls and a remote land mine. Later on he’ll get other powers like STUD missiles and remote controlled exploding disco balls! Try to find a hidden hair pick in each stage to unlock extra goodies and powers for Frobot.

Controls utilize the Wii remote and nunchuck. Move around, dash, and pick up objects with the nunchuck. Choose and fire your weapons with the remote, and aim the remote at the screen to move a cursor around. This cursor dictates where Frobot will fire his weapon. It takes a little getting used to as the cursor is also used to choose where you want to put down objects you are carrying. But otherwise, getting the hang of the controls is pretty easy.

The funky music is pretty catchy and the graphics and gameplay have an old-school, Super Nintendo charm about them. Only problem with the game is sometimes the goals and puzzles can be a little tricky and unclear. Plus, single player mode is a little short, and the 70’s humor feels a little forced at times. Luckily there are some “multiplaya” modes if you have friends over. It costs a tiny bit more than what I would like to see (1,000 points), but other than that, Frobot is a pretty decent WiiWare offering.

Kid Factor:

Frobot is rated E-10 for ages 10 and up with ESRB descriptors of Mild Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes. You only blow up robots, so it’s not terribly violent. And the campy suggestive themes are in the text only. Speaking of which, reading skill is helpful for all the text, and younger players might get frustrated at some of the trickier puzzles. Luckily there are multiple difficulty levels, and the easiest one gives you tons of lives so it’s not too irritating.

Tags: Game Reviews