A clan of ninja robots gets their strength from Power Skulls, but when evil robots steal them, it’s up to two ninja robots to take them back!  Bot Gaiden is 2-D action platformer that’s like a cross between NES Ninja Gaiden and Mega Man X.  But you must beat the stages as quickly as possible because the longer you take, the stronger the boss gets while holding the Power Skull!  Bot Gaiden is available for all current game consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

One or two players can play, and you can choose your starting stage, kind of like Mega Man.  But your actions and stage layouts remind me more of Ninja Gaiden on the NES.  You can jump, slash, cling to walls, and pick up power-ups that’ll let you double jump, throw stars, move quicker, etc.  As you dash through the stage, you can see the boss’ energy grow.  You’ll want to get to the boss as quick as you can otherwise you’ll have a tough battle on your hands.  The quicker you can beat a stage, the better your reward, as you’ll get more lives, power-ups, etc.

Also just like Ninja Gaiden, this game is super hard.  And that’s really the main problem I have with the game.  There are lots of insta-death pits that kill you more often than enemies do.  You also tend to drop like a rock when hit, and there are many aerial enemies all around waiting to do that to you.  You must also constantly replay the same stages to get faster, so it gets a bit repetitive.  I do like the cartoony graphics, but only expert speedrunner gamers should enjoy this.

Kid Factor:

Bot Gaiden is rated E-10 with an ESRB descriptor of Fantasy Violence.  You slash at cartoony robots who explode with “BOOM” and “POW” words when defeated.  Reading skill is helpful for the text, and younger gamers may find it too difficult.

Tags: Game Reviews