Grobo is a little robot who awakens in futuristic city ruins and now must find out what happened to everyone.  Luckily Grobo has the power to shift gravity so you must help him use this skill to solve mind bending 2-D puzzles to help him reach a computer monitor in the stage.  Grobo is available to download on mobile devices, but reviewed on iPad here.

Each level is a single screen room with platforms and obstacles.  To change gravity, just flick on the screen in the direction you want Grobo to fall to, and he’ll land there.  If you want to simply walk around, just hold down on the touch screen and move left or right (or up and down depending on the gravity).  And that’s all there is to it.  Controls are simple to use, although sometimes I would change gravity when I just wanted to walk, and vice versa.  So you have to be careful.

Your goal on each screen is to reach a computer monitor.  Most of the time that involves walking on ceilings and walls to reach your destination.  But you must avoid pitfalls and spikes that get in the way, too.  Other objects like boxes can be affected by gravity as well.  You can use these boxes as stepping stones, but just make sure not to switch gravity at the wrong time and have them squish you!  In some levels are little holograms you can pick up that can give you a bit of history on Grobo and the lost civilization he’s trying to find, but usually those holograms are harder to get to than the main exit monitor.  Just an extra bonus for those who want more challenge, I guess.  To me, the story wasn’t that important.

Aside from the controls, the only other small problem I had with the game was that I wish there was a hint system for the tougher levels, so I wouldn’t get stuck.  Otherwise, this is a cute little puzzle game with neat artwork and best of all, no free-to-play gimmicks.  The game only costs a few bucks and it’s pretty good for what you get.

Kid Factor:

Your robot can get squished by blocks and fall off into oblivion, but that’s about as violent as it gets.  This game could be considered educational as it promotes logic and thinking skills like planning ahead.  Reading skill is helpful for the text, and younger gamers may find the later levels too difficult.

Tags: Game Reviews