Cutiebots Review

Cutiebots is a platform title that introduces us to Gritch and Zitch, two adventurers who are attempting to survive in a land filled with evil robots an unforgiving terrain. Players can assume either identity with the touch of a button, and it's this dynamic drew me to this promising app. Whether the game is as good as advertised depends on your level of patience.

Since I'm a glass half full kind of guy, Cutiebots' distinct and deliciously warped vision, coupled with the subtle variety between the main characters, initially had me hooked. It's hard to create a distinct universe in such an app addled world, but thankfully Cutiebots doesn't suffer from a bland visual design. Even though the developers fashion their environment as a candied area filled with colorful gorillas and creepy toads, the app possesses a much darker tone than its moniker suggests.

Below is a photo of Zitch, a diminutive, purple colored fellow who throws daggers and is a much abler climber than Gritch. You'll be using Zitch if long range is your preferred choice of battle.

For melee attacks and double jumps, Gritch is the warrior of choice. He's the beat 'em up brawler we've all come to know and love on platform titles, and if you want to smash down walls or get up close and personal with a monster, he's your guy. During my first boss encounter, I laid back as Zitch and threw a plethora of daggers at my enemy. When the bad guy's teddy bear exterior turned into a skeleton, I knew it was time to turn him into a bag of bones. So now it's Gritch's turn to run in and pummel the doomed villain.

Buoyed by a rock instrumental score, Cutiebots doesn't pump its breaks when it comes to adrenaline infused platforming, and considering the amount of apps I've played, it's surprising that green haired, pink gorillas haven't come my way. Cutiebots crossed that puppy off my bucket list, and although this Pinkberry colored King Kong tried to kill Zitch, a few deadly daggers ended that notion.

Cutiebots' only flaw is its control issue. The virtual pad on the lower left side of your device, which is used to move your characters, will occasionally block your view of the game's beautifully twisted imagery. Having the pad situated on a fixed point, and not giving us the chance to move freely within that left side (preferably with an invisible control mechanic) would have been a major improvement.

The action, change fighter, and jump buttons are on the right side of your iPhone, and unfortunately I've died a countless number of times even after I've issued the right command. Even when I've seemingly timed my jump, I've fallen to my death due to a lack of responsiveness to the controls. When I've used the directional key to slowly move towards my opponent, I'll overshoot the distance and run into the enemy, leading to a drop in my health bar.

Aside from the control kinks, Cutiebots succeeds as a diverting enough app which, thanks to an intriguing tone and variety of game play, doesn't disappoint. After several hours in this shadowy world, I'm still ready for a few more rounds, even if these killer 'bots are about as cute as a bullet to the head.

App Store Link: Cutiebots for iPhone | By Goodnight Games LLC  | Price: $0.99 | Version: 1.0 |  56.6 MB | Rating 9+