Girls Like Robots

Apparently, Girls Like Robots is a show on Adult Swim. I’ve never heard of Girls Like Robots before, I don’t watch Girls Like Robots, and there seems to be no knowledge of Girls Like Robots required to play the Girls Like Robots game. However, it is one of the most addicting, stimulating, brain teasing game of any kind I’ve ever played.

Girls Like Robots is like Sudoku, Minesweeper and a sliding puzzle all in one. You have to arrange tiles in the way they best go together according to the following rules. Girls like robots so they’re happiest when they’re placed adjacent to robots. Robots don’t like being adjacent to more than three girls at a time. Girls don’t like being next to nerds. Nerds prefer edges of the board, but can still score points if placed inside. You’d do best to figure out how to alternate girls, robots and nerds, but some boards give you the tiles in a specific order, so you might have to place four girls before any nerds or robots show up.

Girls Like Robots

These variables may as well be X, Y and Z in an algebra equation. They are mathematical properties that need to be factored in several moves in advance. It’s just more fun when they’re called girls, robots and nerds and you’re pretending they’re real sentient beings that need to be taken care of. I mean, you wouldn’t want a girl sitting next to a nerd, or an angry robot, right? Or maybe it’s more like Wedding Planning: The Game. Any bride with in-laws knows what I’m talking about.

Girls Like Robots

Just when you think you’ve got your brain wrapped around the logistics, Girls Like Robots changes it up on you. Not only will it predetermine the order you get tiles, but on some boards the entire board won’t even open up until you gradually place tiles. It’ll introduce new rules, like you have to leave a space open next to a central character. That’s easy enough, just factor in one less open tile in your calculations. Then you’ll be faced with moving tiles, so you have to anticipate where a hyperactive boy will be and place robot tiles to block him in a corner away from the girls. You’ll face some boards that are already full and you swap the tiles instead of placing them. Or there will be moving objects and you place tiles to bounce off the incoming projectiles. You’ll get pies that change the happiness properties of girls and nerds, and fires that the robots don’t like.

Now, I am addicted to Girls Like Robots but that doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing. I’d love to have the kind of brain that can think 10 moves ahead (frankly, I’ll take a three-moves-ahead brain), but it’s basically trial-and-error. The game is fair enough that you can get a passing score to move on to the next level, but those perfect three-star scores are so tempting, I’m still replaying levels to try to excel. And those bonus levels ... I know there’s a higher score I can get on the bonus levels, but everything I try only makes it worse.

Girls Like Robots

The graphics are simply square icons that clearly represent girls, robots, nerds, pies, fires, etc. The music is basically square dance country music which is catchy and pleasant if you choose to keep the sound on. There are animated sequences that set up each level. They’re not necessary to watch because the tutorials explain each new level really well, but the blocky animation is cute and amusing.

I would be addicted to Girls Like Robots even if it were just square tiles with letters and numbers representing mathematical factors. That’s basically what it is, just deceptively softened so you don’t think it’s a math game. I may never figure out the best way to put nerds and robots around a plane of girls, but dammit I’ll never stop trying.

 

App Store Link: Girls Like Robots for iPhone & iPad | By [adult swim] | Price: $0.99 | Version: 1.0 | 46.3 MB | Rating 4+9.0 out of 10 arcade sushi rating

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