BroBots is a delightful little game I ran into at GDEX 2018. When I first played it, I did horrible because I didn’t realize what was going on. There were two robots – a big one and little one – and swarms of enemies. It looks like a twin-stick shooter – a genre of games loosely based on Robotron and others like it.
So What IS BroBots?
The developer happened to be there and pointed out what I was missing. One player is the main character, the other player is the weapon! Player one is a big, slow robot named “Big Bro” and he just wanders around collecting power ups and earning points. The other “Lil Bro” is a super-fast smaller robot who is invincible and damages any enemies he touches. It’s the very essence of couch co-operative play.
What’s Good About It?
The music is upbeat, the enemies are varied, and there are things enemies drop that you can collect to build up special powers for both robots. Big Bro can spawn a field around himself for a short period of time that slows enemies significantly, while Lil Bro can activate a laser that bridges between Big Bro and Lil Bro that does huge amounts of damage to any enemies it touches.
What’s Bad About It?
The only downside to this game – anyone wanting a wide variety of levels and game modes will be sadly disappointed. It’s one scene with constant streams of enemies coming at you until you die and the only object is to rack up the highest score possible. I am fine with this because it’s a fun little game you can pick up and play with someone for a few rounds and enjoy it immensely. And it’s going for $2 USD on Itch.io or more if you feel like it’s worth paying the extra.
What’s My Verdict?
I would love to see more local cooperative multiplayer games like this. I also do enjoy the fact that with the 40+ hour mega-blockbuster suck up all your free time games out here, games like BroBots are still being made. These indies are made with tons of passion by developers who are bringing back the fun of local multiplayer games. Find a friend, grab a couple controllers, and enjoy!