The Girl and the Robot
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for The Girl and the Robot
The Girl and the Robot is a truly family-friendly, engaging, simple story about the relationship between a little girl and her protector, both trapped and attempting to find freedom. While it offers very limited features, reused and simple graphics, and a nearly nonexistent score, the overall aesthetic proves consistently charming.
The Girl and the Robot is almost shockingly awful. There's basically no story, the puzzles are run of the mill, basic controls are sluggish, combat is a pain, and the video and audio package is completely unappealing. Not a single thing here seems to be made in a way to bring enjoyment.
The Girl and the Robot’s interesting take on conveying a fairy-tale narrative is unique and it sits neatly alongside the platform and puzzle-based conundrums that make up the game’s duration. That said, the poorly implemented combat system and a distinct lack of polish both drag The Girl and the Robot far beneath the lofty standard for which it aims.
The game’s graceless combat was once tolerable. But as the game progressed, that fact faded into a distant memory. It became a common occurrence to find myself frantically flinging arrows at the speedier robots sprinting my way, while praying that the slower, stronger ones didn’t reach me in time for more tedious hack-and-slashing
I hope the developers are able to take the experience from this game and build on it, because the industry needs more people like this than it does indies churning out yet more pixel shooters and aspiring eSports games, but The Girl and the Robot is a lost cause, I'm afraid.
This is good. Consider this an "optimistic" good, since The Girl and the Robot has shown some clear potential and can rocket uphill as opposed to a "failed to live up to promises" good. This is worth checking out for its moments of 'Ma,' and is certainly enjoyable, but the moments it spends away from letting its atmosphere breath, and, instead, tries to ramp up the challenge and breaks that atmosphere, feel painful. What it does right it does great, and, hopefully, there will be a sequel for this title. Those who do not care for such things, however, there simply isn't anything else to really enjoy beyond some decent cel-shaded graphics.
Overall, The Girl and the Robot is a fun release with good and colorful graphics, and music that perfectly complements the gameplay and story. The combat is a bit lacking, but it's not a deal-breaker for this indie release. After all the time it spent in development, it's great to finally be able to enjoy this one on PS4.
The Girl and the Robot has a lot of heart, which is why the myriad of issues are so upsetting. Rough movement, clunky combat, frustrating puzzles, and unresponsive controls make this a tough sell. It's sad, because there's a lot of potential here hidden under all the rough patches.
