Mechanoid Army (XBLIG): "Tiny Terrors In A Cute Metal Package"

Recently the developer of the upcoming XBLIG zombie title called 'Zombies Ruined My Day' was kind enough to give me a code to his previous game. The game is titled 'Mechanoid Army', and was released as an Xbox Live Indie Game in 2010. It's a cute little space platformer with a serious back story about the possibility of Earth's demise via robots. After playing through the entire game this morning I have to honestly say I was very impressed.


Mechanoid Army's plot involves a a spaceship called Nexus-9 that carries an army of VT series robots. The robots only purpose is to destroy anything, and everything including planets like Earth. As the story opens up in beautifully rendered CG the player finds out that some scientists actually gained control of one of the robots on the ship. This ends up being Earth's last hope at thwarting the evil robots' plans. In the game you will take control of several different VT series robots in order to progress to the end of the levels. You start off with a basic robot, and with each new level you discover other robots that will be required in order to complete the game. The VT robots include ones that move faster, jump higher, robots that use jet packs, as well as large robots that are used to access new areas. Each level in Mechanoid Army also has 4 green nuts that are hidden which you must find in order to complete a level at 100%. Score points are also added up throughout each level according to your performance, destruction of other robots, as well as your accumulation of the green nuts. There is a scoreboard at the main menu that lets you know where you rank in the grand scheme of things.

The controls in Mechanoid Army are easy to learn, and are not complicated at all. The left thumbstick is used for movement in the game. You can move your robot to the foreground, and the background using this thumbstick too. You'll also find that using the A button for jumping/jet pack flying, and the right trigger for picking up items is used the most. You will use the X button to take control of other robots, as well as the Y button for activating switches and opening the end gates. I got used to the controls fairly quickly, and the layout isn't awkward at all.

Levels in Mechanoid Army vary in difficulty as you advance through the game. There are 14 levels in total. Some of the levels will be straightforward where your goal is to make it past enemy robots, and get to the end. Other levels are complicated by features such as gravity, and moving platforms. There are some puzzle elements that need to be solved in order to make it through to the end of certain levels. One level that really stood out to me was the rail level where you had to guide your robot along the neon rails as it was rolling on rollers. I would have loved to have seen more levels of that type.

Everything about this game was of great quality. The lighting, and 3D effects were amazing. I really liked the view of Earth and how it was renedered in the game. The music had a kind of techno sound to it, and each level's soundtrack was adjusted just right to fit it's intensity. This game was definitely well developed. I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel with more levels, and perhaps more features.