Act: Ultratron [by Puppy Games]

Game Review: Ultratron
Release Date: 11 June 2005
Developer: Puppy Games
Genre: Action
System Requirements: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, Mac, Linux
Players: 1
Price: $9.95
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One of the all time classic games that everyone seems to enjoy talking about is Robotron. Though the game was rather simplistic, the intense game play that revolved around moving and firing in different directions has been something that has been copied many times since its initial release. Ultratron is one of those games that has copied the basic game play from Robotron and refreshed it with a series of power-ups and goals in addition to bringing the graphics into the 21st century.

In Ultratron you star as a character who appears to have teleported into a computer not unlike the premise of the movie TRON. There are many enemies who are trying to stop you and your only hope of survival is to blast them back to where they were created. In addition to the typical enemies that appear all over the screen and who will be trying to destroy you by frontal attack, laser, or bomb, there are large mega-end boss characters that you must get past as well.

All in all Ultratron perfectly captures the strong qualities of the original Robotron without falling into the same pitfalls that made that game unapproachable by most gamers. At the same time it has updated the game to a level that makes it stand out as one of the best Robotron-esque games around.

Graphics: +
The graphics take a rather simplistic approach to the theme and give the feeling, for the most part, of being a visual upgrade of the original Robotron. The game is visually appealing with a retro look to the robots that maintains the feel of an old-school game while having a graphic quality that wasn't available in those days of old. The backgrounds include animated lights that track your character's movements and enhance the feeling that you really are an intruder in the machine.

Sound: +
The sound tracks in Ultratron are limited to background sounds put together in an emotive piece of 'music' that creates images in your mind as you play through the levels. Those sounds are added to by first-rate sound effects and a fantastic computer voice that comes in with some great lines such as "Die Human!" and "Kill all human scum!" The lines have the same creepy, fear-inducing effect that the classic "Run Coward!" line from Sinistar creates. All in all this is a game where less is more, where the lack of a pounding soundtrack, replaced instead by simple sounds, creates a feeling that is a big part of the game. If you turn off the sound on Ultratron you are making a huge mistake.

Game Play: +
The key to any good game is how it plays and Ultratron does deliver with one limitation. The limitation is quite notable. There is no game pad support. What you do have is keyboard-based game play with configurable keys. By default you move with WASD and fire with the arrow keys giving you 8 directions of movement and firing. While this works really well in general, there are moments where your fingers get tied up due to the intensity of the game and I think some gamers will find themselves occasionally being struck by a bullet or enemy that they otherwise would have been able to avoid. This was an even larger problem when I tried to play with a wireless keyboard, and while the problem was more with the keyboard issue than with the game, it was a good thing that I had a regular keyboard on hand because there isn’t another interface available for the game.

Outside of the limitation to keyboard Ultratron controls like a dream. The character is quite responsive to the touch of your finger, which is really a good thing in such an action packed game. The game augments the simple Robotron game play with additional power-ups, some of which, such as the offensive and defensive drones, serve you very well if you are able to keep them from coming under too much fire. The drones are part of a special set of power-ups that are obtained by blasting a specific yellow beetle-looking enemy that comes through the screen (a real bug in the computer...HAH!) The special powerups also include a spread weapon, bouncing bullets and an extra life.

Throughout the game you will improve most of your abilities through getting power-ups on the screen. The power-ups show up after certain enemies are destroyed, and by shooting the power-up you can cycle through the power-up options. The choice will usually be to improve your shot power or shot speed, but you may also choose to increase your life meter or to detonate a bomb.

Concept: -
The game is really a very improved Robotron. High points here for taking the concept, improving it, and making a stellar game. At the same time, the game isn't something you haven't seen before so the score was taken down a couple of notches. Much like an FPS, it's not about being new, it's about being better than the other games available, and that is where Ultratron delivers.

Value: +
At $9.95 the game is really under-priced. Due to the increasing difficulty as you move on through the levels and the fact that you must always begin a new game at level one, I believe even the best of gamers will find a lot of time spent trying to get through the levels. Once you master that challenge you will likely be checking back from time to time to see if your score was somehow beaten off the high score list. The game certainly hails from the arcade era where just completing the game isn't the only goal. Real masters don't just beat games, they play in a way that scores the most points on each level as they play, even when doing so means making the game play itself harder.

Fun: +
Where Ultratron really succeeds and distances itself from many of the robotron clones is in the fun factor. Robotron itself was a very difficult game to play in the arcade. It was created with the intention of sucking a quarter about every 2-3 minutes. I went back and played Robotron when considering Ultratron for review and the one thing I quickly realized was that Robotron was not very fun. The way they kept you putting in quarters was by making the game insanely difficult, which really made it not very much fun for the majority of gamers to play. (Those who had the time and the patience to master it certainly enjoyed it, but they weren't many who made it that far.) Ultratron delivers where Robotron failed, making a game that is quite enjoyable to play, while also creating an experience that creates nostalgia and brings in good old-fashioned fun game play.

Recommendation: Buy
It's hard to go wrong with Ultratron. For just slightly more than the price of a movie (or significantly less if you buy popcorn) you get a game that provides a great experience that, due to some fantastic sound work, is quite memorable, and thanks to solid development is an all around fun game to play.
Added: October 15th 2005
Reviewer: Russell Carroll
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