'Spy Bot Chronicles' – Just Go Ahead and Buy It Now
posted by arn on August 6th, 2009 3:30 AM EDT in $0.99, Platform, Reviews, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Sometimes it seems silly the amount of time we spend discussing the value of this $0.99 game or that $0.99 game. Thankfully, for IUGO's Spy Bot Chronicles [$0.99], the answer is easy… and you should just go ahead and buy it now. An original iPhone platformer with good controls, great level designs, and a lot of polish and charm for only $0.99? It's a no-brainer purchase.
If you still must be convinced, here's the spiel:
Spy Bot Chronicles is followup game to IUGO's popular Toy Bot Diaries series of iPhone games. While it exists in the same universe as Toy Bot, the game is actually structured very differently. Toy Bot was more of a physics/puzzle platformer while Spy Bot is more an action platformer with some puzzle elements. In the end, I suspect Spy Bot will be more universally appealing than Toy Bot ever was.
Spy Bot introduces a brand new control system replacing the Tilt/Touch controls of Toy Bot with left/right virtual buttons and a virtual jump button. Now, before you start complaining, it seems that IUGO must have spent some time deciding on these controls as they seem to work quite well. By simplifying the buttons to left/right and jump alone, the controls seem much less prone to error than full direction d-pads. IUGO also adds a number of other elements through the use of on screen taps for lasers as well as manipulating on-screen objects.
Spy Bot's early level designs are very nicely done with clever obstacles, hidden areas, and nice iPhone-specific elements. Spy Bot's different capabilities are slowly introduced across the levels. Tapping on screen will fire lasers to disable your enemies but can also be used to affect objects. Some objects, such as platforms or wheels can be activated by simply tapping on them. These elements all work together very well and results in a very iPhone-y platformer.
Here's a video of some of the gameplay:
The game comes with 4 different zones (worlds) and is said to be larger than the entire Toy Bot trilogy in content. Overall, it's a great package for only $0.99 and we highly recommend it. Meanwhile, more rave reviews are filtering into the Spy Bot discussion thread in our forums.
App Store Link: Spy Bot Chronicles, $0.99 (limited intro pricing)
jump collect jump collect shoot… seems quite boring.
I got it, simply because of them having physics in there.
Lets see if it holds.
Toybot Diaries sucked, so I don't think I'll get this.
Meg. It's well worth the $.99 to entertain my kid.
Loved the Toy Bot Diaries. Great games! This was a no brainer. Purchased and downloading as I type.
Looks okay but the extremely ugly movement and jump buttons kinda detract from the nice art :/
I'm really digging the music.
To me, thats the weakest point of the game.
It's just cheap and veeery repetitive.
never bought toy bot…maybe i should try this one out…
Bring on some cuvilization and alpha centoury instead!!!
It has some good qualities to it, it's innovative at times. The game does seem very mundane at certain points though. I will play for about 10 to 20 mintutes then quit out if it for a while but I've been coming back to it. It's worth the download for sure.
Bought. I still haven't beaten toybot 1 but I ended up buying the 2 and 3 for 99 cents anyways