Game Info
GAME NAME: Tetrobot & Co.
DEVELOPER(S): Swing Swing Submarine
PUBLISHER(S): Neko Entertainment
PLATFORM(S): Nintendo Wii U
GENRE(S): Puzzle
RELEASE DATE(S): October 30th, 2014
Neko Entertainment has been at the forefront on partnerships with indie studios to bring their titles of to Nintendo’s newest home console, the Wii U. The last partnership saw them publishing Upper Byte’s Wooden Sen’Sey, which was a memorable and enjoyable 2D side scrolling action title. Their latest partnership is with an indie studio that goes by the name of Swing Swing Submarine and they have ported over their mobile and PC-based title Tetrobot and Co.
A sequel to Swing Swing Submarine’s Blocks That Matter, Tetrobot & Co. takes place 15 years after the previous events. Tetrobot was created to help solve platforming puzzles by absorbing blocks and recycling them. Well Tetrobot wasn’t made perfect so now Maya has made Psychobot, a tiny little bot that can go inside of Tetrobot and fix him up right. The main story isn’t clear just from playing through the game and required me to do a little research to help understanding the plot. I do like how some of the story is told through comic book-like storyboards with a nice hand drawn hard style too it, but unfortunately, these are far and few in between.
One thing Swing Swing Submarine does get right is the control schemes and options. You can control Psychobot in almost anyway imaginable on the Wii U. You can use a Wiimote and use a pointer, use the touchscreen on the GamePad or just use the standard buttons on the controller. I preferred touchscreen for off screen play and Wiimote for TV play. Using the cursor by pointer was quicker then having to move the reticle around with the analog stick. This was also quicker when using the touchscreen.
The main purpose of the gameplay is to collect 3 gold blocks. These are sometimes very easy to find with a simple click of a switch or sometimes requires a lot of thinking and backtracking. The game uses full screens for rooms a la The Legend of Zelda dungeons, where passing through pipes will move the screen to a new room. Psychobot can carry up to six blocks at a time which can range in materials from sand, to wood and even TNT. These are all used to help solve puzzles by having some of the blocks take on different effects. Another cool aspect is that blocks of the same material will stick to each other, adding another unique gameplay challenge. The levels become almost frustratingly complex towards the end of your journey but there is a great sense of accomplishment as you beat the levels and earn the 3 gold blocks.
The art style and graphics feel at home on Nintendo’s console. They have a nice cartoony look but not over the top kid like. I think the graphic style could be deemed enjoyable by any age group. The sound effects and music has a nice electronic sound and ambiance, fitting of the characters and setting.
The Recommendation
Tetrobot & Co. does a lot of things right on the Wii U. It uses the GamePad well, it is one of the better puzzle games I’ve played and gives players a great sense of accomplishment and many control options. There are over 50 levels to dig your teeth into and should keep you busy for hours with the increased difficulty towards the end. I would have loved to see a more immersed story throughout the title and maybe a re-release of Blocks That Matter, so that us Nintendo gamers could get a better grasp on the overall story line. But story aside, this is one great puzzle game that you shouldn’t miss.
