Gato Roboto Review

Many people have experienced a cat running across their keyboard while using a laptop or computer. Gato Roboto attempts to answer the question of what would happen if that situation occurred in space. Kiki the cat and owner Gary are making their way through space when the feline tramples across the ship’s controls. The resulting mess sees the pair crashing on an alien planet. It is here that Kiki must go out and explore the mysterious to find a way to escape. That’s when she stumbles across a mechanic suit and becomes a mech warrior.

Released in May 2019 for Nintendo Switch and PC, Gato Roboto is unashamedly a Metroidvania game. This classic genre has seen a resurgence, ever since Cave Story released to critical acclaim in 2004. With so many similar titles available, any game of this type has to do a lot to stand out. It is fair to say that Gato Roboto does this by simply being a game about cats and Metroidvania. So, if you aren’t into either of those things, this is not the game for you.

Kiki’s mech suit armor

Gameplay

Like most Metroidvania games, Gato Roboto is all about platforming, exploring, and shooting enemies. Mechanically it is a fairly basic system. Outside of the robotic suit, Kiki can fit into smaller areas and move with more agility. However, the cat is also much more vulnerable and will die in a single hit.

On the other hand, the suit of armor provides protection and extra firepower. Having a requirement to leave the suit is a clever way of varying up the gameplay. Moving around as a cat is a vastly different experience and provides opportunities for more varied puzzles. Ultimately, it works well as a mechanic.

Meanwhile, combat is not all that intricate when compared to other titles. You have a basic blaster than you can only shoot upwards, downwards, and straight in front of you. The range of the weapon is fairly low as well, so getting close to enemies is vital. Later in the game, you get access to a rocket launcher. Rather than use ammo, it instead limits use to an overheat mechanic. That means you always have it handy but cannot rely on it completely.

A mini-submarine and stationary turrets are also available to use. They help to keep the gameplay fresh and ensure you never spend too much time doing the same thing. It is an excellent way to keep the whole experience fresh.

Gato Roboto also has a collection of bosses. Most of them are not much of a challenge. However, one particular boss can be tricky as you have to fight it without using your mech suit. This is the only frustrating part of the entire game but even then it isn’t too much of a problem.