We’re here again with another Metroidvania but this is definitely one that may have slipped passed your notice. Haiku, The Robot from one man studio Mister Morris Games is a refreshing reintroduction to the genre. These days, exploration games are beyond plentiful so it’s rare to find one that surpasses expectations and Haiku certainly does that.
In Haiko, you play a robot. Shocker, right? But there’s more to Haiku, The Robot than Meets the eye. This is a unique game for several reasons, the first of which is that since you’re a robot, you can be fixed! There’s a repair mechanic integrated into the game that is both fascinating and innovative. Instead of collecting health or utilizing potions, you will defeat enemies who drop gears. While these gears are used as currency in some situations, they can also be used to regain health by standing and repairing yourself. This allows you to make it through the myriad labyrinthine levels more easily as you don’t have to worry about dying quite as much as in most games in this genre.
The story is fairly straightforward in Haiku. You wake up and detach yourself from a nest of wires to find that you’re in a strange, corroded area full of rogue machines and strange industrial structures. Combat is straightforward, allowing you to start out by slashing with a shovel implement but slowly becomes more complex with play, adding a variety of plug-in circuits for your robot. Eventually you can roll and bounce like Samus, generate explosions, and even turn into a rolling buzz-saw! To get all these cool features though, you’ll need to explore.
Exploration is the meat and potatoes of Haiku. Within the game’s complex map there are many disparate levels requiring both skill and tenacity. This is a challenging platform exploration game that rewards the courageous and destroys the unwary. Walk into the wrong room with the wrong powerups and you’re toast, sometimes literally. There’s a fair amount of strategy and memorization required here, evoking memories of Hollow Knight and Axiom Verge. That’s excellent company to be keeping and Haiku definitely earns it.
There are plenty of bosses in Haiku as well. The fast-paced combat and challenging boss patterns feel as much like a Mega Man game as a Metroidvania and the fights are both fun and engaging. Beating bosses will unlock new circuitry, attacks, and abilities which will allow you to progress in the game in typical exploration fashion but the gameplay never seems to get stale. There’s a certain indefinable feel about Haiku that pulls the player in and makes them want to keep going.
What you’ll also notice about the game is that it has a distinctive 8-bit design aesthetic. The sprite work is clean and crisp and adds a certain flair to the game that makes it more engaging. Between the sprite stylings and the orange color palette makes the environment feel both alien and hauntingly familiar as well. Somehow, it’s hard to imagine Haiku with more complex pixels. The simplicity of the game’s visuals pair well with the complex gameplay and level design like a fine wine with a good meal.
To accompany the excellent visuals, Haiku features an outstanding soundtrack, one that also has hints of Hollow Knight in its compositions. There are no direct parallels of course, but music triggers that same lost, empty feeling that the Hollow Knight soundtrack does and contributes to the feel of being lost in an abandoned world of sentient and non-sentient machinery. Honestly, the soundtrack is so good it should be available on Bandcamp or even better, on a collectible CD along with a physical release of the game. The tracks are simple but powerful and they flow into the gameplay and sound effect so well that it’s easy not to notice the excellent compositions. It’s definitely worth your time to pay attention to them though!
Haiku, the Robot is a complex and interesting exploration game disguised as a simple 8-bit platform offering. The detail and love put into this game is amazing and it shines through every aspect of the experience. While you might not have heard of Haiku before, it’s definitely worth you time to look it up as the experience is simply outstanding. At around 10-15 hours, it’s not the longest game out there, but it hits that sweet spot where it feels long but doesn’t wear out its welcome. For $20, you’re getting a fantastic experience from a great indie developer and you definitely won’t regret giving it a try!
This review is based on a digital copy of Haiku, The Robot provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes. Haiku, the Robot is also available for PC on Steam.