*Insert obligatory opening paragraph about my never-ending love of puzzle platformers and my inability to resist any and all opportunities to play them, here*
OK but seriously, I really do enjoy puzzle platformers, and Mekabolt is indeed, a puzzle platformer. It revolves around your main character and their trusty gun as they collect batteries to power an island. That’s as much as I remember since the plot isn’t exactly memorable.
The use of your gun to interact with enemies, the (evil?) robots, and other environmental hazards is a unique idea that Mekabolt has though. It does everything from switching power supplies to teleporting by the late game, so it really comes in handy. This is where the vast majority of the puzzle-solving comes into play.
You’ll spend half of every level figuring out the way you need to manipulate the robots so you can progress, and the other half avoiding deadly traps as you jump to traverse the stage. This rarely takes longer than a minute; this game is ridiculously easy. Genuinely, nothing in this game had me stumped due to its limited moveset. Sure, the shooting does different things based on context, but if I can’t already jump ahead, it’s the only thing left to try. Just shoot the thing that will allow me to continue.
So the gameplay isn’t anything special, and there isn’t much of it spread across the ~100 levels. I completed every stage in just over an hour, and had the platinum trophy in half that time. Cause yet again, this is another entry in Ratalaika’s roster which seems to be selling itself based on the quick platinum included. Sigh.
But anyway, the game. What else is there to say? The visuals are, alright. The cacti were cute and I liked the robots too. Very reminiscent of Mega Man now I think about it. The main menu theme is chipper and fun, but everything else was pretty forgettable and I can’t find the soundtrack on YouTube for a refresher. The world’s fit into generic themes of jungle, desert, cave, and factory, with the last one being my favourite mechanically since it adds buttons and teleports.
The controls were tight and the jump was fast and responsive as well, I guess.
Really, I struggle to say much about Mekabolt (if you couldn’t guess). It’s such a short, generic experience that I feel like I’ve played it countless times before, but done better. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing particularly bad about Mekabolt. There just isn’t much especially good about it either. If you want a quick and easy puzzle platformer to kill an hour one lazy afternoon, this game is perfect. I admittedly enjoyed my little break away to play it. Just don’t expect anything tooooooo spectacular if you pick it up yourself.
A digital copy of Mekabolt for PS4 was provided by the developer.
Find Mekabolt on PS4 here: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0891-CUSA17101_00-RATAKGAMMEKABOLT