Akimbot

While Akimbot doesn’t do much to iterate on the Ratchet and Clank formula, it does a good job at capturing the fluid movement and combat. It’s lacking a little in depth and true variety and instead focuses on a rather mundane story and surprisingly unlikable characters. With some more variety and depth in the selection of weapons as well as more intricate level designs, a sequel could fill a much needed gap in modern gaming though.

Overall, Akimbot is a fun platformer that can be expanded upon with a sequel. The weapons are too simple for a sci-fi game like this, but they all feel fantastic to control nonetheless. Some performance issues plague the levels, but Akimbot does surprise with stellar production value and interesting gameplay elements that keep the game feeling fresh. The game does feel long in the tooth by the end, but Akimbot is a good effort by Pumpkin Jack developer Evil Raptor.

Akimbot does a successful job at emulating the PlayStation 2 action-platformer era of games. It’s incredibly flashy and movement feels fluid, frenetic and fun. Similarly, gunplay leads to explosive setpieces worth witnessing. Though being true to this era comes with its own faults in frustrating checkpoint systems and performance issues, it’s all made up for in charm. We don’t get games like these often these days and for that alone, it’s worth it. We are so back.

Akimbot's adventure isn't unpleasant, but its shortcomings are evident. The potential of the combat has remained partly unexpressed, either because of some weapons that are too standard, or because of the limitations of the more particular and powerful ones. Then there's the platforming, which has its moments of brilliance, but is accompanied by phases that are far less successful and with an inconsistent pace. The gameplay structure rests on a story with "forecast" developments, which fails to enhance the game's most interesting characters. That said, if you remember the golden age of action platformers with nostalgia, you could still give Evil Raptor's title a chance.

While trying to pay tribute to classic platformers, Akimbot fell short when it came to making its own identity. The main characters weren’t that interesting and the story was predictable, but it did have a couple of strengths. The look of the world and a great soundtrack makes this game an admirable effort, even if it wasn’t successful.