Akimbot

It takes a good amount of recklessness to develop a video game similar in every way to Ratchet & Clank, knowing what kind of production you are up against. Akimbot, in no uncertain terms, comes out in stitches; not because of not being fun, actually it is, but because of the compulsive urge to be a clone of the Insomniac masterpiece. Ironically, the most interesting sections are those with their own personality, without trying at all costs to insert nods to other parties' intellectual properties. This is a pity, because technically it is well crafted and offers a good level of challenge, but it suffers in the unforgiving comparison.

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.

Akimbot may not be the alternative Ratchet & Clank game we were hoping for, but it’s still pretty solid. Despite the underwhelming story and characters, this humble indie game does a lot of things right.

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.

Good action platformer with charm and stylistically confident direction, which is consciously orientated towards comparable games of the PS2 era, but unfortunately stumbles over its unbalanced collection of side tasks. Sidekick Shipset is also a bit of a dick, which won't please everyone.

It is pleasing to that games like Akimbot are still being made, as there is a definite place in the market for well-crafted examples of platforming run and gun action.

Akimbot is a love letter to Ratchet & Clank, but is clearly a unique game on its own. While you fight, puzzle and platform your way through the different planets, these gameplay sections get divided by perfectly timed cutscenes and driving scenes. The humour and references to other games blend it altogether and put a smile on your face while playing.

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.

Akimbot is a Ratchet & Clank indie that is cheap and worth its price, but only if you are really big fans of the genre and can't wait to get back to shooting and jumping around while waiting for a new chapter to come from Insomniac Games. Of course, don't hold out hope for the quality of the source material and especially don't have high hopes for the story and characters. There are various flaws and no matter how much heart Evil Raptor put into the project we struggle to suggest Akimbot to everyone.

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.

As a modern blast from the past, Akimbot is an acceptable adventure that takes its cues from PS2 platforming classics but falls short of its own expectations. Its gunplay, platforming, and variety of mini-games are mostly adequate, and some levels show moments of creativity. However, the lack of character progression, uneven difficulty spikes, and unrewarding exploration hinder the effort. Ultimately, the original Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank have stronger level design and more interesting ideas, and those games came out over two decades ago.

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.

It was supposed to become a star and an iconic game, and it may have convinced someone of that. But certainly not all. Many expected more. The Developers failed to elevate any aspect of this game to anything more than very mediocre.

Akimbot presents a lot of ideas that don’t significantly learn from or build on the milestones established by the 3D platformers that have come before it — and there are a lot of them to learn from. In the end, it’s a middling, uninspired entry into a genre crowded with bangers, and finds itself in need of both more polished mechanics and a livelier world. My hope is that Evil Raptor will improve on this first effort and expand on Exe’s story in a more realized way.