It's easy to see why this often gets labeled as a tech demo for the PS1. The console had just come out in America, and 3D platformers were still in their infancy. Heck, Super Mario 64 was still a year away to introduce the mainstream audience just how well platformers can translate to the 3rd dimension.
With that said, this was certainly the time for developers to experiment and see what could stick. While not the zaniest game I've played, it's certainly one of the quirkiest as far platformers go. Fever dream induced imagery aside, the novel approach to the gameplay is honestly pretty solidly implemented. The game is presented in a first-person perspective. You can move around and shoot at enemies with your laser projectiles or expendable fireworks you collect. Upon performing a double jump, the camera automatically pans downwards, so the player can see where they will land and adjust their movement accordingly. It just works, despite the mish mash of polygonal landscapes. In fact, I'm surprised it didn't give me as much of a headache as I expected.
That's really all there is to its unique approach. Levels are fairly standard. 6 worlds. 3 levels each. 2 of which require collecting 4 "jet pods" before proceeding to the exit to finish. They're pretty easy for the most part, though the standout good time for me were the boss fights (level 3 of each world for the most part). Granted, these aren't anything too crazy or difficult, but they were pretty fun to exploit with the jumping mechanic. Bouncing and unleashing hell (with fireworks) on them was pretty satisfying.
It's quite a short, albeit fun little game that I'm glad I got to check out. I remember reading somewhere that the developers were hoping that Robbit would be the next big mascot, competing against the likes of Mario and Sonic. Yeah... that was never going to happen. Still, it's a bit sad that this game has been lost to the bowels of gaming history, and I do recommend giving it a shot, especially if you're a fan of platformers.
With that said, this was certainly the time for developers to experiment and see what could stick. While not the zaniest game I've played, it's certainly one of the quirkiest as far platformers go. Fever dream induced imagery aside, the novel approach to the gameplay is honestly pretty solidly implemented. The game is presented in a first-person perspective. You can move around and shoot at enemies with your laser projectiles or expendable fireworks you collect. Upon performing a double jump, the camera automatically pans downwards, so the player can see where they will land and adjust their movement accordingly. It just works, despite the mish mash of polygonal landscapes. In fact, I'm surprised it didn't give me as much of a headache as I expected.
That's really all there is to its unique approach. Levels are fairly standard. 6 worlds. 3 levels each. 2 of which require collecting 4 "jet pods" before proceeding to the exit to finish. They're pretty easy for the most part, though the standout good time for me were the boss fights (level 3 of each world for the most part). Granted, these aren't anything too crazy or difficult, but they were pretty fun to exploit with the jumping mechanic. Bouncing and unleashing hell (with fireworks) on them was pretty satisfying.
It's quite a short, albeit fun little game that I'm glad I got to check out. I remember reading somewhere that the developers were hoping that Robbit would be the next big mascot, competing against the likes of Mario and Sonic. Yeah... that was never going to happen. Still, it's a bit sad that this game has been lost to the bowels of gaming history, and I do recommend giving it a shot, especially if you're a fan of platformers.