As you go on through the various levels, you will snag a number of power-ups along the way to help you out. These include a double jump, a projectile attack, a dash and multiple speed upgrades, with the abilities always coming in the same order, before capping off with the faster speed. Be careful though, as taking a hit will remove your upgrades one by one, starting with your most recent one, forcing you to start trying your best to regain them and make your way to the end.
These upgrades and speed boosts are needed to get through Bot Gaiden because the challenge gets to be impossible without them. That said, there are three permanent upgrades that you can unlock on each level, starting with an extra life, before getting a power-up at the start of levels, and finally a permanent upgrade to your move set. That last one is a bit harder to get though, as you will have to beat the level and the boss in less than two minutes to obtain it.
Bot Gaiden is a fast-paced game and speed is key here. You are not just trying to make it to the end of a level but to do so quickly, both to get the permanent upgrade and also to make the boss fight easier. The bosses will have more health if you take longer to reach them, and this makes things much more difficult, further encouraging speedruns.
The bosses in Bot Gaiden are where the game falls a bit short. It is not that the bosses are badly designed or are not fun, but the fights do not encourage any form of strategy whatsoever. This is because you will do whatever it takes to get it done fast to beat the time limit and that ends up cutting into the fun that could have been had.
It also doesn’t help that these fights are incredibly difficult due to losing upgrades when you take hits, resulting in the fight quickly becoming more challenging than it needs to be. That said, there is an easy difficulty that is far more manageable without making the levels feel too different, except for the bosses, who now go down faster. This mode will be useful for those who want to play but get overwhelmed by the difficulty.
One thing that has to be said for Bot Gaiden is that it has a gorgeous art style that calls to mind classics like Ninja Baseball Bat Man in terms of design. The comic book aesthetic fits well here, and when combined with the excellent soundtrack, creates an atmosphere that really gets you going. In terms of presentation, Bot Gaiden is top-level, and the action does match, except for the boss fights.
Bot Gaiden has been criticized as too difficult for some, and while it is true that the boss fights are a bit of a letdown, the overall levels are not. The easy difficulty addresses the issues of losing upgrades too quickly, and it is clear a lot of care was put into making the game. Playing on easy and learning the levels and boss fights is a way to find a strategy despite what was said earlier, and that is useful when going back to the standard difficulty.
Overall, I did enjoy Bot Gaiden and would recommend it. it is a solid action platformer and has a lot going for it in terms of gameplay and presentation. Just be aware you will need to get used to it a bit.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
