I, Robot Review: Can Jeff Minter Revive a Timeless Arcade Classic?

Prepare yourselves for a psychedelic experience like no other, as legendary game designer Jeff Minter is back—this time taking on an early 1980s classic, I, Robot! Hey, wasn’t that also a movie? This reimagining of one of Atari’s final arcade games will assault your senses with vibrant colors, flashing lights, nightmarish sounds, and plenty of challenges! But does I, Robot completely malfunction, or is it firing on all cylinders? Let’s find out in our full review.

I, Robot, originally designed by David Theurer, who also created classics such as Missile Command and Tempest, has a fascinating history behind it. For one, it wasn’t all that common to even come across in a local arcade, as there were only around 1,000 cabinets ever created. It was also the first arcade game ever to feature real-time flat-shaded 3D polygonal graphics as opposed to vector lines. Yes, other games had attempted 3D by combining it with pre-rendered or full-motion video backgrounds, but I, Robot was truly fully rendered in 3D—just amazing!

For all of its ambitions, I, Robot was a commercial failure, and critics hated the game. Today, however, many look back at it with great fondness, appreciating what it was trying to achieve. Not only is it a very rare collectible now, but some even consider it an all-time classic. I, Robot would be one of the last two arcade games ever produced by Atari before they split their business, with Warner Communications taking over the arcade division, which would then come to be known as Atari Games!

Much like comic book characters, no franchise stays dead in video games these days, right? And so I, Robot is back, and more bonkers than ever! Veteran Jeff Minter is putting his own psychedelic spin on this arcade classic, and the result is a game that will certainly assault your senses but might not be for everyone.

Much like the original game, I, Robot is easy to understand but difficult to master. You control a robot who must survive an onslaught of polygonal enemies, bullets, and the gaze of an ever-watching eye in the sky that periodically turns bright red and will instantly kill you if you jump during that particular phase. Hasn’t this thing ever heard of eye drops? Your goal is to glide and hop about 3D arenas, flipping every tile to advance to the next level. Once you have successfully spun each tile, you’ll be catapulted into a 3D tunnel where suddenly, you're playing a classic arcade-style shooter, blasting everything in your path.

The main goal is to survive 55 of these unique levels, inflicting enough damage to the massive eyeball along the way to inevitably emerge triumphant. Each level offers a different twist. For example, one arena may have you deflecting bullets to take out enemies, being careful not to shoot yourself in the process. In other cases, you might find yourself trying to avoid poisoned tiles. Or you may even need to hold your breath for a few moments before unleashing a wave of cataclysmic destruction. I, Robot will keep you on your toes, and it offers the player plenty of variety throughout.

It also offers a good deal of frustration. Due to the game’s insane use of bright colors and flashing lights, it’s easy to get flustered and lose track of where you are and what you’re doing. Successfully jumping between tiles, which is sometimes required, can be an exercise in aggravation, as it’s not always easy to line your jumps up—let alone when the game is blasting you with its aggressive color scheme.

And yet, there is an undeniable satisfaction that comes with successfully completing an arena. I, Robot is at its best during its tense moments, where you’re down to your last life with just a few tiles left to flip. Having to keep track of when the eye in the sky will turn, while still trying to navigate the many obstacles in front of you, adds a fascinating element of strategy that often works effectively.

But perhaps the biggest challenge for gamers will be surviving the game’s insane visuals. I, Robot’s symphony of colors, shapes, and flashes will potentially be too much for some to handle. The scrolling shoot-’em-up sections are particularly distressing, depending on your tolerance for such a presentation. Objectively, this is a very cool graphical exhibition, but one that almost certainly won’t be for everyone. Personally, I would love to see a VR version down the road.

Should you need a break from the chaos, an “Ungame” mode is also available. This is more or less a visualizer that players can mess around with, but I didn’t personally get much out of it. Other extras include leaderboards, which means there is a good amount of replayability should you want to try and break previous time records. Performance was mostly good, too, with my only snag being getting hard-locked on one occasion after completing a level, unable to escape. For the most part, though, I, Robot was a smooth ride.

As for the game’s audio, I, Robot sounds really cool in an abstract sort of way. There are lots of odd robotic voices, hard-hitting electronic kick drums, and plenty of retro sound effects that sound straight out of an 80’s arcade cabinet. I enjoyed how the sound design was integrated into the gameplay, slowly building more and more as you progress through arenas. If you are a fan of 80’s arcade games and like electronic music, you’ll love the offerings presented.

I, Robot is a game that won’t be for everyone, but its abstract art, insane visuals, and odd gameplay certainly make for a fascinating experience. If you admire classic arcade games and enjoy score chasing, it’s certainly worth a look. The game comes with plenty of frustrations, however, and the graphics are going to be a bit much for some players to handle. Fans of Jeff Minter’s previous works will likely get the most out of this colorful and creative spin on an arcade classic.

GOOD