![]() For the Steam price of $9.99, it is definitely worth the play! However, it is currently $17.95 on PS4. It could use a bit of polishing up on its controls and obstacle consistency, but this has little effect on the fun factor of the game. Shiny is a solid play, but not a spectacular one. ![]() ![]() The music matched each level perfectly and truly brought me into the little robot’s adventure. Just as I loved the soundtrack to Portal, I enjoyed Shiny’s soundtrack immensely. The color scheme and style of the robots reminded me of Portal. The two game’s soundtracks also share a similar sound. Each level offered a new color scheme and new, unique obstacles to overcome. It didn’t happen frequently enough to ruin my experience, and I enjoyed the variety between levels immensely. By no means was this deal-breaking for me. When this happened, it made getting through that part of the level particularly frustrating. At times touching an obstacle would be an instant kill, but other times this wasn’t the case for the very same obstacle. There was a lack of consistency in one or two of the levels. Once familiar with the jump range, I ran into some more mechanical issues. The jump range in this game is surprisingly long, which caused me to overshoot my jumps until I got used to it. It wasn’t super helpful or a necessary addition to the game. There’s no more ultimate power until the next level or until you die enough times to reset the level you’re on. The ultimate is extremely short lived and when you die, that’s it. It restores your battery life in full, makes you glow blue, and allows abilities to be used without draining battery. I was a tad disappointed in how little the ultimate does. It takes two special batteries to use the ultimate. Reviving one robot gives you one special battery. Other robots, beside the main protagonist, can be found and revived throughout the levels. Kramer 227 has a sort of ultimate ability. To activate it, two robot friends must first be picked up. Keeping an eye on the battery levels and knowing when to use abilities is crucial for success in Shiny. However, using these abilities causes Kramer 227’s battery to drain at accelerated speeds. The game also provides you with several special abilities that are necessary for beating particular levels. Refill batteries can be picked up as the level progresses. The game plays like a very traditional platformer with just a few unique twists, the first of which is that Kramer 227, the robot protagonist, has a consistently draining battery. Between each level , all that is shown is the progress towards having enough energy and manpower, or rather robot-power, to launch an escape ship. It’s all just platforming from here on. There are no cut scenes or references to the plot outside of the loading screens. ![]() The plot is poorly implemented into the game itself. Unfortunately, this is pretty much all the story we get. In this, it is revealed that mankind has abandoned an exploding planet, leaving behind their robot friends, who have no way to escape. There’s more explosions and repeatedly falling to your death than anything else. The robots were so cute and I would’ve loved to have had a closer connection with them. ![]() The cute yellow eyes of the game’s robot protagonist is what originally drew me to Shiny. Disappointingly, the cuteness ends at the robot characters. However, there were a few flaws such as a lack of story implemented into the gameplay and frustrating glitches that led me to believe that Shiny had not reached its full potential. The variety in levels and aesthetic of the game were captivating. Shiny‘s adorable character and challenging nature drew me to it. In the absence of a soul, eyes are the gateway to the face, and in the case of a big, heavy robot with potentially limitless mobility, they offer insight (along with body language) about the system’s direction and intention.I’m always looking for a standout game. It’s a shiny, white oblong structure with sensors on the sides, a pair of large, blinking LED eyes on the front and a third light on the rear. I suspect that both the original Digit and its predecessor Cassie both elicited their fair share of comments over the years.ĭigit 2.0 arrives at ProMat this week with a minimalist head. I’ve seen all sorts of different varieties and it takes a lot to creep me out (though it’s absolutely still possible), but I’m sympathetic to that visceral reaction upon seeing a headless robot walking around. It’s also clear why Agility created a face for the 2.0 version of its digit robot. There are several studies out there investigating the science behind robot faces and what varieties are best suited for which job. Once you begin to understand these sorts of things, it’s clear why a lot of companies have spent a lot of money consulting behavioral scientists and employing animators from places like Pixar and DreamWorks. ![]()
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