Robots Can't Think

These days, it's kinda debatable whether robots think or not. They haven't quite gained full sentience and all that, but they do seem capable of making decisions... within certain parameters...

Anyway. Enough of this philosophical mumbo-jumbo. We're here to review the Flash game based on that very premise - Robots Can't Think - and perhaps find an answer. Or just a lot of bloody hard puzzles.

Concept

Robots Can't Think drops you in the mechanical shoes of... a robot. Yep, what a surprise. Part of a line of seemingly identical automatons, your robot is forced to run a gamut of increasingly difficult puzzles, using its powerful arms and legs - as well as a few nifty technological gadgets it acquires along the way - to overcome all obstacles. Why is the little bugger forced to do this? Foul play may be afoot, if the little flashes of cut scene are any indication...

Anyway. All that boils down to you, with robot, in puzzle rooms. Solve puzzles using blocks and powers and timing and stuff. They get harder and harder as you go along. Not terribly original or novel, but a solid enough base. No complaints.

Controls

Robots Can't Think is another merciful browser game that relies primarily on the arrow keys to do the job, along with occasional dips into the letter keys to activate your robot's powers. No huge problems here, though the robot's sensitivity to clinging to the wall cost me several otherwise good runs through tough puzzles. Be careful when falling or jumping, as latching onto a wall by accident will eat up precious seconds.

Graphics

Robots Can't Think is okay in the visuals department. It's hardly jaw-dropping, but it IS clean and relatively attractive. The robot itself could stand out a bit more, I suppose - it's pretty damn generic looking - but I guess that's also part of the point of the game.

Sound

Techno. Pure techno. The same song throughout, as well. Never a fan of techno, and never a fan of constant repetition, so the music got muted after less than ten minutes of play.

Challenge Rating

Ahh, here's the creamy center that most puzzling fans want to hear. Is Robots Can't Think difficult? In a word, yes. In two words, hell yes. In three words... okay, four... I couldn't beat it.

Robots Can't Think is a puzzling nightmare. In a good way, of course, because even though every puzzle is solvable... I think... doing so requires a lot of trial-and-error. The puzzles are satisfyingly hard, and will probably fly over the heads of casual gamers. You need to do a lot of thinking to get through this game, and even if you know HOW to get through a level, you also need the timing and finesse to execute your plans, because this is a game that pays very close attention to time.

Conclusion?

Robots Can't Think is a little above average in every way, and only stands out among browser puzzlers in that it's very, very hard. Fans of brain teasers will love this game. Everyone else? Eh. It's not bad.

PLAY ROBOTS CAN'T THINK