Not The Robots

Not The Robots is a unique stealth roguelike where players control a robot that must consume office furniture to progress through procedurally generated levels. The core gameplay mechanic—destroying your own cover to advance—creates a tense, strategic experience that balances risk and reward. Players face hazards like lasers, sentries with unlimited sight, and other obstacles, requiring careful planning and quick reflexes. The game features a leveling system that unlocks new enemies, traps, and abilities, gradually increasing difficulty and complexity. Audio logs and environmental storytelling hint at a dark, dystopian narrative beneath its quirky premise.

While the graphics are simple yet stylish with a muted color palette, the dynamic soundtrack adapts seamlessly to gameplay intensity, enhancing the atmosphere. Controls are responsive but can be challenging due to the robot's movement mechanics. Replayability is high due to procedural generation and multiple game modes, though some players find the randomness occasionally unfair. Overall, Not The Robots delivers a fresh stealth experience with a high skill ceiling and a blend of humor and mystery.

Highlights

Players praise the innovative gameplay mechanic of consuming cover to progress, which adds deep strategic layers to stealth. The procedural generation of levels, enemies, and objectives ensures varied and challenging playthroughs. The dynamic, seamlessly mixed soundtrack and moody, minimalist visuals effectively create a tense and immersive atmosphere. The game’s escalating difficulty and unlockable features provide satisfying progression. Voice-acted audio logs enrich the storyline, offering a dark, dystopian twist that contrasts with the game's quirky premise. Responsive controls and multiple power-ups like invisibility and teleportation add tactical diversity. Many appreciate the fair yet punishing AI, especially the unpredictable sentries that heighten tension. The game is highly replayable and appeals to stealth and roguelike enthusiasts.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the frustrating randomness, especially regarding sentry AI which moves unpredictably with unlimited sight, sometimes forcing tedious waiting or unfair deaths. The procedural generation occasionally produces overly difficult or unbalanced levels, leading to run-and-gun scenarios rather than stealth. Some players find the leveling system and item upgrades confusing or poorly explained, with limited inventory slots and unknown item pickups adding unwanted luck. The tutorial and tooltips are minimal, leaving players to learn through trial and error. The story is subtle and optional, which some find unsatisfying. Music can feel repetitive or jarring for some. A few mention performance issues on lower-end hardware and awkward robot movement mechanics that complicate precise positioning.