Casual games are something that I tend to play little of only because I’m more the fast and furious gamer who enjoys FPS titles and racing games, Action adventure and platformers. So when diving into a casual game for a review, I have to keep in mind that I’m not trying to get a headshot on someone else.
Name: Robinson | Developer: Pixonic | Genre: Casual| Players: 1 | Version: 1.44 | Size: 56 MB | Price: Free |
Robinson is an interesting casual survival game where, after a plane crash, you are stuck on a remote island in the middle of nowhere. Waking up in a tent that you fashioned out of a rescue boat and enjoying your first sunrise on what will be your new home, this is where your adventure begins. If you have played Oregon Trail from Gameloft or similar titles then you should be able to just jump right into the mix with Robinson.
Gameplay
The gameplay consists of doing quests that not only teach you the fundamentals of surviving on your new island but help you explore it. You will have to do things like farming food, building shelters and other structures as well as improving them over time and, eventually, finding other survivors. Quests and items can be skipped using the in-game currency that you purchase using real money although most everything uses the normal game currency as well.
Completing quests rewards you with experience points which level you up, energy, coins and bonus materials to build structure or plant to grow food. these are also acquired by harvesting the vegetation around you and creating farming plots. You will also dig up hidden objects that have been scattered around the island from the plane crash. Quests vary in terms of what you need to do and you usually have multiple quests to do at any given time so it isn’t just farming for stuff.
As you may have guessed from the use of the word energy, Robinson features an energy system where every action for the most part costs energy. If your energy runs out you have to replenish it before being able to continue doing things. Energy can be replenished with food, through quest rewards and, of course, buying more energy. When your character levels up your energy bar is completely filled back up as well.
So far the energy system hasn’t hampered playing the game at all. This could be due to the fact that I’m still early in the game but I haven’t had to worry about running out of energy yet. Between leveling, food and quest rewards, I’ve had enough energy to play the game straight through to the point I’m at right now.
Controls and Sound
The controls are straightforward as everything is done by tapping on the screen. Even on a phone there really isn’t a problem tapping on the items that fall out of things you harvest or biuld such as experience stars or materials. Robinson has some pretty fitting music for it. It has a sort of tropical cheery feel to it.
Graphics
The graphics are nice and feature a pleasant cartoon style to them. Everything has a unique look to them so you won’t be confusing a piece of wood with a piece of root either. There isn’t much more to say about the visuals as it suits the game pretty well. So far I haven’t seen any real character customization in terms of how they look though.
Overall
As far as a casual freemium / free-to-play game goes, Robinson is a pretty enjoyable one. You can leave and come back to it in short or long bursts and when you get further into the game it can get pretty hectic at times trying to collect everything while trying to complete quests and build structures. The energy system seems to be pretty balanced as is the pricing for items in game using the normal game currency. Some items seem a bit on the pricy side though so you will have to choose wisely when figuring out what you want to buy.
If you are looking for a survival type of casual game to play, you might want to check out Robinson from Pixonic. It is a bit different then your typical casual game of this nature. It looks like this one will be staying on my Android phone for awhile.
