Review: Splatterbot (Nintendo Switch) – Pure Nintendo

Splatterbot is a multiplayer game that’s all about making a mess. Think of it as a simplified, top-down version of Splatoon. With robots. It’s the first title from indie developer Hey! Kookaburra, and this cute, family-friendly entry shows a promising future for this one-person team.

In Splatterbot, you control a robot vacuum on a mission to paint the room rather than clean it. This little title pits players against one another in a race to cover the most territory before time runs out.

It’s a party game that can be played with up to four local players made up of humans or CPUs. When the AI is in charge, it doesn’t present much of a challenge. Maybe a difficulty setting could help here? The real fun is playing with actual people anyway, and it becomes a competitive experience once you get into the swing of things. 

Gameplay involves moving around the stage while your bot automatically paints the floor in your team’s color. At the end, you’ll find out the percentage of territory you or your team painted, crowning someone the winner. There are six areas to choose from, which adds to the experience with some creative locations. For example, one level features two boats and two piers with gaps between them. There’s also an office with various rooms, which was a highlight.

There are a few options to customize the gameplay to your liking. These are found in a settings menu, but they might be clearer if presented while creating a game. I still appreciate them, though, allowing you to change the level timer (60, 120, or 180 seconds) as well as toggle any of the items. The items in particular make a big difference, as it can create an overpowered combatant when someone collects too many.

The items pop up randomly during a game to power up your robot. These upgrades include speed and size increases, along with a short burst of color and a ball that paints for you as it bounces. The speed and size boosts in particular make things much easier, but they last forever, as in Bomberman. This means if one person collects a few upgrades, they’re likely to keep reaching them before anyone else, making it a little unbalanced. Switching them off can level the playing field to an extent.

Other options include a color-blind mode, which assists with accessibility. I also appreciate the simple controls. This is a game that can truly be enjoyed by anyone of any age. It’s meant to be a simple, fun experience for the whole family, and on that note, it delivers.

Naturally, you can choose your robot’s color. These come in four bright varieties that help you differentiate yourself from others: yellow, magenta, blue and white. You will also unlock trails (the lines that follow you as you paint) and costumes for your little robo-buddy the more you play. These help personalize the game in a fun way. There aren’t any notifications to alert you to newly unlocked items; a little popup would go a long way in incentivising you to play again. Regardless, I enjoyed putting different items on my robot to make it my own. Mine was wearing a halo and emitting bubbles at one point. Cute.

Overall, Splatterbot is a fun little game. It’s simple, sure, but the bones are here for a neat party title. You’ll have yourself some fun playing it in short bursts with four players as a warm up on game nights. With a few more options or modes, this could be even better. I’m keen to see what’s next for Hey! Kookaburra.