Akimbot Review – Nostalgia Coaster

If you’re a fan of PS2 era action-platformers, you can’t really go wrong with Akimbot. You play as a disgraced bounty hunter Exe and his quippy drone companion Shipset as they shoot and jump their way through obstacle-laden stages. The tone and gameplay takes obvious inspiration from Ratchet and Clank. One look at Exe’s running animation is all it takes to get a sense of the PS2 platforming style that makes up Akimbot‘s DNA. There’s nothing particularly innovative with the narrative or gameplay here, but man does it supply a healthy dose of old-school fun. Even though I have legitimate gripes with several elements, Akimbot won over my ‘retro’ gaming heart with its clever level design and simple charm.

The game introduces its world with the two protagonists in the back of a cop car. It’s immediately made clear what kind of tone Akimbot exhibits: the snarky Saturday morning cartoon adventure. Akimbot may share notable elements with its obvious PS2 inspiration, but Shipset can’t be compared to Clank as he’s far more irritating of a character. The opening cinematic soured my impression of these characters, and Shipset only grated on me the more I heard him. His entitled snarky attitude is only made more annoying by the repetitive high-pitched tone of his voice. Thankfully, the lone bounty hunter, Exe, is much more tolerable throughout the duration of the game.

"Exe and Shipset banter constantly throughout the adventure. Whether the humor sticks is up to your sense of humor"

Akimbot wears its tone and humor on its sleeve and isn’t ashamed about it in the slightest. The dynamic duo constantly bicker at each other as you’re platforming over deadly obstacles and shooting down enemies, and the steady stream of cutscenes are filled to the gills with jokes. Humor is largely subjective, so I’ll just give my personal experience. I was 50/50 on the execution of this humorous tone. There’s so many jokes in the game that some are sure to land for players; while particularly brilliant ones come up in the third quarter of the game. If you’re particularly fond of referential humor and fourth-wall breaking, Akimbot will delight.

I quickly noticed something bizarre after coming to terms with the game’s comical tone: persistent screen tearing. Akimbot has no graphics settings to speak of, so I had to put up with lines cutting across the screen every time I vertically move the camera. I reviewed this on PS5, but can confirm that this screen tearing issue is present in the PC version as well. It’s a persistently noticeable issue that plagues the otherwise fun-filled experience, but at least the framerate is pretty solid throughout when the game isn’t loading between areas.

Once the player overcomes Akimbot’s two greatest barriers to entry (humor and screen tearing), the game delivers a brisk action adventure platformer every bit as engaging as classic Ratchet and Clank titles. Unlike Ratchet and Clank or Jak and Daxter, Akimbot is a purely linear adventure with no hub areas or backtracking. Don’t let the tutorial level deceive you; Akimbot fires on all cylinders once it gets going, delivering a brisk roller coaster brimming with clever gameplay variety.

"Movement and shooting feel smooth and effortless, and the animations punch above their weight"

Facilitating that variety are the tools at Exe’s disposal. You start out merely wielding a melee knife, upgrading to automatic rifle, sniper, and rocket launcher as you progress through the game. The only thing you can upgrade are your special weapons, of which there are four. You equip and purchase upgrades periodically through well-placed vendors in each level. Akimbot’s weaponry is pretty standard fare for the genre it inhabits, but I found the selection and controls to suit the gameplay wonderfully well.

Swapping between each weapon is a breeze thanks to the nifty hotkey to each directional button on the controller. The enemies that populate Akimbot’s world are usually weak to a specific weapon in your toolkit; the game spreads enemy types through the maps brilliantly, forcing you to swap between weapons so no one tool becomes too overused and dull. You’ll want to switch weapons anyway due to ‘ammo’ replenishing after a cooldown period. Flying health drones function as your HP replenishment and are distributed evenly throughout levels. These drones further encourage an aggressive playstyle due to the player having to aim and shoot at them while avoiding fire from enemies.

The guns themselves control well enough. There’s a satisfying feel and sound to each weapon and you can do some over-the-shoulder zoom-in for extra accuracy. Thankfully, there’s aim assist because aiming sensitivity just isn’t gradual enough with a controller. But this is an action platformer, so there’s plenty of jumping to accompany all the shooting. This is where the game’s controls shine. Movement feels surprisingly precise and fluid. You can determine the length of your dodge and jumps quite easily, making for sure-footed platforming. Furthermore, Exe automatically mounts ledges if you miss a platform by a smidge, so that’s nice. I never found platforming to be laborious or unfair in Akimbot, which is a testament to its precise controls and well laid-out level design.

"There are plenty of puzzles found in Akimbot’s levels[/custom-quotes]

Even if you’re not satisfied with the equipment options in Akimbot, there’s plenty of other gameplay styles besides the main run and gun combo. The platform leaping, wall-running, and grapple-hooking provide a solid traversal foundation to engage with throughout Akimbot’s levels. And of course, Exe and Shipset are wonderfully animated as they perform their jumps and spins, adding production value to an otherwise lower-budget experience. Doors are often locked behind one of three hacking minigames or puzzle codes. Some of the codes involve clever math problems and exploration in order to translate symbols.

And the gameplay variety doesn’t end there. Entire levels in Akimbot consist of shoot-em-up sequences unlike anything mentioned so far in the review. These spaceship sequences offer a nice Star Fox-esque diversion from the primary gameplay which give the game a good flow. Boss fights are well designed, with fun AOE moves and shifting terrain, making good use of Exe’s equipment and maneuverability. Akimbot continuously dishes out fresh gameplay twists that inject life into the experience, of which the 2D sprite-based brawler sequences are a special highlight. I won’t spoiler it, but the end of the game gets especially creative with its gimmicks imaginative level design.

[custom-quote]Spaceship sequences offer a break from the usual run and gun action, supplying good old fashioned arcade fun"

The level design doesn’t always stand out though, as is displayed by the generic aesthetic and layout of the very first level. The aesthetic and visuals in general aren’t anything special. I’m not particularly fond of the persistent fog hanging on the outskirts of environments. The draw distance is so poor that it really hearkens back to platformers from the PS1 era. The lack of doodads and environmental detail don’t really make up for the hazy visuals either. Akimbot looks like something made in Media Molecule’s Dreams engine, but I digress.

When I was nearing the final chapters of Akimbot, I realized I love the game despite some of its glaring flaws. The brisk and engaging pacing more than make up for Shipset’s irritating banter or the constant screen-tearing. Likewise, the generic tropey plot managed to entertain me throughout and keep me smiling. Akimbot feels like an energetic action platformer from a bygone era, but it’s also got some surprising moments that impressed me beyond that nostalgia.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.