(Disclaimer: This post will continue as though one is adequately familiar with A Robot Named Fight!. For those unaware, feel free to check out my (albeit outdated) review of the game here, where I go over the basic foundation of the game.)
When the Forest Slums Update came out July of last year, I considered writing a post on it. Of course, that never happened, unless it did and I’m losing my mind. Despite the silence from me concerning this game, my adoration for the indie title (which served as my second professional review ever) is something that’s remained for some time. It is the game I spent the most time, by far, playing in recent years, due to its near-infinite amount of replayability and charm. When the Big Wet Update dropped a couple weeks back, I told myself I’d write something on it, as I feel it more than deserves any attention it receives.
In this particular update, A Robot Named Fight! gained some welcome additions, including the Coolant Sewers area (which introduces a collection of new things), new items and weapons, more map variability, and an expanded Megabeast Core/Glitch Realm. Compared to the Forest Slums Update, this is a tad less in overall additions, but much within Big Wet sharpens the gameplay focus and introduces new obstructions to tackle. Ice, fans, water, and millions of spikes everywhere are things to expect when entering the Coolant Sewers.
It’s always fun when an update throws new shit at a veteran player and reduces them to a refreshed rookie. My first time in the Coolant Sewers was a nightmare—even better, it took me three tries to even get a seed that included it! I died a few times just trying to get used to those fan mechanics while traversing unknown enemy patterns. And those damn meat plants that hide as a little pixel on the ceiling… took some time to remember to watch for those. The Coolant Sewers make the Forest Slums feel like a casual stroll.
More than anything, though, were the bosses assigned to the Sewers: an upgraded Wall Creep, Leviathan, and Stalkus. The first almost kills me plenty (and did once). Stalkus was a lucky bout, as I ran around the room and slowly, but surely brought down its health. Leviathan… oh, Leviathan. This fucker has killed me almost as many times as any other boss in the game has thus far. Its slimy spit bombs combined with its insane reach and the ability to spawn enemies makes it one tough hunk of meat. I’ve faced it five times—I’ve only beat it twice (the latest with one HP remaining).
What’s most evident in the Coolant Sewers, but prevalent everywhere else, is the developer’s focus on making the map more interconnected. Important rooms, such as save points and teleport rooms, can now have multiple entryways and exits, which can enable it to be a part of progression. My brother on a recent run had a room with a robot ally just before a boss room, which never happened prior to Big Wet. Not only does this make the worlds feel more connected, it also provides a subtle boost to the speed of runs, which have inevitably increased due to the turmoil involved with the Coolant Sewers. It also makes the teleport rooms feel more useful, as they aren’t in some abandoned room far away from where one wishes to be.
Any sort of negative criticism I could point out towards this update is mitigated to small nitpicks. I think the Dive Shell’s helmet looks goofy and its divekick isn’t all that great. The submerged sections of the map still slightly inhibit movement, despite wearing said Dive Shell. Some items seem to have a higher chance of appearing in runs and shops than others. Trivial details that don’t hamper much of the overall experience, though still noteworthy. There isn’t much about A Robot Named Fight! that I’m very critical about, which is almost amazing to consider.
When reviewing this game for the first time, I mentioned that the soundtrack was pretty mediocre. At this point, I still don’t think the soundtrack is a selling point, but it is far beyond what it used to be. It seems the developer has become more attuned to this, as with each new update, more noticeable boosts in soundtrack variety are unearthed. Two such examples include the theme to the Coolant Sewers, which is more complex and tight than any other track in the game. It’s a refreshing slice of catchiness combined with ambience that the rest of the soundtrack lacks. The other is a track pertaining to one part of the expanded Megabeast Core, which I’ll cover shortly.
The Megabeast is no longer a straight shot. It is a maze of meat and mayhem. In order to access the final boss of the run, one is required to find two rooms that house a switch to lower the guards to the core. When disabling these switches, the Megabeast will respond, causing a swarm of baddies to destroy you in a gauntlet-type meat-a-thon. It is here when said second track plays, which is chaotic and feisty. Again, a much more layered and notable projection of quality attached to it, which pays off wonderfully. This gives the Megabeast Core a little more urgency to it, because it was definitely a little repetitive before. The Glitch Realm, as far as I can tell, simply became more maze-like, as well, but with no additional changes.
There are a decent amount of new items that have come with the Big Wet Update, but unfortunately, as of writing this, I haven’t collected that many. What I have collected, however, is something that is far and away the greatest item that has ever graced this game: Up Dog. “What’s Up Dog?” Not much, what’s up with you? Up Dog is the equivalent of Rush from Mega Man except 7,000 times more useful. Jumping on it will cause Fight to bounce really high in the air, and Up Dog will continuously follow you around no matter where you go, and will even attack enemies! Up Dog will absorb all upgrades you do and will even change colors depending on Fight’s shell type. This is everything I didn’t think I wanted in this game, and yet I’ve already named it and am filing adoption papers.
More could be said, though I think I’ve gushed enough to ascertain my position on the Fight Fan List (patent pending). The Big Wet Update is something of a successful new patch to give the game better variety and more interesting endgame content. The accessibility of the now-more-varied map makes things feel more in semblance and the new area is a lot of fun (and a lot of hard). If one hasn’t bought the game yet and the content of this post or trailers make it sound appealing, it’s far better now than it was when it released nearly two years ago. For me, personally, it’s closing in on an 8.5/10, though I don’t think it’ll shoot any higher without some added narrative elements. Even so, the Big Wet Update was an enjoyable and memorable foray into new territory for A Robot Named Fight!.
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A Robot Named Fight! Steam link.
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