Akimbot review: A shaky platform

Where some developers are shy about comparing their games to others, French indie studio Evil Raptor is not when it comes to Akimbot. Much like Pumpkin Jack, a spooky 3D platformer released in 2020 by the founder of the studio, Akimbot is meant to follow in the footsteps of the PS2 platformers Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank. The game’s unflinchingly old-school design rides on the nostalgia for these two classics. On that front, Akimbot does a suitable job, though it’s unable to build upon what made its inspirations successful and has more than a few areas of frustration.

Dynamic duo

Akimbot features its own pair of colorful protagonists, the surly mercenary robot EXE (pronounced “EX-E”) and the talkative drone Shipset. Both meet each other while imprisoned in a transport ship and work together to escape their confines, though EXE wants nothing to do with his newfound sidekick. That’s understandable, since Shipset doesn’t offer much apart from the occasional joke and isn’t as personable or humorous as either Clank or Daxter. By comparison, the gruff, rough-and-tumble EXE, who has pointy ears like Ratchet and Jak, fits better as an unlikely hero, and his animations are surprisingly expressive given that his robot face is static.

The duo is eventually wrangled up in the nefarious plot of a squid-like machine named Evilware, who wants to control the universe by finding the time-altering Artifact. The story is as uncomplicated as it sounds, and for the rest of the 15-hour adventure, they race through more than fifteen linear levels trying to reach the Artifact and keep it out of any villainous hands. EXE and Shipset don’t encounter too many characters over the course of their journey, but those they do meet have decent enough voice-acting to keep the story moving forward.

Killer robot

Akimbo’s bread and butter is gunplay interspersed with a mix of mini-games and platforming. While EXE has a melee strike and a diving spin attack, his arsenal of firearms will decimate enemies quickly and efficiently. In the first handful of levels, he will gain access to an assault rifle, a sniper rifle, a rocket launcher, and a minigun, all of which have infinite ammo but will overheat if they are fired too frequently. Fortunately, switching between weapons is as easy as pressing the D-pad, though the sniper rifle usually makes quick work of most goons. Against bosses and other formidable foes, whipping out the special gun at the right time is the best play, so long as EXE has the ammo for it.

Most levels in Akimbot are straightforward and linear, requiring EXE to double-jump his way over tiny platforms above various bodies of water and solve simple logic puzzles. Touching water in any way injures the robot, often more than enemy gunfire does, taking a huge chunk of his health or sometimes killing him outright. So while most platforming sections are relatively simple, even when they involve wallruns and the occasional grappling hook, one small mistake can send EXE back to the last checkpoint.

A vicious cycle

Although this checkpoint system is nostalgic, the erratic spikes in difficulty throughout the game provide a stark reminder of why this save-point design is better left in the past. Falling off a platform every once in a while is expected, but some levels require perfection. Particularly in the back half of the game, a handful of unskippable mini-games are needlessly frustrating. The worst offenders include a level where EXE needs to fly through over 40 rings in a dark, foggy background and another where he has to drive a car with extremely sensitive controls and have it jump across one too many metal platforms. Making a single mistake forces the player to start the mini-game from the beginning. Suffice it to say, I was ready to chuck my controller by my fifteenth attempt trying to complete these levels.

If that weren’t enough, there’s one section where EXE has to avoid obstacles in a psychedelic tunnel, all to an obnoxiously saccharine song with unbearable lyrics. On my tenth try, I needed to turn off the music in the game’s settings just to concentrate. Given that there are plenty of other mini-games in Akimbot that have more generous checkpoints or give the hero more chances to survive, the inconsistency here is odd.

Lacking potential

Another pacing issue is that EXE isn’t given much room for progression. After he earns the four basic weapons early in the game, the only thing he can upgrade is the special weapon that’s purchased at the shop. While there are four options for the special weapon, the mercenary can only carry one of them at a time, so there’s not much point upgrading more than one. Sadly, this shop is the only place where EXE can spend Botcoins, which are dropped by destroying crates, and there’s no skill tree where he can learn new moves or augment those he already knows. Shipset doesn’t learn any moves either, which would have made him a more substantial sidekick.

Not having many ways to spend Botcoins stifles exploration, which already isn’t very rewarding in the game. Every level has a handful of alternate paths where EXE can find lost data, brief snippets of text that are meant to add flavor to the story. But since lost data don’t have any mechanical benefit and are generally inconsequential, they don’t serve much of a purpose. On top of that, many levels feel padded with enemies and variations of platforming sections from prior levels. 

Nostalgically derivative

As a modern blast from the past, Akimbot is an acceptable adventure that takes its cues from PS2 platforming classics but falls short of its own expectations. Its gunplay, platforming, and variety of mini-games are mostly adequate, and some levels show moments of creativity. However, the lack of character progression, uneven difficulty spikes, and unrewarding exploration hinder the effort. Ultimately, the original Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank have stronger level design and more interesting ideas, and those games came out over two decades ago.

This review is based on a PC (Steam) code provided by the publisher. The game is also available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Nick Tan

Contributing Editor

Once upon a time, Nick's parents confiscated his Super Nintendo because he was "playing it too much." He has secretly sworn revenge ever since. Nick is now a freelance writer for various video game sites. Powered by iced green tea, he typically plays RPGs of all kinds like Shin Megami Tensei, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout. In his spare time, he follows the latest season of Critical Role.