Roboto

If there’s one kind of game that can be guaranteed to perform better on the Xperia Play’s physical buttons than on a touchscreen, it’s the humble platformer.

The humbler, the better, as this well-loved genre relies more on pixel-perfect jumping the further back in time you travel.

So, the '90s style platforming antics of Roboto, which sees your robot not only have to cope with tight jumps, but also wall-running and firing off lasers at enemies, fits its new home like a comfortable slipper.

Time warped

You don’t play platform games for the plot, so if you find the idea of playing a robot on a hoverboard looking for his ladybot across a series of worlds too basic, then get out of this review - we don’t like your type around here.

Still with us? Good, because Roboto is classic platforming of the type you rarely see on other formats nowadays.

There’s your traditional assortment of obstacles to overcome - you know the kind: bottomless pits, swinging balls o’ doom, enemies with tender skulls - as well as collectible cogs for purchasing new weapons and unlocking new levels.

The levels themselves are exquisitely detailed, with the now classic 3D-on-a-2D plane allowing for obstacles to move both towards and away from the screen. Animations are smooth and the response time fast, meaning that, much like the true classics of the platforming world, there are very few occasions where you can blame anyone but yourself for failing.

Roboto isn’t Mario, though - for one thing, he doesn’t have a moustache. But mainly it’s his hoverboard and assortment of weapons that distinguish him from everyone’s favourite Italian plumber.

Holding down the X button lets you hover for a short time, allowing you to extend jumps and correct any mistakes before your chirpy robot crashes to his doom.

Meanwhile, hammering 'jump' when you reach any vertical surface causes your mechanical friend to soar up the side, using the momentum to reach far higher than a normal jump would permit.

The levels start off as simply a case of meandering from left to right, picking up the easy-to-reach cogs and taking time out to admire the graphics. Soon, though, the developer introduces gravity wells that flip you upside down, laser installations that can be used as traps against your enemies, and some enjoyable, if a bit traditional, boss fights at the end of each world.

Not everything is so welcome, however. The level selection, for instance, sounds good in theory - navigate to the correct door you want to go through inside a separate mini-level - but it can feel like accessing the next stage takes almost as long as playing it.

The reliance on energy to both fire your weapon and survive taking damage doesn’t gel well, either, penalising players who have had to fight through a lot of enemies only to take the one hit at the end.

These are minor complaints on the whole, mind. Roboto was already a good game on the touchscreen Androids, but its tightly tuned platforming and fast-paced action mean it's just that bit more responsive with physical buttons.