Return All Robots! (XB360/PC) Released - OC ReMix Publishes Free OST & Remixes!

[Liontamer]

Return All Robots! (XB360/PC) Released - OC ReMix Publishes Free OST & Remixes!

December 23, 2010

Contact: press@ocremix.org

FAIRFAX, VA-Return All Robots!, a platformer developed by Philadelphia-based Space Whale Studios for the Xbox 360 game console and PC, was released today through Microsoft's Xbox LIVE Indie Games. OverClocked ReMix has simultaneously released the game's soundtrack for free BitTorrent download at http://ocremix.org/events/returnallrobots/.

This marks the third time OverClocked ReMix, a community primarily focused on fan arrangements of video game music, has published an original soundtrack on behalf of a game developer. Return All Robots!'s soundtrack was composed by Space Whale Studios' co-founder and OC ReMix judge Andrew "zircon" Aversa (Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix), including a main theme co-composed by Space Whale Studios' Mike Worth. OC ReMix will continue to publish more free game soundtracks on behalf of interested game developers and publishers in the future, providing convenient hosting and free promotion.

Space Whale was formed in 2009 with the sole intent of creating easily playable, retro-inspired games with addicting depth and awesome music. RAR! is the indie studio's debut release, an action-puzzle adventure inspired by classics like Chip's Challenge, Lemmings and Bomberman.

Return All Robots!, available now for 240 MSP on the Xbox Indie Games marketplace, features over 45 fiendish levels, in-game stat tracking, mutated turtles, hidden secrets, a lighthearted story, quirky artwork and the 18-song soundtrack composed by Andrew Aversa.

In September 2010, the OC ReMix community was invited to take a shot at remixing the original soundtrack. So not only can you download all the source tunes, but many of these remixes as well from artists like WillRock, Nutritious, Mattias Häggström Gerdt, Joshua Morse, Flexstyle, Xenon Odyssey, Radiowar and more!

Of course, if you're the type that really takes your soundtrack collecting seriously, Space Whale Studios and zircon have printed a deluxe physical soundtrack available at CD Baby and various digital distributors. The deluxe version features an extended cut of the Training Montage theme as well as the Epic Trailer music and two bonus remixes from chiptune artists George & Jonathan and bibble. Not to mention sweet robo-art.

Links

• Buy the Game (Xbox 360) - http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Return-All-Robots/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8025855073c
  
• Buy the Game (Windows) - http://store.cipherprime.com
  
• Official Launch Trailer -
  
  
• Album Info - http://ocremix.org/events/returnallrobots/
  
• OST Download (BitTorrent) - http://bt.ocremix.org/torrents/Return_All_Robots_Original_Soundtrack.torrent
  
• Space Whale Studios' Homepage - http://spacewhalestudios.com
  
• Andrew "zircon" Aversa's Homepage - http://zirconmusic.com
  

About OverClocked ReMix

Founded in 1999, OverClocked ReMix is an organization dedicated to the appreciation and promotion of video game music as an art form. Its primary focus is ocremix.org, a website featuring thousands of free fan arrangements, information on game music and composers, resources for aspiring artists, and a thriving community of video game music fans.

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[Mirby]

Okay, this is a bit old, but I just asked zircon if I could post it and he said sure.

Don’t Return This Game

By Taylor Brown

Return All Robots! is a new action-puzzle game developed by a small company known as Space Whale Studios. Founded in May 2009 by Andrew Aversa and four of his fellow Philadelphians, they’ve worked tirelessly to create their debut game, and this is it. Featuring an electro-pop soundtrack and a very simple but funny story, Return All Robots! is a great game. And this game is about to be picked apart.

First off in this review is the story and writing. While it may not be the most prominent storyline in the history of games, it does outline the events that transpire. It’s also extremely lighthearted, and the various things in the main building that can be inspected or the various employees that can be talked to are usually quite humorous. A few gems include, “Why am I smiling when everything around me’s on fire? Keeps the bad thoughts away, mostly.” “I’ve never seen a glass bookcase on fire before,” and “Ignore the tendrils. You see nothing. Nothing.” Aversa and his team did a great job keeping even the very atmosphere of the game world humorous and silly.

Next up is the graphics. It may not look like the latest Playstation 3 release, but it has retro style. It looks beautiful in motion, and not because it’s fluid and pretty. It’s colorful and low in frame count, just like the games of old. Every time you complete a world, you’ll see a large image representing what you just did, with a massively humorous touch. Zachary Brooks, lead artist, did a phenomenal job on these, and they convey the wackiness of Ethical Robotics and Experimentation Inc. perfectly. These are also seen before the final main story level, on the title screen, and during the credits. The Intern goes through a lot of stuff, both in the main levels and during these brief cutscenes.

The next aspect of the game to be examined is the gameplay. Combining the grid based obstacles of Bomberman with the “save them all” mentality of Lemmings was a great choice by Aversa; it’s challenging and entertaining at the same time. There are also four rules that the titular robots that you must return follow. One is that they can only move in the four cardinal directions (up, down, left, and right). If the Intern is diagonal to a robot, a question mark will appear above their heads and they won’t move if they are called. The second rule is that all robots, good and bad, respond to the call. The third rule is that a robot in motion must stop before it will respond to another call. The fourth and final rule is that a bad robot can’t touch a good robot or the player or else the level ends. If the player or a good robot touches a hazard such as a fire or a pool of liquid nitrogen, then the level ends as well. All these rules combine to create a truly masterful experience, one that will challenge even the most seasoned puzzle-heads.

Fourth up is the music. In some stages there’s a soothing mellow ambient track in the background that aids focus; in others it’s a driving rhythm that signifies urgency, even if there really isn’t any urgency to the situation. Each track suits the stage it is placed in, and is a beautiful track in their own regard. Aversa must’ve reached into his remixer roots to craft these tracks, for they are every bit as good as those are, with one major exception. These are original, and therefore superior as such. They don’t get repetitive either, so getting stuck on a stage for a long time won’t be frustrating because of annoying background music. It would be frustrating because of the challenge instead, as it should be.

The final thing to be looked at is the replayability factor. Through in-depth stat tracking for each stage, the game shows exactly what needs to be done to better oneself. The amount of enemy robots slain, time taken, and amount of times the call was used are all recorded, and displayed at the entry teleporter for each stage. There is also the storytelling and music that add to this, and the gameplay helps as well. All the factors meld together fantastically and create a complete package.

In conclusion, Return All Robots! is an excellent freshman effort from the small team at Space Whale Studios. Everything works excellently with everything else, and it is all the better for it. The only thing that could be better would be a level select menu, as going through all the hubs to get to a certain stage can be a bit tedious, but other than that, it’s great. The one thing that could be added would be a DLC room, where extra stages could be downloaded on a regular basis. That’s just wishful thinking though, and completely unnecessary. This game comes highly recommended, and if the price is right, get it as soon as possible. Until next time, game on!