3D Platformers are a genre I hold near and dear to my heart. While I’m well known for my love of massive RPGs like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, or Xenoblade Chronicles, I still play the 3D platforming genre consistently to this day. Super Mario Odyssey is one of my favorite games of all time. One of my most anticipated games right now is Astro Bot. Out of all the titles I previewed at Summer Game Fest, Akimbot might be the one that impressed me the most.
Akimbot follows Exe and Shipset as they embark across the universe to put a stop to evil. When I first learned about this title, I was instantly intrigued. The game is similar to both Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter, with two characters paired up together. Gameplay revolves around traversing through the world and eliminating enemies with guns, melee attacks, and hacking attacks. From the demo alone, there were multiple different guns to choose from and unlock, in addition to at least four hacking minigames.
Right at the start of my demo, I was told that the team behind Akimbot, Evil Raptor, is a team of eight people. As I played through the preview build, this was all I could think about. I am stunned and unbelievably impressed that this game was made by a team this small; it has the inner workings and mechanics of any major AAA platformer you’d find on the market.
Akimbot feels excellent to control. Maneuvering and platforming throughout the stage felt great, with Exe equipped with the double jump and dash at the start. Exe’s jumps have some serious weight to them, which allows abilities like a double jump to have a meaningful purpose. This also goes for his attacks, especially with the melee slash.
In the in-game shop, I had the choice of choosing between four different weapons for this demo. That includes the Akimbos, Acid Thrower, Lazergun, and Nano Turbine. I chose the Akimbos (dual pistols) during my preview session, and I felt they were fun to use. I’m interested in checking out how the other weapons play, especially the Lazergun. Ammo is limited in Akimbot, as each shot consumes a small amount of stored energy. You can regain energy by destroying enemies, but you need to strategically consider when to use your special weapons, as they can run out quickly. Later on in the demo, Exe gains access to an assault rifle as a default weapon, so you can switch between both a standard AR and a specialty weapon.
One of the major things that stuck out to me during my time with the game was the dialogue and voice acting. The jokes were humorous, with fun nods at the fact that each of the characters in this world is a machine. Each of the characters was voiced, whether it be Exe and Shipset, bosses, or even the standard enemies around the map. Another high point of the demo for me was the music, as it was quite catchy and fit in well with the overall mission. Most 3D platformers have excellent soundtracks, and I expect Akimbot to be no exception to that.
From the recently released launch trailer, there seems to be a wide variety of vehicles and new abilities that await Akimbot. I’m excited to see how the game opens up, especially if this first mission is anything to go by. The game feels great to play, which certainly isn’t always a given with 3D platformers. Even with just 30 minutes of gameplay, I can feel the care and attention to detail Evil Raptor poured into this release.
Akimbot reminds me greatly of Ratchet & Clank in the best ways possible – the levels are incredibly fun, the humor is great, and the gameplay is golden. If you’re at all interested in 3D platformers, I highly encourage you to check out the Akimbot demo while it’s available as part of Steam Next Fest.
Akimbot launches on August 29 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
