Robot Unicorn Attack has been doing very well amongst commercial apps, which is a bit mystifying until you see that it is branded by Adult Swim. Apparently the most ridiculous premise, that you would never, ever expect to be the tiniest bit successful as a game in any format, just needs the Adult Swim brand attached in order to become a roaring best seller.Branding aside, at first glance Robot Unicorn Attack appears to be very precisely targeted at pre-adolescent girls, what with all the unicorns and rainbows and wishing, and all things just too twee for words. Surely not a game in any way intended to have mass appeal. In actual fact, though, it would probably have young girls in screaming tears, as the cute little unicorns tend to actually die in messy ways – hurtling into unseen cliffs, and exploding on collision with wishing stars. If you can avoid killing off your robot unicorn messily, though, you can fulfill your dreams of achieving a high score.
Whatever affinity Robot Swim has for robots and robot creatures, this is a game that, while very casual, could have you wanting to crush your phone underfoot. The game itself reminds you at the start of each game that you are most certainly doomed.
The controls are easy to use – the jump button is on the left of the screen, and the dash button on the right. At max it’s possible to triple jump, but you’ll be prancing into unknown territory, and are quite likely to come to a sticky end. Whenever a star shows up, you need to either jump over it or dash straight through in order to avoid being blown up. You get three tries- three wishes – to get as far as you can, and your three attempts are combined for a total score. The controls are great, and the soundtrack suitably inspirational for your charge toward certain death.
Robot Unicorn Attack is strangely and embarrassingly addictive, and it certainly has the absurdity factor going for it. The replay value is good, and it’s pretty easy although endlessly frustrating to play. if you like off-beat games that have a bit of a twist, you might consider trying it out.