The best and worst part about indie games is that for every hidden gem you find, countless more are left by the wayside. Some get their fifteen minutes of fame fifteen years too late. Others lie dormant, left to rot until they’re discovered in a sale like a lost mummy’s sarcophagus. Taking the plunge after spotting developer and publisher Bubby Darkstar on my Twitter feed, I emerged with a task:

The world MUST know about this game! There’s simply no other option.

Invaders Must Die!

Developed and published by Bubby Darkstar–mighty art lord and dev behind Subway Midnight, Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion is a trip. Thrust into the boots of the aptly codenamed ‘Shooty’, you and your fellow members of FORK (Force of Robot Killers) must do what you do best:

KILL ROBOTS.

The premise and the game itself seem simple at first. Blending first person shooter gameplay with Nier-esque bullet hell dodging, Shooty Shooty is fast-paced as it is goofy. Armed with unlimited ammo and the ability to dash around like a fox main at a melee tourney, the game is pretty easy to pick up. Dash into an enemy and smack ‘em upside their metal head. Uppercut a wall and earn a little ai.! So simple, in fact, that you might be tempted to shelve it in Chapter 1 but hold the line.

Once the first act wraps up, the kiddie gloves come off. Encounters become more brutal. The levels open up, and the plot thickens. The mechanics’ shift: it’s an FPS… no, a beat-um up! Wait, it’s a… job interview sim?

By the end of Shooty Shooty I had no idea what to expect, but I didn’t care. I was having a blast. While the game never becomes TOO difficult, it keeps things challenging enough to keep players engaged… and while it doesn’t revolutionize the FPS genre, it doesn’t need to. It’s a wholly unique experience that’s good to the last drop.

100% Human-Made

As Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion mentions in its trailer, the game uses ZERO Gen AI. Besides cheekily relating to the game’s plot (hint: killing robots), it also highlights two of my favorite details: the art and writing.

As I’ve said in other reviews, I put art and story second when reviewing a game. Gameplay is king, but we need to talk about the queen, or prince, or wherever this metaphor is headed. All of Shooty Shooty’s sprites and scenes are hand-drawn, and it shows. Charming backdrops, emotive characters, and wacky cutscenes come together into what feels like a playable cartoon, The mind boggles at how long it must have taken to put this game together. Even with only six chapters, Shooty Shooty is jam-packed with so much soul and love it should be illegal. Unique as it is endearing, Bubby’ Darkstar’s art is a feast for the eyes. 

Humor, as I might’ve mentioned before, is also admittedly subjective. That said, there were multiple moments in Shooty Shooty where I had to pause because I was laughing too hard! The writing is goofy to say the least. Your squadmates are dumbasses, your foes are even goofier, and the protagonist can get pretty catty too. The game never takes itself too seriously. So, the end result is a delightful romp filled with more humor than you can shake a stick at. Some players might be turned off by the writing, but I encourage you to stick with it, nonetheless. This is stuff Gen AI could never come up with.

What Is Your Major Malfunction?!?

I can talk about how much I enjoyed Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion all day, but that’d make for a long article. That said, this is supposed to be a review–might as well get to the critiques.

I have little to say about what I didn’t like. I didn’t run into many bugs on my first playthrough, but after starting a new game I noticed a few quirks. Sometimes the game hangs after the “Language Select Screen.” Other times it just crashes instead of continuing. These are nothing a fresh reinstall can’t fix, but I’d still recommend tuning it up.

Second are the settings. As in there aren’t many. VSync and Mouse Sensitivity are the big players here, but difficulty options and POV settings are nowhere to be seen. Shooty Shooty has one difficulty setting, meaning once you’ve played the game, you’ve pretty much seen everything. That’s not to say I expect a leaderboard, PvP, and/or DLC, of course. It just means that like many other fantastic games, it is a one playthrough deal. Sure, there’s a few secrets to unlock, but they’re relatively easy to hunt down on your first run.

Speaking of first run, while the game claims to be 10 hours long, I was able to complete it around five. I’m happy to hold what might be the speedrunner record for Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion (Any %), but it needs to be said. Boasting just below-average intelligence, I was still able to finish the game in one weekend. Again, that’s not to say it’s bad, but keep in mind that when it’s done, it’s DONE. Savor it like a fine wine.

You’ll Be Glad You ‘Bot’ It

Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion is an underrated gem. Boasting crisp gameplay, incredible art, and story and writing that’ll leave you bent over laughing, I couldn’t recommend it more. If you’re in the market for an unforgettable FPS experience, check this one out. The Indie scene needs more games like this, and at such a low price you’d be crazy NOT to buy it!

Do your part! Smash some robots! Get this game NOW!

Shooty Shooty Robot Invasion is on Steam for $9.99. You can follow Bubby Darkstar on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Bluesky, Youtube, and even Tiktok! Wowzers!