Robot Rumble

Robot Rumble is a quick, comic-book run-and-gun. You are a small round robot with a toy blaster and a lot of nerve, running right through eight hand-built stages: the factory floor, a scrapyard at sunset, the conveyor halls, a rooftop run over the city, the sewer pipes, a secret lab, a rocket silo and finally the boss tower. Rival robots stand in the way. Walkers, hover drones, turrets, cannon bots that lob cannonballs, bouncing balls and shield bots that block everything from the front all burst into springs, bolts and a big comic-book POW when you hit them.

You can shoot in eight directions. Hold fire and point up, down or diagonally, plant your feet for a diagonal shot, or hold the trigger for a second and let go for a charged mega shot that busts shields. Double-jump over gaps and spikes, duck under shots and grab a weapon capsule for a while: a spread shot, a piercing laser, bouncing orbs or a cartoon flame. Chain knockouts for a combo multiplier and collect the bolts for a better stage rating. With checkpoints mid-stage, losing all three hearts only sends you back a little way.

Every stage ends in a boss machine that shows its moves before it makes them. The crusher shakes before it slams, the drill tank revs before it charges, the laser spider paints a red line before it fires and the mega-mech crouches before it stomps, and the later stages bring tougher versions of all four. Clear a stage to unlock the next, then try Boss Rush: an endless loop of every boss, harder each time round, with a high score to beat. Play with keyboard, mouse or touch, and your progress is saved in your browser.