Taken for a Quickie | The Girl and the Robot

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​Join us as we take Flying Carpets Games' charming puzzle-platformer, The Girl and the Robot, for a wistful quick one.

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​by Rob Holt

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@acousticmagic

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Developer: Flying Carpets Games
Publisher: Soedesco
Platforms: PS4, Wii U, PC
Players: 1

Puzzle-platformer, you say?

That’s right, chums. Imagine a blend of N64-era Zelda and Ico and you get the picture. Surprisingly, you play as both a girl and a robot, trying to escape a castle presided over by a real rotter of a queen.

So how does it play?

It plays out a lot like the aforementioned, minus the often annoying chaperoning sections (think Ico in whole or Ocarina’s Princess Ruto sections, folks). Here switching between the characters feels much better; we actually enjoyed both the sword-wielding wizardry of the Robot, and the nimble-footed, high-jumping acrobatics of the Girl.

You’ll find yourself flicking between both to solve Zelda-esque switch puzzles, arrangement puzzles, big robot battles and everything in-between - and it all works really well.

​What about the presentation?

The art style is reminiscent of children’s books of yesteryear; simple character models and locales touched up with faded, pastel snapshots-of-the-past hues. The use of cloud and fog pricked our nostalgia-hairs too, as it brought to mind the days spent exploring all of the wonderful N64 puzzle-based adventures and their unintentional mist…

The score’s truly ethereal too, carrying you forward on your melancholic journey through the castle. Trust us when we say: The Girl and the Robot is worth playing for Eiko Ishiwata Nichols’ melodies alone.

Is there anything we should be wary of?

The only real grievance we have with the game is its short length - around two or three hours - which some may feel is a touch rich in spite of the relatively small asking price (between £7 and £12 across the available platforms).

With that in mind, would you recommend it?

We thoroughly recommend The Girl and the Robot to puzzle-platformer fans, as there’s a lot to admire in the gorgeous music, charming art and gameplay - even if it's lacking in a bit of originality. For everyone else; definitely take a punt when the price comes down.