Atomic Robo-Kid

Atomic Robo-Kid is an action shooter developed and published by UPL Co. in 1988, initially as an arcade. In 1990 it was ported to several other platforms, including the Amiga, Commodore 64, and others. The Amiga port was made by Software Studios (Activision).

As I’m sure you’ve already been able to deduce, the main character is a little cyborg dude. His goal is to kill lots and lots of aliens. Playing as a side-scroller, you can use your gun (default plus four others) to mow down any aliens in your way. I should note that any additional weapons gathered are lost if you die. You can also drop bombs on any enemies beneath the character. Robo-kid can walk and jump but will spend most of the time using his thrusters to fly.

Several power-ups do everything, from increasing your speed to giving you a shield. The levels get increasingly more complex as you play, and bosses are massive, sometimes taking up most of the screen. There is also a little duel level where Robo-kid takes on a robot about the same size as him in one-on-one combat.

Atomic Robo-Kid got good reviews when it was released. This fast-paced shoot-em-up keeps the action going. Please make no mistake, he may seem cute with his little elephant trunk, but the game gets pretty tricky. Fans of arcade shooters will definitely want to check this one out. If you think you’re up to the challenge.