Robogo by rdq is a puzzle game based on additive color mixing using the RGB color model. Sounds like great fun for web designers or artists, but does additive mixing lead to an addictive gameplay?  For everyone? We’ll see. This review will show the true colors of this game.

The LBGT-friendly version of Tetris.

It’s hard to fill a cup that is already full.

The biggest challenge of Rogobo is to free your mind for a new idea and an alternative gameplay, because it looks exactly like Tetris. Well, Tetris that has fallen into a paint pot. And since Tetris is the best-selling video game of all time, everyone on this earth will have the same associations like I have and feel the same. So how is it even possible to tune in for a new gaming experience, if you automatically fall back into old patterns? We’ll, we have to do it step by step. Let’s spot the differences:

In Tetris, you remove blocks by completing rows. In Rogobo, you remove squares by combining all primary colors. In Tetris, the falling pieces will stack up, if you let your game board look like Swiss Cheese. In Rogobo, they will stack up if blocks nearby have the same primary color. Tetris is Tetris looking like Tetris, Rogobo is a Matching Game looking like Tetris. Have you spotted the difference yet? The biggest one is the color changing feature. According to the rules of blending colors, they will change at contact, making the whole gameplay a lot more dynamic and surprising.

Taste Play The Rainbow!

The differences might look like tiny details, but they are actually leading to a whole new gaming experience. And here’s the strength of Rogobo: It’s far more original, creative and unique than it looks like. There are, however, are few details, that I have to criticize apart from this whole discussion about originality. Usually, I know by intuition how to handle a mobile game (and developers know by intuition how to implement the controls), but this game is turning the controls upside down. For example, you don’t rotate a block by tapping it, but swiping it upwards. In other situations, the controls seem a bit arbitrary or delayed, so that I’m 100% sure, that I have accelerated a block with at least three different actions, which leaves me a bit confused.

Usually, I know by intuition how to handle a mobile game (and developers know by intuition how to implement the controls), but this game is turning the controls upside down. For example, you don’t rotate a block by tapping it, you have to swipe up on your screen. Or you don’t? Actually, I’m not sure, because I’ve definitely rotated and accelerated a block with at least three different actions. Given that, the controls seem a bit arbitrary or at least delayed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Double Trouble!

The Verdict

If you’re into Tetris, Match-3-Games and Bubble Shooters, you’ll find a solid casual game here, that will entertain you for hours. If you’re looking for more, you won’t be disappointed either, because Rogobo will tease you with a brand-new concept, that you’ve never seen before. Download the game here!

All pictures are in-game screenshots or taken from the games’ Google Play Page. The Gif is taken from Giphy.