Tiny Robots Recharged

The impressive 3-D graphics in this puzzle game make exploring each scene a visual treat. In Tiny Robots Recharged, blue electricity zaps from the sky, rain falls gently onto palm trees, while gears spin and click as doors creak open. The areas players traipse around in levels are fairly small, and don't contain dozens of items. They offer an interesting, yet not overwhelming experience as a result. The app's a little light on initial instruction, but somewhat makes up for that with an easy-to-follow structure that includes items you've picked up being highlighted on the side of the screen for later use.

A bit more guidance for some aspects wouldn't hurt -- for instance, the puzzles are sometimes almost too easy, involving actions like tracing your way out of a simple maze. But without any written instructions, players may initially not be sure what to do in some, such as a puzzle that requires you to fit red- and blue-patterned blocks onto a board. The app’s camping, island, and other scenes may require patience at times to find all the items you need to use to eventually exit, which typically aren't identified until you find them. That involves looking and tapping on things to see if you can pick them up, then figuring out how to use them. You may not, for instance, know you need to locate a key in one of the scenes to open a door until you see and pick the key up. Players also may feel like they have a murky sense of where they're at in the overall game because there doesn't seem to be a central map or other way to quickly see how far they've progressed and still have to go. The app also rushes through the friend kidnapping backstory in the beginning, which could cause some confusion about the main character's motivation and other aspects. Generally, though, aside from the slightly-too-present ads, there's a fun level-based puzzle escape game experience to be had in Tiny Robots Recharged -- which should challenge, but not aggravate those who play it.