Developed by Perculiar Pixels and published by Perculiar Pixels, a one-man indie development studio, BOTSU: Ridiculous Robots immediately shows you that you’re in for a fun ride. This offbeat brawler blends slapstick chaos and mechanical mayhem. BOTSU: Ridiculous Robots has an original play on robotic combat, where it comes to fighting, playing football, and throwing baskets in basketball; there is lots of fun to be had, and MKAU was given an early look at the demo, which is releasing on 8th May 2025. 

BOTSU: Ridiculous Robots is unique, with no two matches feeling the same, thanks to the endless dynamic gameplay. There are three distinct game modes, Boxball, Sumo Survival, and Stockpile, each offering its chaotic objectives.

I constantly needed to adapt to the new rules and found myself in stitches, laughing with my mates while we played. Some great modifiers keep the gameplay unique, whether gravity modifiers, rocket boosters, or unpredictable gadgets, from grapple hooks to sonic booms or explosives. The chaos of the gameplay is mixed with the ragdoll-style physics. I also enjoyed that each game mode had about three map styles to keep the game feeling fresh for each match.

The demo currently offers up to a 4-player split screen for some couch chaos, or if you are more into the online scene, you can do up to eight players with 4v4 action, which would turn into some amusing chaos.

I was surprised how much a fun game can become competitive amongst a couple of friends, which made it a little more fun. I’ll be interested to see if the developers add the ability to add more people to the lobbies on full release.

I like the sandbox-style social hub between games, which will let you mess around with the different game modes, which are all organised around the social hub, so you can hone your skills. It added to the laughs, having the instant replays to show those key points in the gameplay that you might not want to forget or that you want to show off to your friends. 

There is that perfect mixture of chaos in this style of game, where it’s intentionally clumsy and responsive, which complements the game’s chaotic charm. The movement was quite simple when you got used to the basics, and there were some on-screen prompts for things like gadgets, so you didn’t forget that input in the heat of the moment.

I found myself sometimes mashing the controls in the heat of the moment, which might or might not have helped me when needed. I was pleasantly surprised that the controls were responsive and well laid out by the developers for something coming out as a demo first. Normally, you find the occasional input lag, but this was not the case with this game. 

One thing I didn’t enjoy about the audio was how repetitive the music got, which was this pixel-themed 80s theme song I turned off after about five minutes into the demo. The other sounds in the game were fun, from the banging and clanging, hitting each other, or listening to that beeping sound, which increasingly gets quicker when something is about to blow up. 

I liked the background noises of the gadgets, which added that little bit of an oh crap moment. I loved the vibrant cartoonish art style that embraced the absurd, unhinged gameplay and the block-style robots.

The developers did a fantastic job on the robot models mixed with the array of customised costumes, from roosters to giraffes to astronauts. You don’t need to have a fixed costume; you can customise it as much as you want, and you can make something that looks beautiful or hideous.

The arenas were also designed to be bright and vibrant, which was fitting for the game. I was surprised by how well the animations played in the game. I didn’t find it clunky, and it was nice and fluid. Everything almost felt exaggerated, which was fitting for the style of the game, as it strikes a level of visual silliness, and the developers nailed it. 

After playing BOTSU: Ridiculous Robots with my mates, I can confidently say it left me grinning from ear to ear and with a sore stomach from laughing. I liked the creative gamemodes and how they’re always changing, so you don’t feel like the game is getting old and lost in the gameplay. If this is just the beginning, I’m keen to see how this game evolves until its full release. You can count me in, as I’m ready for some more ridiculous robot carnage. 

Written by: Hayden Nelson