Haiku, the Robot
Buzz
About the Game
Obscure Information – Battle bosses back-to-back in the new ‘Trial of Steel’. Two new bosses. New area to explore. Expanded lore & general improvements across the entirety of Arcadia.
Corrupt Mode – Test your skills in this new challenging game mode. One health point. Temporary health upgrades. Alternative storyline. New train stations. New achievements.
Haiku the Robot is a cute adventure-exploration game set in a vast interconnected world full of corrupt robots and machinery. Explore the dying land of Arcadia; fight fierce machines; befriend quirky robots, and seek answers to the mysteries of the world around you.
Explore.
Forge your own path through a vast interconnected world full of corrupt robots and machinery. Map uncharted paths and explore the hidden depths of Arcadia.
Fight.
Dodge, dash, and slash as you battle fierce-looking machines. Challenge your skills and reflexes through tight melee combat and epic boss fights.
Discover.
Evolve with powerful items and abilities, allowing you to reach previously inaccessible areas. Meet a variety of quirky robots, both friend and foe, and discover the dark secrets of the world around you.
- Classic side-scrolling action with all the modern trimmings.
- Dodge, dash, and slash through machine-like enemies.
- Jump, zip, and blink past challenging platforming obstacles.
- Meet a wide cast of interesting characters on your journey.
- Customize your playstyle through the chip system.
- Explore a vast interconnected world. Full of hidden secrets, fierce enemies, and quirky robots. A true Metroidvania.
- Make your own journey as you collect new items, abilities, and upgrades.
- Map your progress and piece together the secrets of Arcadia.
- Sharp and precise character movement with tight melee combat.
- GameBoy-inspired pixel art – each frame animated by hand. True retro aesthetic with modern controls.
Steam User 93
No, Silksong is not out yet.
Steam User 70
This game is a fetish on making the player feel lost.
This game is an amazing example of how great games don’t need to be made with money and manpower alone.
Haiku, The Robot is the perfect Metroidvania for those that liked Hollow Knight but thought it was too big or too hard. To be clear, that is NOT a knock on Haiku. Haiku imitates HK’s particular Metroidvania system to a tea but is just bite sized and easy compared to it.
Haiku takes clear inspiration from Hollow Knight but is condensed into a game that you can 100% in under 10 hours. While this may get "too short" complaints from some, I found it to be a breath of fresh air. Many new MVs strive for huge maps which make backtracking a chore. Backtracking a is a core tenet of the genre, but it shouldn't be overly burdensome. It's dope. It takes so much from HK while still maintaining a new, original feeling.
It succeeds where most MetroidVania's miss the mark-- you can get lost and it's the best thing in the world. You never feel like you have a home base, and during my playthrough, I had dug myself into a hole of exploration, and the only way out was to dig myself further in! I’m personally a masochist when it comes to that, because there is nothing better than that feeling of progress when you finally find a way.
Some MVs are kinda linear but Haiku's map design allows you such freedom, it's my favorite aspect of the game. All of the level design is perfect in my opinion. Each area has unique mechanics and I liked every single one. The way they're interconnected is also awesome. Exploring this game is so much fun!
Boss fights are short and sweet without being a total cakewalk. They've all got patterns which are fairly easy to pick up on and conquer the boss. Every single one was challenging but fair, not difficult but keeping you engaged. I will say the final boss is a worthy challenge, definitely died multiple times there.
I also loved the music and general sound in this game. I wasn't expecting a smaller indie game to be so excellent in this regard. It looks a bit more lighthearted but the sound evokes this feeling of isolation and loneliness. The OST is a bit minimalist but really works. Then boss battles have far more intense music with some techno beats that make it feel so much different than the general map traversal in the game.
In terms of combat the moves are basic but it's so responsive that it feels great. Enemy variety is great and the difficulty is perfect. The movement upgrades are all also such fun. The rolling upgrade especially is such a fun and unique mechanic. I know it's kinda like super Metroid but Haiku used it to such great effect, and rolling around during bosses to dodge is fun!
Story and visuals are all pretty basic but very coherent. And it's all the more impressive coming from a single developer! In the end the amazing level design, fun movement mechanics, perfect boss fights and responsive controls are all tied up into a coherent and briliant package. It's easily worth picking up for pretty much anyone.
I don't really have anything to complain about with this game. Overall just a delight of a game. Ran great on Steam Deck and very well worth the price.
Someday Silksong will actually release and I'll finally be able to enjoy it for the few seconds left before the heat death of the universe. In the meantime though, thanks to this game I can finally bust out the old hypodermic needle and inject some good material into my jugular before the world ends. Thank you for this blessing.
9/10
Steam User 27
Seriously underrated and suffering from the same handicap most metroidvania games these deal with: hollow knight comparisons.
The world is large and fun to explore with beautiful visuals and a muted, but still very solid solid sound track. I think the character/enemy designs are interesting. The platforming elements are fun, and it feels very rewarding solving the puzzles. I do have a few issues with the combat--it feels a little clunky at times--but the movement makes up for it for the most part. The boss fights are not too difficult, making it feel more like a fun, exploration game.
Overall, I had a lot of fun.
Steam User 40
Haiku is cool game
Baby Hollow Knight it is
Writing this was hard
Steam User 21
There Is A Thin Line Between Being Inspired And Being A Copycat.
And Haiku The Robot dances on this line constantly. From the simplistic combat to NPCs' side quests, the game is not afraid to wear its inspiration on its sleeve, which is Hollow Knight in case you can't tell by its store page, and it works at a time like this. This game can definitely satiate the void I just named "waiting for Silksong to come out", for the first few hours. The experience afterward soon becomes the Hollow Knight trope bingo card. Some people like this type of game, but I prefer when the developer takes the infrastructure of the inspiration and builds upon it instead of checking lists. Yet, in the end, Haiku The Robot is a pretty solid metroidvania. It scratches the itch well; if only it would do more.
Things I Like About Haiku The Robot:
1. Abilities As Both Solutions And Combat Tools
After playing many Metroidvanias, I've grown a liking for the idea of making abilities not just for solving obstacles but also a tool to use in combat. Although there are only two abilities that qualify for this feature, I think Haiku The Robot has done a great job. Teleport allows you to phase through some obstacles, but the ability also replaces your dodge with blink, which I believe makes the evading enemies' attacks more consistent and reliable. Another ability is the Bomb, which, in my opinion, is the number one ability that fits my statement. Not only does it help you clean up some debris and iron gates, but it also serves as a great tool for burst damage. And with the help of some chip upgrades, bomb build can even trivialize 80% of the enemy's casts. Making metroidvania-style abilities dual-function is the best way of doing it. Hollow Knight does it. Haiku The Robot does it. I wish more Metroidvania could follow this trend.
2. Other Compliments
→Cute pixelated artstyle.
→A pretty solid Metroidvania experience.
→Chip upgrades are interesting to play around.
→Grapple hook is really satisfying to use.
Things I Like And Dislike About Haiku The Robot:
Healing
→Like: Healing in Haiku The Robot is done by using a wrench to repair yourself with spare parts which are also the currency used in Arcadia. This design solves the problem I would like to call "currency becomes useless after buying everything". In order to heal, you need to make sure you have enough spare parts on hand. This is where things get interesting: carrying a large amount of spare parts means you have huge healing potential, but it also means you might lose half of them on death, which is basically a risk versus reward situation.
→Dislike: Unless you are using the chip upgrade that boosts healing speed (which you should), the default healing speed in Haiku The Robot is incredibly slow, more evident when using it during boss fights. This design makes healing more of a tool for exploration instead of keeping up in the heat of battle.
Things I Dislike About Haiku The Robot:
1. Overheating Solution
This is more of a nitpick.
Using abilities and dodging generates heat. When you are overheating, you cannot perform those actions until you cool down. Simple as that, which I feel like could be more. I know you can find liquid coolant later that drastically reduces heat generation, but when you are overheated, there's nothing you can do besides wait, especially in the early game. I wish there was a way to speed up the process, in the same vein as crouching to recover stamina faster, or add an ability associated with the issue, like converting some overheating to the sword for more damage. The latter could be really interesting to see in game, both to spice up the swordplay and a potential ice biome where the heated sword can melt frozen doors or NPCs.
2. Other Complaints
→Sword attack is way too simple. No charge attack. No dash attack.
→Again, I wish this game could be more than just a Hollow Knight bingo card.
→Moving joystick up a little will make Haiku walk really slowly for some reason.
中文小簡評
→致敬和照抄只有一線之隔,而這位俳句小機器人就在這條線上跳來跳去。
→這沒有絕對的對或錯,有些人就喜歡相似的遊戲,但是我偏好在相似的基礎下創新。
→即使如此,這款遊戲依舊是個不錯的類銀河系惡魔城,非常適合在等待Silksong出來前拿來填補空虛。
→可愛的點陣畫風。
→獲得的其中兩個能力不只用來解鎖新地區探索,兩者都有額外用途:傳送不只讓你穿透障礙物,也加強你的閃躲能力;炸彈不只用來炸穿鐵門,傷害也很高,再加上晶片升級,清小怪或是秒boss都沒問題。
→晶片升級多樣,搭配起來滿有趣的。
→勾鎖跑圖有夠好用。
→零件是交易媒介,同時是補血需要道具,因此不會到遊戲進度90%時零件毫無用武之地。
→補血速度異常慢(建議快速找到加補血速度的晶片),打王的時候幾乎沒時間補,還不如專心躲攻擊。
→遊戲初期小機器人容易過熱,卻沒有有效降溫的手段。
→劍除了揮啊揮還是揮啊揮,沒有續力攻擊,沒有衝刺攻擊。
→角色左右移動時,搖桿如果稍微偏上,角色移動速度會大幅降低。
Steam User 14
This is clearly one of the best metroidvania games I've ever played.
I have almost 100%ed it in three straight days, non-stop. The game devoured me eternally. I didn't sleep and work (BEWARE it could do this to you too).
What about gameplay and overall feelings?
Soundtrack, how movement feels, platforming parts, fights, bosses, characters, lore - everything is top-notch!
There is a clear and sweet sense of progression if you are not after 100% achievements. Some of them are grindy as in many games, and the late game is not such entertaining if you want to get everything.
I feel some part of it as hardcore gaming, but the most part was normal difficulty. Except the last achievement I won't probably ever get - it's a NIGHTMARE but could be a pure heaven for the true hardcore players - you shouldn't heal your bot to achieve it which takes the "right on mistake" from you, and you need to be super precise with movements and technique.
I would say that this is a MUST-PLAY for every metroidvania fan. Without it, the picture won't be complete.
PS: Completed on SteamDeck. The game works and plays flawlessly on it.
Steam User 15
Straightforward and fun metroidvania. If you like Hollow Knight you should definitely give it a try!