By Najib Aminy
The idea of robot unicorns is possibly the most technologically flamboyant concept ever conceived. But when you add rainbows, purple floating mountains, star-shaped boulders and the1994 hit-single “Always” by the English synthpop duo Erasure, you get the flash animated online game Robot Unicorn Attack, published by Adult Swim, that is as addicting as it is entertaining.
The game’s protagonist is a robot unicorn with a rainbow-colored mane whose survival depends on the gamer’s ability to press two buttons to jump between mountain cliffs and smash into star-shaped barriers. However, if the magical unicorn crashes into any barrier or falls off the map, his robot head is blown off of his mechanical torso and splayed out on the screen. This was surely an attempt to mimic the classic head-in-the-bed scene from The Godfather.
The game designers entice the player to embark on this somewhat magical journey in an attempt to make their wishes come true. The horse is constantly galloping; his velocity will increase and more points will be accumulated when the player reaches horse-shaped fairies or smashes through the star-shaped boulders.
The magic doesn’t stop there, because for every 5,000 points scored a robot-dolphin will appear, breaching up and down, at the bottom of the screen. As more points are accumulated, more shiny metal dolphins join the fun.
Simply put: the game is awesome. From the rainbows created after every jump to the rainbow-trailed lunges into stars—that result in little explosions on purple landscapes that rival Avatar‘s Hallelujah Mountains—the game experience is full of enjoyment and happiness.
The game will open your eyes, allow you to hold on to the night, and believe in harmony as the melting of ice will result in your love being in motion.
This—I believe after playing the game for far too many hours—is the wish that turns true. I want always to be playing this game, and playing make-believe with this game, and live in harmony; harmony with Robot Unicorn Attack.
There will be no shame from playing this absurd title.
