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Like every block-headed robot that rolls off the production line in your floating space colony, Kairobotica is cute, reliable, solidly built and barely distinguishable from its predecessors. There is, however, one key difference: having mined its own Epic Astro Story and Dungeon Village for inspiration, Kairosoft has added a sprinkling of turn-based combat, lending its familiar blend of management sim and light role-playing elements an additional hook.
So while Dungeon Village merely saw your adventurers report back with tales of success or failure, here you’re in direct charge of the Kairobot army tasked with protecting Earth and its surrounding stars from the scum of the universe. You’ll also need to guard against invading parties, while using items collected from missions and patrols to level up buildings: various attractions bring tourists to your colony, and factories pump out more robots, assuming you have room to house them all. Research facilities produce items to further bolster your squad, while additional allies can be called upon in battle until their fuel meter runs dry.
Despite the regular introduction of new features - special auras, new abilities, and items with which to capture creatures – the turn-based combat sequences prize numerical superiority over intelligent stratagems. Yet Kairobotica’s management elements provide a series of feedback loops that prove typically engrossing. Rarely will five minutes pass without some form of reward, whether you unlock a new planet, see a civilisation develop, or simply increase the size of your colony. Formulaic? Of course, but that’s hardly a criticism when the formula is so consistently engrossing. [7]