Crushin' Robots NYC: Introduce robots to your automatic nail gun on iOS

Earlier this week, we brought you an exclusive first look at Falling Objects Entertainment's latest iOS game Crushin' Robots NYC, a tower defense game on iPhone and iPad that pits a lone construction worker against an endless army of robot enemies. Now, the game has officially gone live on iTunes, and we've had a chance to go hands-on with the final product.

Crushin' Robots NYC has a simple premise. You're an average construction worker, standing atop a construction zone in New York City, that must suddenly defend himself using only the tools of his trade. Robots appear from the top of the screen in one of three major columns, and they'll destroy everything in their paths as they make their way towards our hero at the bottom of the screen.

The screen is broken into two major areas, a river and a crowded highway, and it ends up looking like the classic arcade game Frogger because of it. The gameplay is very different though, as you're working to destroy robots using wrecking balls, wrenches, helicopters and more. You'll start with just an auto-nail gun that works like a machine gun, and a wrench that can be thrown as a general projectile. Enemies require quite a few hits to defeat at first, and the process of actually aiming and hitting the game's baddies takes some getting used to.

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You'll fire your currently active weapon by simply tapping or tapping and holding on the screen, but enemies are constantly pushing forward as you do so. Furthermore, your finger can easily cover up a large portion of the iPhone's small screen, so aiming at these mobile enemies is sometimes a lot easier said than done.

As you do defeat enemy robots, you'll collect two kinds of scrap. One fills the Scrap Meter on the side of the screen, while the other can be used as the game's free currency, unlocking upgrades for your starting weapons, propane tanks that explode when thrown onto the screen, or even food items that gives you extra lives while playing. The Scrap Meter, meanwhile, is one of the best aspects of the game, as it can be used to call in massive attacks that wipe out whole sections of robots at once. With the proper timing, you can save yourself from certain doom all with a single press of that button.

Unfortunately, Crushin' Robots NYC lacks a bit in terms of variety, as the game never changes from game to game. You simply survive as long as you can in each run, with robots coming in more varieties, and in larger groups, the longer you survive. Eventually, the robots will overtake your safe zone at the bottom of the screen, and you're left to do it all over again.

All told, Crushin' Robots NYC is definitely a game that performs better on iPad, as the larger screen real estate makes aiming easier, and the entire experience more enjoyable as a result. Either way, the game is available to download for free now on iPhone or iPad, and it's definitely worth a shot.

Download Crushin' Robots NYC on iTunes >

Have you tried Crushin' Robots NYC? How do you think the game compares to other mobile tower defense offerings? Sound off in the comments!