The gameplay is basic twin stick shooter fodder; move with the left stick and aim and fire with the right. Your craft starts out with three nodes onto which you can attach weapons or some means of propulsion and regular upgrade areas allow you to change the combination to increase your firepower or manoeuvrability.

Points are earned from downed enemies which can be used to upgrade your abilities and when you encounter a new enemy skill you’ll be able to collect research nodes that unlock new attachments as the game progresses. If you’re finding a particular section hard you can swap in different weapons to find a winning strategy, including heat seeking missiles, area effect bombs or even engines which allow you to move from side to side to dodge enemy fire.

A local co-op mode adds some longevity and there's certainly fun to be had, particularly in short sessions, but repetitive gameplay and enemies means MicroBot just misses out on the change to be a classic shooter in a unique and brilliantly realised setting.