What is it:
“An online strategy game with a focus on automation”
bot.land is a free (and ad-free) game where you design robots to fight other robots. The design takes the form of drag-and-drop code blocks, similar to Scratch and other kid-oriented programming environments. The game is multiplayer and allows you to compete against AIs or other players.
Who is it for:
The game is for anyone who can think abstractly enough to code virtual robots (perhaps 8 or 9 and older) and who enjoys battling virtual robots. The coding is not complex but would be frustrating for younger kids.
Many older kids and adults would enjoy this as well.
What Kids Like:
My kids are motivated by the idea of building a robot army that crushes the opposition, motivated enough to figure out how to do the necessary coding.
What Parents Like:
I like that there is a bottom-up way to teach programming concepts. That is, rather than watching a lecture and then doing an exercise, bot.land presents open scenarios and it’s up to the player to figure out the best way to win.
Being free and ad-free is a big plus as well.
If you find your kid likes this game, you might want to also look at Adventuron and Puzzlescript
What the Critics Think:
The Apple store gives it 4.4/5 (and rates it 12+)
The Google store gives it 4.1/5
on Steam it has a rating of 78%
(these three average to ~82.7% or ~4.1/5)
Concerns/Flaws:
The learning curve is challenging. There is not a lot of explanation and the first few levels feel like a sink or swim situation. Unless the user is highly motivated they won’t stick with it.
Who Made it, History:
bot.land is a group project by xtonomous and has been in active development since 2015
Where Can I Get it: