Run, Junkbot! The Eyebots see you! Junkbot never picks up the pace, no matter what. Level 4-7, featuring two Eyebots pinned in, is called “Don’t Let the Dogs Out”-so Gamelab knew the Eyebots behave like fierce guard animals waiting to pounce, their sharp-toothed mouths barking through the prison bars. As a child, the Eyebots frightened me, mainly due to the shrill ringing they emit if they spot Junkbot and, their namesake eye bright red, hunt him down. Like every other obstacle, the Gearbots kill Junkbot in one hit, or at least cause him to lose his color and assume a dejected expression. Eyebots break their patrols if Junkbot enters their line of sight, chasing the poor janitor until he is taken out or they ram into a barrier. Flybots behave the same as Gearbots, except airborne. Climbbots move side to side but are capable of climbing four bricks’ height if they reach a wall. Gearbots move side to side like Junkbot, though cannot clear even a one-stud gap. Junkbot’s primary enemies are Gearbots and, later in the game, their kin the Climbbots, Flybots, and Eyebots, all of which follow simple movement patterns. (Update: I adapted and expanded this post into a video essay on my YouTube channel! Please consider checking it out if you would enjoy this sort of thing.)Ī Gearbot and Flybot, and fans, in 3-6 “Windy Bridge.” In recognition of what I owe the Junkbot duology, I want to honor the working-class robot with this writeup.
This is the origin of the “Junk-Robo” character in the Two Paper Wads series I hope to begin serializing online at. When I first began writing stories as a child, my material initially derived from Junkbot.
In particular, I owe the art directors Peter Lee and Frank Lantz for the gray, grungy factories full of dripping pipes, computer consoles, and signs reading “no access,” as well as Junkbot’s hilarious deadpan expression and shifty eyes. As simple as they appear to be, Junkbot and Junkbot Undercover played an outsized part in my creative development. They were early titles from Gamelab, the since defunct developer that later released the original Diner Dash.
Junkbot (2001) and Junkbot Undercover (2003?) are-or were-puzzle games on, two of that website’s numerous free Flash games to which I dedicated many hours of my childhood.