Glitch is a small droid living on a planet populated by droids. Years ago, an attempt to make the smart droids even smarter went awry and the maniacal General Corrosive was the result. Since his birth, Corrosive has created military droids to enslave the rest of the planet. His forces are resisted by Colonel Alloy and a small band of brave worker droids.

To start things off Alloy asks you and two friends, by the name of Screwed and Hosed, to stop an onslaught of military robots. (Those names and the fact that the highest difficulty is called "Nuts of Steel" should give you an indication of the game's mood.) The first few parts of the level and your comrades are your introduction to Glitch's controls and options. The controls are typical and work very well: He can hold several primary weapons and switch between them. His secondary weapons can be used with a separate fire button, so there's no switching of weapons needed to throw grenades (called a Coring Charge). Move with the left stick, aim with right. He can jump and double jump if necessary. It's all very responsive and familiar.

Your default weapon is a mining laser, since the droid resistance consists primarily of slaves working in the mines, and unfortunately it's almost completely worthless. Glitch may as well be trying to kill robots with a presentation pointer – it takes forever. The good news is you'll get better weapons shortly.

In a game where everyone is a robot, I guess I expected a lot of fearless, stupid onslaughts. But it only makes sense that these robots, since they're supposed to be more self-aware than the average Asimo, have as much common sense as any A.I. characters. They hide behind crates, try to get around you and, most importantly, aren't too proud to run away like cowards when they're in trouble. In fact, taking out the last bad guy in a level can be a bit of a hassle because often they abandon all hopes of offense and run from your presence without shame. At least they're funny about it – screaming and flailing the whole time.

The task of collecting things doesn't escape you in Glitch. This time it's washers and computer chips. Washers spring forth from fallen enemies and can be used for upgrades later. Computer chips allow you to tap into consoles and doors. Some secret computer chips are hidden and unlock levels for multiplayer play. They can also be earned for completing a level within a certain time.

Glitch offers a lot of variety during your journey. You'll be hijacking opposing robots through a computer console or controlling them through use of a few of the weapons you pick up. There are also vehicles laying around just waiting to be piloted and turned on their makers. Even if you're not enjoying these distractions, the levels are interesting and challenging enough to keep your interest.

One major gripe is the save system. Each level automatically saves after completion and during the level you'll cross checkpoints that serve as your latest "do-over" point if you die, but you can't save anywhere else. It's impossible to say if the "save anywhere" feature is omitted in so many games deliberately – to keep the difficulty a little higher – or because it requires some programming wizardry to pull off. But as a player, that's not my problem. It's annoying to get deep into a level and not be able to save your progress when you have to walk away from the game before you completely finish it and are rewarded with a save point.

Glitch looks fantastic, though. It manages to be bright and industrial at the same time. The fantasy world of robots has been done a million times, but Glitch's world meshes the best parts of those attempts very well. The robots move fluidly but just clunky enough to look like robots. The explosions and deaths are great. Lots of burning debris goes flying and there's a satisfying rumble in the controller. It would be nice if the debris didn't disappear, but it stays around longer than the bodies do in most other games. The sound effects are perfect. A robot getting shot and blowing up sounds exactly as one would expect – clanky and metallic but not too tinny or too heavy. When you blow up a robot or huge piece of machinery it sounds just right.

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System is a fast-paced action game with lots of eye candy and challenging levels. It's a mix of Battlebots and Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, with guns. The only thing dragging it down is the monotony in the later levels where the fighting starts to feel a bit old and the personality starts to wear off. Multiplayer levels for 1-4 players on split screen become unlocked as you advance the single player game. But even by itself, it's a fun ride that does lots of things right.