No one can accuse T.E.C. 3001 of being ugly. As your robot runs through a virtual reality world collecting batteries for the benefit of humanity, the two-tone colour pallettes can't help but bring to mind nostalgic memories of '80s video games and Tron.

Pretty visuals aside, though, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this is another run of the mill endless runner. In fact, though it does have endless mode, the heart of the game is its varied campaign challenges.

There's your standard running and jumping mode, in which you use arrows to turn left and right, and the action buttons to jump, duck, or charge forward. But there is also a rail mode in which you're locked into one of three pathways, and a drag race mode where you need to tap at the right time to speed up and reach the finish line before the timer runs out.

In the standard mode, the directional controls feel pretty floaty, sending your humanoid avatar drifting lazily from right to left. At high speeds, this almost 'on ice' feeling can be disastrous, especially as the later stages require a lot of quick jumps to platforms that are above and below you.

A lot of the time it's not worth grabbing the speed icon that ramps you up to maximum overdrive because, exhilerating though it is, navigating the space can be next to impossible. The close proximity of the jump and slide buttons can also lead to more restarts than any player should be comfortable with.

T.E.C. 3001's gorgeous presentation creates a sleek and sophisticated gaming space, and its various modes do a good job of holding your attention. That said, the looseness of its controls work against it, allowing moments of unnecessary frustration to distort the game's otherwise smooth and shiny surface. If you can tolerate the controls, though, then there's probably just enough here to keep you occupied till your battery runs out.