Robotrek

"Hackers, Hackers, and More Hackers"

Long long ago when I still got Nintendo Power, I happened upon a short walkthrough of a game staring a boy who invented robots or some such nonsense. Then, I set out to buy that game. After using a Game Genie to beat a giant crab in a Cave, I couldn't get to the part I really want, figured it was a glitch, and sold it. Now years later, I have Robotrek more (bought it for the low low price of $9) and so I'm writing a review on it.

Story
You are the son of a famous inventor, and quite a good inventor yourself. Unfortunately, there is a rising group of evil people obsessed with using inventions to rule the world. These are the Hackers, and only you and your robots that you created can stop them.
This has an okay story, the traditional ''save-the-world'', just with robots instead of magicks.
Story: 8/10

Sound
Some of the tracks get annoying, but some are pretty like the Factory music. The OverWorld has a peaceful melody and the rest that I've heard are irritatingly catchy, except for the battle music. That one's just aggravating.
Sound: 7/10

Gameplay
Pretty decent, actually. There's a run button, which is good. There are no random battles (even better); instead you meet enemies in the area and then go into battle. It's like Super Mario RPG, but not as..cool. The robots you make yourself and how you can color them and customize their attacks is a very nice touch I enjoyed.
The battles are pretty interesting as you're not just stationary but you move around the field and to attack you have to be in front of the enemy (unless you have a weapon like a bomb, which flies into the enemy). It's a cool way to fight, and it's original enough not to be boring. Overall, not bad.
Gameplay: 8/10

Graphics
For the time it was released, I'm sure these were good. Nowadays with games like Final Fantasy X, these would be considered horrendous at best, but I like to rate graphics on how I feel about them, not how they compare to other games. I have to say the bright colors and character designs are quite cool, personally.
Graphics: 8/10

Replay
Robotrek has plenty of things to do and people to talk to, so I would guess (I'm nowhere near completing it, so I have to assume) that you'd be coming back if the notion struck.
Replay: 5/10

Buy or Rent?
This game is definitely worth checking out, and, as old as it is, it's bound to be cheap wherever you find it. Buying it might be your only option too, since most Blockbusters and Hollywood Videos don't carry SNES games anymore, but, as aforementioned, it's been so long buying it shouldn't really put a serious dent in your pocket.
Buy or Rent?: Buy

If you like RPG's at all, check out this little gem for a few hours good time. It's very cool in most aspects.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/28/02, Updated 04/28/02