Robotrek

"Quirky Fun from Enix"

While today most people recognize the name of Enix as half the name of the RPG juggernaut Square Enix, there was a time when neither half was really all that prominent outside of the geek culture. Enix is still primarily known for the Dragon Quest/Warrior series, but there was a time not so long ago when they churned out a series of quirky, unique titles with very unique premises. Robotrek is one such game, from Quintet (better known for the Soul Blazer series). It's not quite as great overall as even other titles from the same time period, but the fun value alone gives it it's dominance in the market. I found this little gem sitting alone in a used games bin only two years ago and recognized the title from my Nintendo Power days. I'm glad I did - I've gone back and played it through many more times since.

Story: All RPGs have a story. Robotrek is no different. In this game, you are the son of the famous inventor Dr. Akihabara (one of many tech jokes running through the game.) He's given you the robot book so you can follow in his footsteps and build magnificent machines. He has uncanny timing, because the evil organization known only as the Hackers has been making trouble for everyone, including your father. And that's really just the beginning.

On the surface, this game seems to have a rather simple story. There are no major subtleties, the characters are straightforward. But it is capable of pulling out some intriguing plot twists, as well as being rather hilarious in execution (apparently it was marketed as a comedy in Japan.) While the shoddy translation can often obscure some of the plotline, it still remains suitably entertaining. Fans of Quintet's Soul Blazer series will also enjoy a few cameos thrown in for good measure.

Gameplay: In Robotrek, all battles are conducted by the robots you build. As you save up money, you'll eventually be able to build three robots, though only one can be on the field at any time. You can customize your robots via adjusting their stats, giving them weapons or shields, and their shoes. This may seem overly simple, and in today's age of titles such as Disgaea, it is. But there is a certain joy to watching your mechanical marvel propel itself towards your target wielding a mighty axe and using a pair of roller skates.

As for the battles themselves, your robot attacks when it's meter is charged. You move it around the field based on it's movement range (which is where shoes come in) and attack any enemies you can actually reach. You are given a timer and if you win the battle before it runs out, you'll get a bonus to your experience. Also reliant on the timer are the occasional item capsules that will appear on the field. This random element gives the battles a little bit of variety, which is good because you'll be fighting quite a few of them. You can see your opponents on the map and thus you can generally chose whether or not to fight. But you probably should be fighting, because the difficulty ramps up rather quickly and you'll need to be in constant combat to ensure the next boss doesn't scrap your robots.

As for what you'll be doing away from battle, you'll be presented with a variety of clever puzzles requiring you to invent new items in order to solve them. Inventing is key to the game, because it will allow you to craft better weapons and items throughout the game on top of creating the puzzle solving items.

Sound: The sound effects in Robotrek are just as quirky as the rest of the game. They mesh with the rather jovial, comic elements of the production. The music gets repetitive, but it does stand out because of how bouncy it is. It gives the game quite a bit of character.

Graphics: While Quintent put out Robotrek around the same time as their second Soul Blazer title, Illusion of Gaia, this title opts for more cartoonish graphics. The character sprites are much smaller, presented in an overhead view. For an older sprite game, they're quite good, though not quite up to par for their time period. If you love old-school gaming, though, you won't care.

Replay: This game is really only good for one playthrough, as there's nothing special you get for playing it a second time. Thus, it's replay value comes from you wanting to play through the story again or attempt a new strategy with your robot design. It's also surprisngly short, and the sheer difficulty of the endgame will probably drive you away from it for some time.

Overall: Robotrek deserves a playthrough if nothing else. If you are sucked into it's bizarre little world and don't mind some insanely difficult boss fights, you'll enjoy it. To be honest, the difficulty, localization, and the somewhat limited robot system are the only things keeping this from a higher score. Enix is to be commended for the sheer number of fun, if overlooked titles they put out. A game like Robotrek has yet to come from them again, merged or not, but one can hope that someday they'll remember their wild side and give it a whirl.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/18/05