Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Not Robotech, not Robotron, not Star Trek, but Robotrek a somewhat obscure Super Nintendo
RPG title from 1994, published by Enix and developed by Quintet and Ancient. Enix and
Quintet teamed up to bring us some really great SNES games, Actraiser, Soul Blazer,
Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma and this one is probably one of the lesser known titles,
which is a shame because Robotrek is a really great game that is a lot of fun to play.
You take on the role of the son of a great inventor and are charged with dealing with
the local ruffians which eventually leads you to an intergalactic, time traveling adventure.
To do this however, you won’t be swinging a sword or casting magic yourself, instead
you build robots to do your dirty work for you being a sideline protagonist kind of similar
to the Pokemon games. You can build up to three robots and also create other equipment
and items to use with your Invention Machine, shaped like a giant nintendo controller.
The game’s battle system is pretty unique, especially for the time it came out. Battles
are fought on a map and use a type of ATB system. When your robot’s charge meter is
full they can take an action which will use up some of the bar. While the bar charges
the enemies get to go also moving around the map to attack. There are a few added twists
as well. A timer will give you a bonus if the battle is won before it runs out and capsules
will contain bonuses and traps while the timers ticks down. So there’s a touch of tactical
strategy as well giving it a unique feel.
The robots are really customizable too even down to what color you want them. As you level
up from “Megs of Data” instead of experience points, you can allot more points into the
robot’s attributes anyway you like. Different weapons options, special attacks, and macro
commands further add to customization. Also as you level up you can learn new things to
make in your lab. This along with lots of secrets adds a good deal of replay value to
Robotrek.
Another high point is the game’s style. Anime influenced characters and sprites, and
a really good soundtrack further add to the game’s charm and appeal. The Japanese title
of Robotrek is actually Slapstick. Which is fitting since the game is really light hearted
and often intentionally humorous. I think it’s meant for a younger audience, but anyone
that enjoys RPGs and games that don’t take themselves too seriously will definitely enjoy
Robotrek.