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ROBOTREK Company: Enix Released: October 1994 Genre: Turn-based RPG Graphics: 8.5 Control: 8.0 Sound/Music: 8.0 Storyline: 8.0 Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 SUPER-NES.COM

The one thing I can accurately say about Robotrek is that it's oddly appealing and has a twist on the standard rpg theme that makes it not only original, but also a nice change of pace from everything else out there. You take an rpg-style storyline and wrap it around robotics and what you have is an original take on the rpg genre that never tries to be more than it is but instead focuses on a unique and engaging storyline that somehow carries the weight of this game perfectly. While it's not quite up to the usually high standard set by previous Quintet rpgs, it's still got enough substance to carry you through to the end. The usual flair that we've all come to expect from a Quintet-developed rpg shines through with this game as well, and manages to come up with a slightly unique look at the same time. Robotrek has a much softer color tone to it but still manages to come across well visually. Each village has its' own unique look and style and the map screens look great as well. I think what impressed me the most about Robotrek was the individual characters themselves. Each character is displayed in a lot of detail and each has his/her own characteristics as far as their look goes. The battle screens were a little bit plain, really one of the few gripes I have with this game, but everything else has a nice, colorful look to it that kind of takes the over-contrasted color useage of previous Quintet games and softens everything up a bit to give the game its' own look. All in all a great job with the visuals. For anyone that's played a Quintet rpg, like Soul Blazer for instance, you should know the type of music you normally find in those games. Robotrek takes this style and cranks out a fairly decent soundtrack that has some really catchy tracks along with some mediocre ones thrown in. It's nowhere near the big boys like Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy III, but it's also better than a lot of the mediocre stuff found in a lot of other SNES rpgs. I would have liked to have seen more variety, as generally you get the same tunes for villages, world map, battles, etc., and it sometimes gets a bit repetative after long playing sessions. The soundtrack is good but could have still been better. It's just nothing overly special. Once again Quintet decided to go against the grain and go with a turn-based combat system. You basically build a robot at the beginning of the game that does the fighting for you. Along the way you have to perform maintenance on the robot as well as upgrade him to allow for it to become stronger. As I mentioned, the combat is turn-based and is nothing that strays too far from the norm as far as this type of fighting system goes. One unique thing about the combat system is that you can move your robot around in between fighting turns and position your robot for different types of attacks. You can attack with your sword up close, or choose to use your robot's projectiles for long distance attacks. It takes some strategy to learn which weapons work better on which enemy and really adds a lot to the playability, especially later on in the game. You basically travel around on an overhead map screen that displays villages and other areas that you can visit. I liked how the game's enemies were out in the open and could sometimes either be avoided or fought, depending on what you wanted to do. It reminded me a little of Chrono Trigger in that respect and made traveling a bit easier without having to worry about constant random enemy encounters. What makes the game more fun than anything is working with the robots. Getting to customize and upgrade your own robot allows you to have a hand in how strong and efficient your robot becomes and that's really what kept my attention in the game when the story lagged in certain places. As I said above, the gameplay in Robotrek is a nice change of pace from many of the other rpgs found on the Super NES. Robotrek isn't going to set any new standards in the audio and visual departments, but what it brings to the table is a nice twist on the rpg genre that honestly surprised me when I first began playing it. The "robotics" theme of the game makes for a different type of storyline and being able to create your own robots also makes you feel more like your taking part in the game instead of just following along in the story. The game isn't too difficult which should be a relief to those who are not quite as experienced with playing rpgs, but it's a challenging enough quest to at least give the diehard rpg fans a nice play through. If you're a fan of the off-beat rpgs, ala Earthbound, then you should give this game a try. It's surprisingly different and a lot of fun as well.