Bad. Just bad.
First of all, I'm rather ashamed to say that Robotica was actually one my earliest FPS experiences, and had Quake not been in my life during that period, it wouldn't surprise me if my fanatical attitude towards the FPS genre was a whole lot different to the way it is today. Maybe I considered Robotica to be a MechWarrior rip-off at the time, and not an FPS. 'Hate' is a strong word I know, but either way, I hated Robotica then, and I still hate it now.
Apparently, Robotica does contain a plot; a plot that involves something called the World Silent Security Service spying on Earth over the period of 800 years, but if you asked me personally to give you a synopsis, I'd probably explain that the game involves 'some disturbing bald bloke in a generic robot suit blowing away other generic robots in a generic space base', or something along those lines. Honestly, I can't exaggerate the word 'generic' more. Even in 1995, this game was generic.
After a cut-scene that explains nothing, you press the start button and are immediately thrown into the first floor. Here, you will enter the generic world I have just described and, well, that's all you'll see for the rest of the game, so get to used to it. The generic space base consists of endless grey corridors and rooms complete with level design that feels like it's been implemented by a five year-old. Other than the occasional, pretty much unavoidable damaging flashing red light panels on the floor, every single level is basically indistinguishable from the next. You know the drill, all you really have to do is find the exit. I know the game was developed in 1995, but the level design is so bland and uninspiring that it may as well have been developed in 1985. Even FPS grandfathers, Wolfenstein 3D and Catacomb Abyss were far more inventive than this rubbish. Everything's grey, and everything's DARK.
Seriously, the game's so dark that anything more than five feet away is pitch black. And this is when the lights are supposedly ON. The view distance really is that bad however, and it means enemies sort of just appear out of nowhere. If it wasn't for the map in the corner of the screen, you wouldn't have any idea whereabouts you were in the level.
There's around eight or nine different types of foe in the game, but they're all generic robot sprites (there's that word again) that shoot random projectiles at you, and thanks to the clunky controls and tiny rooms, most of the time it's impossible to avoid them. They aren't the most interesting to look at either, as they kind of look like a hybrid of kitchen appliances and stereotypical robots you sketched as a kid.
Your weapons in Robotica level up as you progress (if you can even be bothered to progress that is) and the use of special items. Regarding the weapons though, you have the Vulcan gun, missiles, lasers and arm punch. Probably due to the developers' lazy programming, each of these different weapons are shot via the same gun you see on the corner of the screen. Basically, what looks like some blocky futuristic pistol has the compatibility to fire lasers as well as missiles...yeah. As for actually using this blocky futuristic pistol, it's not particularly satisfying to use regardless of what ammo type you use.
Perhaps the only mildly interesting factor Robotica has to offer is the fact that every time you play, the levels are randomly generated. This sounds promising at first, and it may even leave you feeling hopeful after the first time you play. 'The levels sucked this time, but heck, they'll be better the next time I play'. The answer to this of course, is 'no they won't'. As I have already explained, at core, every level may as well be exactly the same at the end of the day.
As far as the graphics go, well, I've already mentioned the fact that the game is dark, and the draw-distance is absolutely horrific. As for the textures themselves, well, they aren't that bad I suppose, and had the draw-distance been larger, I'd have less complaints. The developers did, dare I say it, a good job in making the textures look 3D, but because Robotica has very few different grey textures anyway, you'll become fed up of looking at them after say, floor 3. Sprites are laughable however, and feature no death animations other than explosions. The game's FMV is fairly competent as far as FMV within video games was during the 90's, but they don't really explain anything or give you any idication as to what's actually happening with the story.
Sound-wise, the music is actually fairly decent to begin with, it's just a shame that the same track plays over and over again every five levels. The music is nice and atmospheric and suits the game's grim artistic direction (probably the worse however), but after the second floor, it soon becomes irritating. There's this repeating clanking metal sound effect in the track that annoys me just thinking about it. As for the sound effects, there is nothing redeeming in this department either, and to be honest, I can't even remember what they sound like from the top of my head, so that says it all really.
Robotica is worth tracking down for collecting purposes, but that's about it. But if you're a retro gamer and you're looking for a good FPS on the Saturn, stay as far away from Robotica as possible, and pick up Lobotomy Software's excellent FPS trilogy instead (Duke Nukem 3D, Quake and Exhumed). After a pointless cut-scene featuring the disturbing bald bloke, I got to floor 5 and was greeted with the message 'It's dark here! Better find the lights!' or something along those lines, and to be honest, this was a cue for me to quit the game and turn off my Saturn; I mean, I didn't think the game could get any darker and draw-distance get any worse, but clearly I was wrong.
No wonder you've never heard of Robotica.
Wrap-up:
+ Er...
- Levels generate differently each time you play, but what's the point if they always feel the same anyway?
- I can't see ****
- Draw-distance so bad it gives the original Saturn Daytona USA port a run for it's money
- Clunky controls
- Enemies that have been designed and coded by five-year old's
- The music drives me insane after a while
- Even as an early 3D shooter, it's impossible to give the developer's any credit