Retro game review: Robo Warrior (NES) - Is it just a Bomberman clone or something better?

Bomberman is regarded as one of the many classics that can trace its roots, or at least popularity, back to the NES. I mean, its a game where you blow up everything in your path. Who wouldn’t love that?

Taking heavy inspiration Bomberman, Robo Warrior sends you on a mission to pretty much do the same thing. Blow everything up, but with a few other changes to set it apart. How does it fare? @triverse, this one’s for you!

_{^{Image source: User NintendoComplete on YouTube}}

In Robo Warrior, you take control of the robot ZED who is sent to planet Altile to destroy an infestation of aliens who have taken over the planet. Earth has been overpopulated, so Altile was developed as our future home. With the planet overrun by dangerous aliens, it falls on ZED to clear out the alien menace to make the planet safe for colonization.

To anyone familiar with Bomberman, you’ll quickly be at home with Robo Warrior. You take control of ZED as he explores the planet surface in search of a key that lets him exit the level. Now that I think about it, you can pretty much avoid most of the aliens if you want to, as long as you find the key to exit the level and have enough bombs. How’s that gonna fix the alien infestation problem? Seems like that’s avoiding the issue.

ZED is equipped with a basic gun and a limited supply of bombs at the start of his mission. Aliens take between one and a buttload of shots to put down, and each one you kill will drop an additional bomb for your arsenal. Trust me, you’ll need all you can get. To progress through the stages, you’ll need to contantly lay bombs to clear away obstructions to cut a path through the level. Several times I ran out of bombs and had to wait for an alien to wander nearby so I could blast him and pick up an extra bomb. Then I had to wait for the next one...and the next.

_{^{Image source: User NintendoComplete on YouTube}}

As you bomb the blocks in your path, some of them will drop items and powerups, of which there are a ton. Batteries, weapon upgrades, more bombs, shields and a bunch more items can be picked up to aid you on your mission. You’ll sometimes find a staircase that descends into a cave, which is pitch black unless you have the candle item. The candle illuminates a small area around ZED, which is vital for these caves. If you enter without a candle, you’re screwed. Though the caves are filled with items, so if you have at least 2 candles in your inventory exploring them is a must.

ZED has a power meter that is constantly depleting, much like how health in Gauntlet is handled. Taking hits from enemies drops it very quickly, but its always ticking down so you have to find batteries to keep him going. Run out of juice and its game over. Sometimes you get lucky and come across batteries regularly, others you can’t find one to save your life (literally).

During the time I spent with this game, I was never able to get beyond the first level. I wandered around the stage for far longer than I’d like to admit dropping bombs everywhere, looking for the key so I could exit to the next stage. I found the chalice, which is required on some levels to exit, but I never found the key.

_{^{Image source: User NintendoComplete on YouTube}}

There’s not a lot to say about the visual presentation of Robo Warrior. The game throws you into an overhead, grid-based layout built from trees, rocks and metal structures. The visuals are adequately detailed, with adequate animation. Its adequate, I guess is what you should take away here. Colors are very nice and pop very well, with great contrast to make everything stand out nicely.

Music is catchy, but seemed slightly out-of-place in this game. Regardless, what’s here is nicely composed and something I have stuck in my head the next day as I write this review. Most game soundtracks don’t stick in my head this much, so this one did something right. Sound effects are average, with nothing that stands out either positively or negatively.

_{^{Image source: User NintendoComplete on YouTube}}

While I was never able to get past the first damn level, I did ultimately have fun with Robo Warrior. The gameplay is unique, controls are tight and there’s a lot of goodies to pick up. And blowing up crap with your bombs never gets old. At just over $6 for the loose cart, its a solid pickup for anyone with the patience to find the freaking keys that you need to progress. Even at $20, its a solid addition to your library if you’re looking for more affordable complete games to add to your collection.

Current value:

Loose: $6.21 | Complete: $19.95

Thanks for reading. As always, upvotes, resteems and comments are appreciated!

^{Cover Image Source: Giant Bomb}