Attack of PETSCII Robots (David Murray) $10 to $50 USD
Game title: Attack of PETSCII Robots
Game description: Robots have taken over human settlements across a number of planets and it is up to you to infiltrate and destroy all of the robots. To do this however, will require a bit of strategy and your first task will be to case out the game environment and search everything to locate weapons, health kits, and passcards. The weaker hoverbots can be taken out by using the basic pistol weapon or alternatively a well placed time bomb will sort them out as well. The rollerbots are a lot more aggressive and stronger and will require a bit more thought and stronger weapons, such as EMPs and plasma guns, to finish off - just take care to stay out of the explosion range when using a plasma gun. The Evilbots are the most deadly and toughest to defeat. If you get in close range of these without preparing beforehand then you better run for your life as these bots will home straight in on you with a couple of hits being enough to finish you off. Once you kill off all the robots on the planet, you can finish the game map by locating the final transporter. There are 9 different game maps on offer with the same objective and features but requiring different approaches to destroy all the bots - providing multiple hours of total game play. But note that there is no built in save or checkpoint system on offer so if you do die then you need to restart the game map from the beginning and do everything all over again. PETSCII Robots cannot be played with your traditional joystick due to the number of different functions required such as searching, using and moving items, cycling through items and directional firing and as such you will be reliant on keyboard controls unless you purchase the physical edition of the game which comes with a user port adapter that will allow you to play with a super nintendo compatible controller. PETSCII Robots has three graphic modes available. In addition to the Enhanced Graphics modes featured in this video - the game can also be played in Colour PESTCII mode and PET mode.
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Production - 65%
65%
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Fun - 65%
65%
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Depth - 75%
75%
Summary
Attack of the PETSCII Robots has a unique look and feel to it when compared to current day games. There is an underlying feel that harks back to the early to mid 80s which does have some nostalgic charm to it but this is also what limits the game from being a stand out. Setting aside the gimmick of playing the game in pure PETSCII mode, the ‘enhanced’ graphic display does a decent job of portraying the action taking place – there is a certain pop to them that I find quite appealing. Scrolling is somewhat jerky though, with limited field of view and there is a somewhat ‘sameness’ across each of the 9 map levels on offer. Having more variety of robots across game levels would definitely improve the game immensely. On a positive note, there are multiple ways of destroying robots and searching for items is quite fun. The gradual opening up of each game level is well handled via the passcard system. However, trying to move items into place is a tedious process and any fun of trying to set up robots for their own downfall quickly gives way to weariness. The lack of a save or checkpoint feature is somewhat of a detriment to the game as each level plays exactly the same way each time and when you do die you are asked to repeatedly go through the exact same process as previous, making the game feel like it is somewhat tedious. PETSCII Robots is a good game on paper but you can’t help to feel that the game would be so much better in the hands of a more ambitious coder.
Overall
68%User Review
( votes)Pros
- Multiple way to eliminate robots
- 9 distinct game levels
- Plenty of items to search
Cons
- Jerky scrolling and limited play view
- Only three robot varieties on offer
- Lack of save checkpoint feature
- Limited replay appeal
Video Link
