The Robotrek "review" | Every SNES RPG #34

This video should have taken half the time to make, but I sort of struggled to write it. Think it came out ok though
#quintet #robotrek #jasongraves

[@roguerifter9724]

This is my favorite Quintet game but I've always had a soft spot for Techie characters like Engineers, Computer Hackers or Programmers, Mechanics, and Inventors and the games that let me play as the above. For around five years I played through this once or twice a year but unfortunately my copy got thrown out when my family moved in 99 and I never managed to get a replacement. With the remaster spree Square Enix has been on I'm hoping they make a remaster of this but we'll have to see.

[@JasonGravesPoser]

You might be the only one who likes robotrek the most. Sucks your copy was lost, it's expensive nowadays

[@roguerifter9724]

I might be. I'm used to my taste in games being abnormal.

[@KCUFyoufordoxingme]

Each level up was exciting because it meant you could read a new book and make a new invention. Few RPGs had that "what do I get now at this level?" excitement quite like this one.

[@TheBoredJord]

Really liked the overall point you made with this one. Way to take a game that didn't really offer much and turn it around into talking about that very fact and what value means to different players. Excellent! 😁

[@steve43ful]

To be pedantic: I think the game story = porn story quote is from John Carmack, not John Romero. Romero and a lot of other people left id because of that philosophy and id games became more and more glorified tech demos as a result. Carmack selling the company is why we got Doom 2016, before he left it was on track to be Call of Duty but with demons.

[@joshthefunkdoc]

Yep, what's funny is the gaming press & internet at large used to be massively pro-Carmack in the wake of that split (particularly when Ion Storm crashed & burned) but i feel like there's been a massive reevaluation over time. My suspicion is that Rage was a big turning point as that was when everyone seemed to finally realize "oh wait they're just doing tech demos disguised as video games"

[@GamingWithSpoons]

I find your videos so entertaining never quit you deserve more subs for sure. I need to play Robotrek at some point though it's always looked like so much fun.

[@Heeroneko]

I think it's remembered because it's a very 'kid brain' focused game. It was years before I even realized it was associated with Quintet or really knew much about their other games besides Illusion of Gaia.

[@theironfox2756]

This was such a great concept. I would like to see this updated. Customizable robots in RPGs in the modern gaming age.

[@Andulvar]

Have you played Pokemon? Because they basically copied this.

[@interoffice5402]

Robotrek will still have a place in my heart. Back during its time, it was unique with themes that were deep and fresh at the time. Long before Pokemon, here was a kid setting out on his own, tracking down his father using his dad's legacy, and dealing loss, the effects of time, etc. These themes were handled better in later games, but as first exposure goes it was pretty meaningful to experience it as a kid. The context in which it came out left it pretty great, because a lot of the games on the SNES at that time were half as polished as it.

[@peosea]

Robotrek is so frustrating. Not because it's hard but because they have so many neat ideas and the dev kind of phoned it in. Shame

[@punk0695]

Let me say that back in those days, the fact that the game you would play would be the single game you rented for the whole weekend, made crappy game the best game in the world. Just because it was different, and the gaming industry wasn't flooded by multiple games of every gendra.

[@CompleteShift]

You made the combat sound cool as hell at least. And the time-travelling storylines.

[@dentstowel4230]

I’ve attempted this game twice in the past few year and couldn’t get more than an hour in. I couldn’t figure out why, but man your video says it all. It’s like someone made Robotrek today based on what they thought a SNES rpg should be.

[@muntdouken9841]

True fans will know you can find an image of Graves shirtless in every video if you look hard enough

[@TheRumpletiltskin]

Robotrek sounds fun, but strenuous.

[@KCUFyoufordoxingme]

Concentrated.

[@haroldhall1517]

It starts out very fun with seemingly endless options to create your robos with. If yoy were to pick it up fresh and start a new game blindly you will probably fall in love with it. Ive yet to make it far into the game due to backlogs i wanna finish first but i think its awesome

[@mattcraven8214]

I bought this game a few years ago and it's just been sitting on my shelf, I should play it. Side note: your channel is criminally undersubscribed to. Keep doing your thing, you totally have the potential to grow this thing.

[@analogmoz]

Oh, man _New Horizons,_ especially on PC, was my jam. The SNES version is awesome, too.

[@KCUFyoufordoxingme]

The once grand pumba of gaming knowledge, EGM, once had a write in letter very clearly talking about and asking about this game describing the robots as "oil drums" and even they could not figure out what the hell was being asked, so they directed the letter writer to the robotech anime franchise. I tolerate one "Dalton and blackbird" level lull for every 15 hours of an rpg. This game has 2 in less than 30 hours. I rented 4 times and got 98% of the way through and just stopped. Just like soulblazer. I loved when enix games had special areas of access for the main character to use esoteric powers. Like the workshop here or the dark zone in illusion of Gaia to change classes. This is one of those games that is far better when no guide exists. Being forced to figure out everything by experimentation and inventing. That some rare ores had 2 uses and you had to decide which one, and you went back and tested old ones just incase. Kind of like doodle god in a way. It blew my mind the first time I used a gun/bomb macro and a special move came out. Finding books to learn new ingredients for my experimentation was a delight. I can appreciate that A roleplay appeal of this game that could vibe with a child's mind that might put off this reviewer was done way way way better in DQ 5. One highlight of this game is it is the first rpg I ever played that had experimentation AND rewarded optimization because each battle was a speed run. You gained exp based on the time of the battle. Also, the treasure boxes were on the battle field, and you only got them if you opened them without destroying them before finishing that battle. It gave a purpose to the customization options. Having 3 bots that you could tag out for each other rather than have them all at the same time was neat. You could have special purpose bots. One for treasure getting, another for survival, and then a boss killer, just for example. I wouldn't sleep on this one if you can force yourself to dismiss that guides exist. That is a lot of discipline for a little reward, I know, but it elevates this game just enough. I also enjoyed how they committed to a theme all the way to experience points being computer memory. The art style and sprite animation tickles me in just such a way that I wished a proper video game IMDB existed. Someone get on that.

[@fr0st2k5]

This game was great. The story was fun, though I only remember certain parts of it. I do remember figuring out an attack that hits everyone with a hammer or something. Without that, the game was hard

[@reckufrehtom5999]

Sounds like burnout, understandable 34 games into Every Snes Rpg ever

[@richardhaw9757]

i played this in the mid 90s in college. didnt even recall playing this until i saw this video

[@NightshineThieves]

This is a really great video. The ability to make an entertaining video about a game you had little to no interest in is a real skill!

[@gamingchinchilla7323]

I'm a new subscriber to your channel and I'm curious where the outro haircut quote originated from? Keep up the good work :D

[@migovas1483]

I have a soft spot for Robotek, maybe because I like Robots and grew attached to them ( my Products ), and while there a no partners to play with on your party, the story was quite simple but interesting, specially the time travel bit, and at the end this game was more of a comedy. All the jokes and Tropes are there, and because I grew on the era, I feel them very much. But everyone is different sure.

[@holidayinn4293]

Does nobody remember about halfway through the game how the difficulty ramps up and you're forced to replay map areas that you've already completed? That's kind of an important thing to make not of when critiquing a game. To me when I originally had this cart back in the day it felt like a bait and switch.

[@kiriannapatrick7243]

"Lasting Appeal" sound to me like "RePlayability"

[@maltheopia]

I do understand where you're coming from with this game. There is simply no, from a story perspective, tension or urgency whatsoever in this game. The game never makes you feel like that if you fail, there are negative story consequences. Not even something small beer like 'your parents get mad at you for failing the exam'. And while I have nothing against silly narrative and design elements -- I will go to my grave saying that Megaman Battle Network is better than Megaman Classic -- the game doesn't use its silly elements to get across a feel or aesthetic like Earthbound or Super Mario RPG would. They're just there because the game doesn't take itself seriously enough to have meaningful conflict. The combination of a personality-free protagonist with three personality-free robots only adds to the complete lack of tension in the story. Even at the story's climax, the game constantly makes you feel that if you walked away, nothing would change. Not even in a 'you should have never even gone on this quest' irony like in Phantasy Star II, it's like you're just having a boring dream. I've played a lot of RPGs with bad or questionable or poorly-told stories. Take Soul Blazer. Quintet tried to get across a feeling of melancholy, pathos, and hope, even in the little things like telling you not to pity the lives of gnome-people who only live a year. It, or course, FAILED MISERABLY. It's simply a bad story once you look past how weirdly its told. But while Soul Blazer's story is bad. it's bad with a purpose. The game at least wanted you to feel something. But Robotrek doesn't even try. It simply doesn't care about its emotional impact. It treats itself like a toy where you're supposed to find the fun yourself. Which does not make it a bad game. Some of my favorite games like Puzzle Quest and Super Mario World treat itself like toys, too. But unlike something like Yugioh Tag Force 6--Robotrek is also not all that fun of a toy. It's not a bad game by any means, I'm just disappointed on how thoroughly it fucked itself over by choosing the path of least resistance with regards to its story.

[@NeoN-PeoN]

This game starts SO STRONG. Then.....

[@mihal--ch533]

Here's my opinion on every quintet game (except for actraiser 2, cause I've never played this one) Actraiser: an interesting mix of an action platformer and a city cim, but the problem is, both these parts of the game are super simple and easy. In city cim sections you don't really develop your town (you can replace the older houses with the newer ones, but that's it) and in platf.sections where's little to no challenge and bosses can be killed by just spamming magic. Music is really awesome and as an early snes title game looks great. 8/10 Soul blazer: imp it's kinda better than actraiser, but battle system is really primitive, magic is kinda weird, and enemies are repetitive Overall, I enjoyed it a tad bit more, so 7/10 Illusion of gaia: story is...weird. Combat is a huge step up from soul blazer, you can now use multiple attacks and the addition of transformations really ads up to the combat. Music is great, but imo character sprites of NPC's are kinda bland 8/10 Robotrek: I played through the game a little and... Not a fan. Music is annoying, battles are interesting, and robot customization is really neat. But overall...boring 5/10 Terranigma: quintet's magnum opus, combat improves upon Gaia's, graphics are really great, so is the music. But the story feels... unfinished, I guess? I won't go into spoilers. 9/10

[@03bgood]

How dare you give ActRaiser only a 6.5! It's worth at least an 8!

[@mihal--ch533]

@@03bgood oh, sorry, I guess I mis clicked, but yeah, actraiser 1 deserves a 7, or an 8

[@joshthefunkdoc]

My pithy line about Actraiser 2 that i would use if i made a video on it: it's a fighting game disguised as a platformer. It's extremely difficult, sluggish and all-around unfun until you dig deeper into how all of your moves work, and that involves understanding invincible frames and how to juggle combo bosses. Most of the people i've known who really like that game were fighting game players, which was what made me realize this

[@Zangiefbeefgrief]

this was a very gonzo review. respect

[@nicholaszacharewicz693]

You make a great point about games shining their brightest when they get across an idea or vibe despite whatever technical shortcomings they may have. Hearing that articulated brings me a lot of clarity since I love some pretty janky games (Aidyn Chronicles, for example). So, thanks!

[@Heeroneko]

Robotrek wins because it had pokeballs and Team Rocket before Pokemon did.

[@FuriousACTIONGamer]

This is straight out of Mulholland Drive

[@charlene2400]

I first saw this one on everdrive I bought from someone. To me, it was meh, but my nephews love changing all the robots around, and the fighting, so I got a cheap repro of it for them.

[@SamuraiSam]

I just love the use of the Peanuts trumpet sound

[@DoctorSledgehammer]

Haha 5:12 dude I know the feeling just too well!

[@Shishkebarbarian]

what word is the trumpet covering up! i thought it was bullsh!t but then you said that word out loud at one point and i'm confused again

[@vitradesk]

Scrolling thru the comments to see if anyone else w@s asking this question… yeah I can’t deduce what it could be answer pls @jason graves

[@SeaSerpentLevi]

hey kinda unrelated to the review, i was just looking at your link tshirt and thought about that lol. theres a current complex depate about AI imagery, i wont get into that, but one thing that it made me remember was a video about Zelda anime concepts in the style of studio ghibli, a collection of images. and god damn, check it out, the images are gorgeous and i think you might find them cool.

[@Bleusilences]

I love this game and had a lot of fun back in the day. I am sad that you didn't enjoy it, but I understand.

[@alex_pearl]

To me, it's an exercise in weighing technical execution against feels. I tend to favor the latter. If a game had an excellent combat system, was easy to navigate, etc., but left me with no emotional impact, then... meh! 🤷🏻‍♂️ So, I'm with you in your assessment.

[@knifeteeth]

I really like this channel. Phat.

[@Dbackus54]

Nice

[@SirJoelsuf1]

:10 God dammit, I was hoping Jason would do "I Don't Know You." That game is an underrated treasure. Goes for about $9069 on Ebay.

[@JasonGravesPoser]

yeah I emulated this one lol

[@polarbear1713]

I like Robotrek but I still get the meh feeling. It is hard to grasp why but I owned this game when I was young and its still decent because if that, for me. The haunted house always got me.

[@grenadier1972]

What if I am the one who needs a haircut? Who can you trust if not yourself?

[@rayceeya8659]

I never finished it, but from what I recall, I enjoyed it. It has some interesting mechanics.

[@DoubleDragonGaming]

What you weren't excited to play Robotrek ? This looks like a game I might have tried playing back in the days when i had my snes. Yep glad I didn't

[@haroldhall1517]

Its a really cool game. You should try it just to see.

[@haroldhall1517]

Its a really cool game. You should try it just to see. I have 3 robos, 1 called tank i colored army green and give him bombs and guns for weapons with almost max defense points but 0 speed (dpesnt matter, tank can shoot from range) and another i called slash. Colored red, uses swords and axes as weapons. And another purple robot i gave more points towards techs and speed into called Quik.

[@Nostrad999]

You forgot about Daikaijuu Monogatari and Daikaijuu Monogatari 2 for the Super Famicom.

[@exidy-yt]

I like the 'John Romero' gamer vs. "Story is King" gamer. I am definately the latter. Xenogears is to me the greatest JRPG ever made because of it's incredible story and the way that story is played out. Gameplay wise however it has elements and areas so frustrating (the Babel Tower) that you want to throw your controller into the toilet and take a sledgehammer to your PlayStation, but the story is so compelling you grit your teeth, fall to the bottom of the goddamn tower for the 80th time and rise again because you HAVE to see what's next. That's what makes a JRPG for me as opposed to a CRPG where you make the story inside the world. This game one to skip for me, sounds like. Too bad, I loved Terranigma.

[@simonpierrelauzon3845]

you didn't do Lennus 2 yet ! The sequel to Paladin's Quest !

[@BM-wh5qk]

I've tried to play this game a couple times, but just got bored with progressing less than a few hours in.

[@Shadders2010]

What was the 'bwah'? Boring?

[@luminous6969]

Nostalgia carries this one. I still like it more than Lagoon and Illusion Of Gaia.

[@FuriousACTIONGamer]

I liked what you had to say in this one. As far as the next video.. You will see me one more time if you do good. You will see me two more times if you do bad.

[@Khardankov]

No, it's not you. It's Robotrek. This is another game I owned on cartridge on SNES, and this one I remember buying. I wanted to like it, but it's fucking boring. You do more or less make the point that Robotrek is a bunch of parts that are great that somehow come together and just don't work. I recently tried picking it up again for nostalgia's sake, and it was even more boring. There were bits that almost floated up to the top - bits that could've made the whole thing work - but they just somehow never quite made it all the way up. The attempts at rewarding gameplay loops are neither rewarding nor motivating nor fun. Worst thing Quintet made, that I've ever known about at least.

[@TiffanyStarrxxx]

Sorry, but Robotrek just looks good to me. Im gonna try is. Ill stream it after FF6 and Mystic Quest

[@StiffAftermath]

6:52 - that math makes no sense. That score should be 8.7. Is there a reviewer's tilt I'm not seeing? Robotrek should be 6.2.

[@Heeroneko]

Understand your metric a bit better now, I might not agree on everything, but I respect where you're coming from.

[@GameFrank]

Game looks meh, but super solid review as always bud!

[@-8h-]

It kinda set up pokemon tho

[@goodgamer1419]

🎺

[@Heeroneko]

I used to just sit and listen to the overworld music. It's not all good, but oof that 3 is harsh....it's cuz of the terrible combat music isn't it? lol

[@Agostoic]

🎺 out of 10 essay.

[@smievil]

i thought the game was pretty impressive

[@jimllc]

Just call it b***ing man, it's fine.

[@knifeteeth]

Dat average doe...