"Definitely a quality mech game!"

Introduction

It's hard to understand how some games can completely go under the radar. Robot Warlords, made in 2001, suffers terribly from the bad publicity it's had. I blame this on the game makers themselves and for gamers too lazy to give it a go. Although it doesn't have all the niceties of the Front Mission series, there are similarities, such as being able to equip the mechs (called "bullets" in this game) and provide the pilots with techniques that increase in scope and level as they level up in strength.
I found that there are very few reviews on this game. I put this down to the fact that a lot of people must have given up way before completing it but by doing so, they missed out on a great overall experience.

Gameplay – 7/10

This is where the game really picks up. Initially, there is quite a steep learning curve in trying to understand how the menu system works and how to select the motion of the mechs. However, after persistence, trial and error, and looking into the manual, I figured how to make the mech teams efficient. In each battle, you can only take five mechs into battles, even though the number of enemies is usually six mechs and the challenge is to beat them within 14 turns. Yes, this is a turn-based game with grids lighting up when a particular mech has a turn to move. After the selection of a mech's move, the player has the option of watching the mech battle animation or skipping to the next mech (there's also an option to turn off the animations). Before battles begin, customisation can be done for the mechs and their operators.

Now, when you start to master the menu system (which the game designers made unnecessarily hard), the game starts to become great fun, especially when you start winning. Over 11 stages of battles, the player has to battle through various locations, such as cities, jungle, airport, fields etc. It has a lot in common with the Front Mission series but not quite as good and certainly not as explanatory as Front Mission.

Story – 5/10

Supposedly set in Japan in August 2002, the story centres around a band of mercenaries that the government hires to crush rebel factions within the armed forces. This has to be done within seven days using mechs called “bullets”. The story is forgettable, just as its presentation. The presentation has very few cut scenes (the best was right at the very end) and is mostly faces with dialogue boxes. I can see how this might have put a few people off but this is really not where the game is at.
Yes, the story is lame. It's about a group of young people thrown together to help battle in mechs. Along the way, they fight a series of battles to try to overcome enemies, this being turned-based, grid style. The dialogue they banter between them is simply awful at times.
Some battles require multiple times of repeating until you hit on that one really good strategy to defeat the enemy! Yee! Haaa!

Graphics/Sound – 6/10

The graphics were okay but a little too undefined in some places. It was sometimes hard to manoevre the mechs around the grid because trees or buildings were in the way and so it took away some of the enjoyment. It had similar graphics to Front Mission 4.

Some of the machine guns sounded tinny but there are others that were full of resonance. I always enjoyed watching and hearing these types in the attack animations. The shotguns were not too bad either.

Play Time/Replayability – 7/10

You'll get a good 20 hours out of this if you're ready to be persistent and customise your mechs properly. At the end of the 11-stage story mode, there are additional missions unlocked in free mode. This has some interest and allows for earning money and buying additional equipment. There's probably another few hours here, though I didn't bother going right through the Life Mode once I had finished the story.

Final Recommendation – 7/10 (overall)

There is no doubt that patience and persistence is needed in this game but it is rewarded and after Stage 6 the game gets a lot easier. Thus, if you like mechs, like customising them, like battling against the odds, like destroying other mechs, like turn-based games, don't mind a lame story, then this game is for you! It is a game that has not deserved the bad publicity it has received.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/25/07