Review: Custom Robo Arena

Custom Robo Arena (CRA) is comparable to the result of an unholy union between Pokemon and the arcade mech combat game Virtual On. You play as a kid who lives in a world where toy robots known as Robos duke it out in virtual arenas and vie for supremacy.

The main gameplay of CRA involves one-on-one mech combat. You take a Robo and customize it so that it can fight other Robos. The amount of customization is fairly deep: you can equip it with guns and bombs, toss in accessories to boost your maneuvering capabilities and, when you get tired of your current Robo, you can do it all over again on another mech type.

The fighting itself is where the Virtual On similarity kicks in. You face off against another Robo in one arena until one of you loses all of his hit points. You can shoot, lob bombs from a distance, place mines, fire heat-seeking missiles or get up and close personal to lay the smack down on your opponent's face. Either way, the results are pretty satisfying.

Your Robo's configuration will determine your style of play. Fortunately, the developers made it easy for you: every tweak that you make can be tested in real-time so you can find out if you like it or not. You'll fight a "ghost" opponent to determine your Robo's performance with the new item on. What's even better about this preview is that you can try out parts and weapons in shops so you don't end up buying things unnecessarily.

Graphically, it's sort of a trade-off. Anything Robo-related is in 3D: the arenas, the Robos themselves, even the Robo "garage" where all the customizing is done is in 3D. The Robos and their parts have very distinct looks, which is a very nice touch given the game's setting of a Robo-combat-centric world. The 3D graphics help in keeping the fighting immersive and involving. The game world itself is in 2D, which isn't bad by default. Some games have nice 2D art, this just isn't one of them. The game world looks flat and the characters look like they came out of the 8-bit era. Special NPCs have anime-style toons that accompany them during conversations but aside from that, the 2D art doesn't have anything worthwhile. The audio feels a little limited, but it fits the action well.

Overall, Custom Robo Arena is a solid mech combat game for the Nintendo DS. If you're into mechs, model kits and gladiator-style fights, this title's for you.

Photo Source: Allgame

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Review: Custom Robo Arena

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