Robot Arena III (PC) Review

Robot fights have managed to become a sort of cult thing in the geek community, attracting many engineers to show off their skill. Therefore it is only natural that games are made to give people who, for economical reasons or otherwise, are unable to design robots in real life the chance to experience the joy of creating killer machines. Robot Arena III is the latest game based around the hobby, and it fits the bill especially well with the almost limitless customisation options available in the powerful creation tool that players can use to create their own little monsters.



The tools available for building robots begin with the chassis. This is the foundation of the robot and there hasn't been any effort spared to give players plenty of freedom when designing this part - it's possible to make robots in almost any shape imaginable.



After the chassis is done it's time for the fun part: filling the robot with components such as engines, a motherboard, wheels and, most importantly, weapons. The system for this is fun and realistic, putting emphasis on creating clever solutions to route energy to the different components and mapping the controls. The possibilities are endless, so the more creative can create the battle robot of their dreams, and this is the part where Robot Arena III shines brightest.

The only drawback here is how complex this part can be. For enthusiasts, this might not be a problem, but for newcomers and those without previous experience of machine building, there is a lot to take in, and it could end up taking hours for some to figure out what they're doing and how to make everything function. This might put off certain players and it would maybe have been wise to put more focus on making a good tutorial for this part - the one offered in-game barely touches this subject at all.

Once the robot is done, it's time to battle. In this mode, however, it starts to become clear that something is not finished. While the combat is fun and functional for the most part, there are some issues with the physics engine, causing strange things to happen, such as robots randomly flying several metres up in the air after running over a small bolt on the floor, showing that the game is not really working as intended all the time.



Besides those infrequent occurrences, the combat is as fun as expected from a title of this genre, offering endless fun and replayability, as every robot will, by the nature of the game, feel different from one another. Robot Arena III is a definite recommendation for those who are even remotely interested in the world of robot building.