Developer: Noise, Inc. Publisher: Nintendo Release: 12/08/99 Genre: Action/RPG
The Nintendo 64 was not kind to fans of Japanese RPGs. The genre finally hit the mass market thanks to Final Fantasy 7 and a veritable mountain of localizations would follow. Gamers were spoiled for choice and even the Saturn would receive its fair share in the US. But N64 fans would only receive a few small crumbs at best. The blow stung even worse considering the SNES was the system for the genre prior to the PlayStation. In Japan there were a decent number of games in the genre that should have been localized and Custom Robo is probably at the top of the list. With its awesome combat and features that call to mind Pokemon there is no doubt in my mind this would have been a hit. Someone at Nintendo of America was asleep at the wheel with this one I swear.
The plot of Custom Robo is simple. On your birthday your mother gives you your first Custom Robo, beginning your Commander journey to rise through the ranks and win the Great Robo Cup. But in the wings is a shadowy organization that plans to use the nano robot technology for nefarious ends…..
There are clear similarities to Pokemon even though the gameplay focus is different. Like that series the entire world revolves around robot battling. Children are the primary demographic but you are not traveling around the world building a team of custom robos. You receive the one robo at the start and instead earn unique parts to customize different aspects of your bot. These include your primary weapon, bomb, legs, and pods which are secondary weapons. There are no stats so you do not level up or gain experience from battling. Once you win a battle you usually earn one or more parts for further customization. If it sounds simplistic trust me it is not.
The customization options are expansive with dozens of options in almost every category by the end. It is not as expansive as the Armored Core games but there is no shortage in terms of variety. There are many long range and close range weapons as well as different movement options that it never felt limiting. There is some repetition among the parts as some are merely upgrades to existing options. Generally if you have a favorite weapon type like a homing shot, laser, or chain gun or specific bomb type chances are it is here in some form. The cool thing is prior to the start of every battle you can change your load out and try them out in a test environment. This is especially critical because it is near impossible to rely on the same items every time. In fact the game discourages it.
Your opponents come in all shapes and sizes but that is not the only factor to deal with. Custom Robo has a large assortment of arenas with unique environmental hazards that add further depth to combat. Sometimes it is a pool of lava in the middle of the field. You might want to equip leg parts to deal with slippery ice or legs that allow you to double jump and bypass a field densely packed with walls. There might be a moving train running through the arena or a harrier jet. In one battle ground the entire field shifts constantly and throws the barriers around as well! All of these factors play a role in each fight as they are both a help and possible hindrance. Incorporating the environment in to your strategy is almost as important as your parts and another reason the game is so fun.
Even the best battle system can be a slog if encounters drag on too long. Custom Robo avoids this due to brisk pacing. Both sides have 1000 hit points and depending on the attack it drains quickly. You can perform combos to pack in the damage and the game is smart enough to initiate invincibility frames to keep things fair. Despite this the average match only takes 2-3 minutes. The computer AI is generally aggressive and if your load out is sub optimal you will know immediately. Because of this the campaign is near perfect in its pacing. Even though it takes place over fourteen days each day only has a few battles. As cool as it would have been to travel the world like a Pokemon trainer I admit this setup works better for what the game is doing. That would come in a later game.
The tight controls are a result of the game’s smooth framerate. Custom Robo exhibits none of the framerate problems that plague many other Nintendo 64 games thanks to its small arenas. Since every battle takes place in an enclosed environment the framerate is consistent. There are few special effects outside of light source shading and transparency, no doubt a concession to keep things smooth. The sacrifice is worth it as it makes the gameplay sublime. While it is not a stunner with its squat pre-rendered sprites it is also devoid of the severe blurriness of other titles. The developers made smart choices with regards to the presentation and the game is better for it.
Although there is no post game in the story there are other modes to occupy your time. Vs. allows two players to duke it out using unlocked parts. Free Battle is essentially a training mode. Here you can choose the arena as well as your opponent’s behavior and parts. This is a great way to practice the more difficult battles in the story and a great feature I would use often. The most significant is Arcade mode. While it is just a series of quick matches arcade mode is actually longer than the campaign. This mode has five classes, from beginner to legend each with ten matches. All of the battles are opponents from the story but legend class has exclusive commanders making it a worthwhile endeavor. This mode is an excuse to enjoy the great gameplay a little more, not that it is necessary.
In Closing
Custom Robo is a fantastic game with deep battle mechanics and a satisfying story. The robust customization options mean you can spend months tinkering with different parts and still find something new. The Nintendo 64 desperately needed more games like this in the US and it is an absolute crime that it never left Japan. Do yourself a favor, find the fan translation and play this brilliant game. You will thank me later.
