At first glance, Robo-War looks like an out of date game that spelled out the writing on the wall for Gottlieb back in the late 80s... and if you compare it to games like Taxi and Earthshaker, it absolutely was. This is probably the best game you’ve never played.
But with the advantage of hindsight, and without the need for the game to compare competitively for arcade space, Robo-War is an absolute players dream game.
The game has multiple strategies that can be stacked differently depending on how you want to approach the game. The first main objective is to spell ROBOWAR. The second is attaining multiball. When going to spell ROBOWAR, you want to advance as many letters as you can early on in the game--as your progress is carried over ball to ball. Each letter is worth 10,000 points. While doing this, you want to advance the multiplier. You can rack up as much as a 15x bonus, which is applied to each letter. The bonus advance targets move around the playfield, so it forces the player to make a various shots around the playfield at different times.
In multiball, the player's objective is to hammer down the drop targets. You get 3,000 points TIMES the multiplier for each target during multiball--so it behooves the player to really focus on building the bonus multiplier each ball before working on other objectives (you can theoretically work the target value up to 45,000 points EACH). This score is compounded, but not added to the players final score until the end of the final ball. A shot up the ramp during multiball scores the player’s multi-bonus, but doesn’t reset it. You are your own best jackpot. Simple, but effective.
There's definitely more than meets the eye on this game, and it's a shame it's often overlooked.
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Pros:
--The music package is OUTSTANDING. Gottlieb based the soundtrack off of Gustav Holst's Orchestral Planet Suite "Mars: Bringer of War" and it's depth and breadth is unparalleled when compared with what William's was doing. I don't think any other game has an early century orchestral sountrack.
--Visually, this game stands out as well. It has great light shows, and while I'm not generally a fan of LEDs in games, this game BEGS to have a conversion done.
--The game is a shooters paradise. Care must be taken to shoot the drop targets in order, and "sweeping" the beta drop target bank is always satisfying. Especially when coupled with a good spinner rip. Good risk and reward here, and the lock qualification shot, while always available, is NEVER easy.
Cons:
--There's not much reward to completing everything, other than the crazy bonus score the player can accumulate when spelling out ROBOWAR and lighting special. Though, there is plenty of strategy.
--Speech is repetitive, but typical for the era.
--Flippers never seem strong enough. Luck and laser beam precision is needed to really make this game sing. Sometimes a successful lock shot feels more like luck than skill.
Overall, it's a real shame the game is so rare. People are missing out on a real gem. If you see one, play it.
Evansville, IN
Almelo
