Post by Great Dark Hero on May 21, 2015 0:41:02 GMT -5
Game Review:
Great Dark Hero
05 / 20 / 2015
Rocket: Robot on Wheels
Plot
Story revolves around a recently constructed amusement park in which a man named Dr.Gavin is facilitating, as he is responsible for creating the amusement park. This amusement park is known as Whoopie World, with its mascot being a playful yet seemingly sleepy purple Walrus. Beside the Walrus the audience would be introducd to a sneaky antagonist known as Jojo the racoon. The racoon was bent on taking over Whoopie World in order to turn it into an amusement park named after himself, "Jojo World." We have our main protagonist known as Rocket... a robot on wheels in a literal sense, conversing with Dr. Gavin about the grand opening of Whoopie World. Rocket himself is a maintenance robot created by Dr. Gavin, along with another robot known as Rocket who will help Rocket over the course of the game. Dr. Gavin tasked Rocket to guard the Whoopie World tickets, the machines that run the amusement park along with its segments and the Tinker Tokens. At the time Dr. Gavin was speaking to Rocket, both Whoopie and Jojo were in their cages, preparing for the amusement park opening the day after. Dr. Gavin leaves to run a errand while Rocket stays behind to keep track of the all of the equipment that would be used for the amusement park. However, as Rocket proceeds to guard the room, the racoon sneaks out of his cage very shortly after Rocket watched Dr. Gavin leave. Next thing he knows, all of the tickets and tokens are stolen, all of the machine parts are taken apart, and the amusement part has been thrown into discord. Jojo escapes the room while also managing to kidnap Whoopie while he was sleeping. It is now up to Rocket to save Whoopie World and stop Jojo for executing his evil plans for taking over the amusement park before Dr. Gavin gets back. Rocket: Robot on Wheels revolves around Rocket himself roaming the amusement park in order to restore it to its glory while capturing Jojo the racoon and rescuing Whoopie the walrus mascot of the amusement park. Rocket would have to brace himself for a wild adventure within the amusement park, solving elaborate puzzles, fixing everything that was broken by Jojo, and utilizing awesome machines to get throw obstacles while reaching his goal.
... In retrospect, the plot is somewhat generic but passable. For obvious reasons, the game does not take itself seriously at all. Rocket basically needs to save an amusement from a jealous racoon. There you have it. In a way it comes across as a Saturday morning cartoon, like what you would see on Tom and Jerry for example.
Game Play
The most important matter when it comes to the development of video games. The game play. And, this is the aspect that Rocket: Robot on Wheels gets right on all levels. The game is treated like a 3D platformer and there is plenty of freedom to offer. In a way, it is somewhat unorthodox when it starts off as Rocket's options are limited first hand. Keep in mind that Rocket has a health bar, but his case, they look like atoms. Rocket can restore his health by slamming objects or enemies on the ground and then using the yellow orbs to recover health. If Rocket gets hit, he loses one atom in the health bar. Rocket also loses health if he is dropped in a bottomless pit (which you will end up seeing a lot, especially later on the game). It is possible to extent Rocket's health so that he can take more hits. There is also a recharge console located periodically throughout the hub Whoopie World stage which will completely recover Rocket's health. Rocket can run and jump, both aspects which are necessary for every other platforming game. Pressing the B button would allow Rocket to emit a light from his helmet. This is referred to as the Tractor Beam. The Tractor Beam does not have that much range but it can be used for carrying some objects. Pressing R while carring the said objects will have Rocket simply drop the object. He can carry small items, bigger objects and even some enemies. As Rocket collects Tinker Tokens he can speak to another fellow repair robot named Tinker whom was was also created by Dr. Gavin. would provide Rocket with modifications and new power-ups overtime. Tinker is also a fellow robot who will help Rocket periodically throughout his adventure in the amusement park. There is a single hub world, which is the amusement park itself. Then there are are a total of six worlds in which Rocket must visit in order to completely his obligation. Many of the the said worlds offer something very unique and thrilling about them that allows the player to explore and conduct the necessary activities that would allow them to make progress. In fact, the player can easily keep track of their progression by simply pausing the game and looking at the hints and stats. In that option, the player will be given clues about where the tickets are and how to get them. The player will also recieve insight on the types of vehicles that are available in the area depending on which world Rocket is visiting. The main goal in completing each of these worlds are by collecting the tickets and fixing the machine parts in the area that run the important parts of the world. Finding the machine parts will allow more access to the world that Rocket is in and it will also score him a free ticket. There are always six machine parts located in each world. Collecting all of the Tinker Tokens will also net Rocket a free ticket. It is advised that the player tries to find as many of the tickets and Tinker Tokens as possible as it will speed up Rocket's progression a lot more and he will gain access to brand new abilities in a much shorter amount of time. Throughout the worlds, Tinker head will show up in a hologram found in certain areas. The player can speak to him in case they need any help.
Another game play element to note are the vehicles themselves Witin most of the worlds, there are certain vehicles that Rocket can utilize to solve problems, enhance mobility and to conduct certain tasks that are exclusive to that stage. These vehicles are also part of what makes the six worlds unique. However, the player needs to explore the level and find the said vehicles first in order for them to become readily available in the stage within certain areas that permit their usage (normally, after Rocket finds a certain vehicle, he can press a blue button that is located periodically throughout a world and the vehicle will appear beside Rocket, ready to be utilized). To elaborate more on the Tinker Token's, there are actually three kinds of them. There are the silver, gold and purple tokens. The silver tokens are worth 1 token. The gold tokens are worth 5 while the purple ones are worth 10. Within each world (including the hub stage), there are usually 200 tokens to collect. It would be ideal to go for an 100% completion by collecting all of the Tinker Tokens and the tickets. The task is relatively difficult but certainly not impossible. Overtime the task will become gradually easier and understandable based on the players own experience.
Camera work is relatively decent as the player can easily control the camera by pressing the left or right C-buttons. The top C-button will allow the player to zoom in on most cases but there are certain points in the game where you will not be allowed to do so. The bottom C-button allows the player to simply place the camera behind Rocket in order to adjust the camera. Even if the camera should somehow become distorted, the player still retains control over it for the most part and it does not really get in the way of the game play at all.
Using the Tractor Beam is generally useful, but it can lead to particular funny (but non-game breaking) situations. For example, you can hold on objects or enemies. As you do you can place yourself in a position where there is a barrier or door between you and the object that you are carrying. This is pretty funny. There also times where you could be carry certain enemies but you may get hit by them anyway. As for the upgrades, all the upgrades that Rocket recieves will become mandatory at some point later on in the game as the player goes through the motion of collect tickets and Tinker Tokens. The upgrades that Rocket will recieve will include a Slam option which will be used as a actual method of defending yourself, outside of throwing enemies away or tossing stuff at opponents (most enemies will not die unless you slam them). This can be done by grabbing an enemy with the Tractor Beam, jump into the air and slamming them on the ground by holding the Z button and pressing B while you are in mid air. Note: You can do this at almost any point as long as you are in mid-air, in fact - you can do instantly the very moment Rocket leaves the ground from his jump. The second upgrade Tinker will provide for Rocket would be the Double Jump which allows Rocket to extend his jump and reach places that he couldn't before. Rocket will recieve this upgrade shortly after finishing (or at least collecting a select amount of extra Tinker Tokens) after the very first level of the game. He also gets the ability to freeze opponents with his Freeze Ray (Holding Z+A) or use a long range grappling tool (Holding Z+B) to using the Tractor Beam from a far to grab objects from far away or to reach higher places. The Freeze Ray can be used for making ice platforms when there is water nearby to get to places you couldn't before. There are not too many water-based levels to begin with, not so much as where you will be using a vehicle moreso to travel around on the water but we will get to that later. When Rocket is underwater, he can not double jump and he can not necessarily swim either. Interesting if while Rocket is underwater and if the camera zooms in close enough to the point where Rocket is positioned underwater, the music of the stage will change into a "underwater" variant of the actual background music that was playing in the stage. There are methods of increasing the general proficiency of these upgrades but they require cheat codes to do so. While these power ups do become mandatory, they are also generally useful in a lot of situations.
Creativity
This is another aspect that sticks out in the series. This goes for the protagonist, Rocket himself and the most of the Worlds. The level designs are pretty well done. Again, there are six worlds (stages) within the Whoopie World hub stage in which Rocket can access over time as he makes progress in collecting tickets and the Tinker Tokens. The player will be introduced to Clowny Island, Paint Misbehavin', Mine Bowl, Arabian Flights and the Pyramid Scheme. Clowny Island will be the very fist world that Rocket will visit. To provide a summary of all the stages... Clowny Island is a great starting point for beginners to get used to how the game functions and controls while also introducing the general consensus of the game play and offering small time mini games at the Midway area. The player can also use the Galaxy 2000 Racecar to race against another friendly robotic vehicle towards the middle of the stage. The player can even build roller coasters and play around with them and he can visit a fancy beehive area. Paint Misbehavin' is the second stage in which Rocket will deal with a "Roman/Greek" background with the ability to use the Hoversplat vehicle to color different things. Towards the second half of the level, Rocket will have to swim through an elaborate water puzzle with the Finbot vehicle. Within the Mine Bowling stage, Rocket will have to deal with... wierd mushrooms that will grab him to stop him from moving... Rocket can get out of their grasp by jumping three times in succession. He can also use the Beamlift vehicle in this stage for moving much bigger objects. Rocket will run into exploding gems, use a lot of bombs (in which will explode if they touch anything), and ride a nice little mine cart to explore more parts of the level. Next, we have the Arabian Flights in which Rocket will fly around on the Shag Flyer, visiting smaller areas to do other fun things within the stages such as playing around with magnets, uncovering cool secrets, chasing large birds for tickets and platforming around for tickets and Tinker Tokens! It is important to keep in mind that there are many secret areas within the stage that players must uncover and this goes for the hub Whoopie World stage as well. Next we have the Food Fright which is a pretty fun stage. It is a halloween-based stage where many objects are actually made out of candy or sweet-food objects (which is part of the reason I like this stage in the first place). The second half of the stage includes riding on a Spider Rider to migrate and complete tasks within the smaller areas. Just so the player knows... Rocket actually has to go INSIDE of the monster to collect a ticket. Yes. You read that correctly. And, maneuvering around the inside of the said monster can be relatively difficult based on how the Spider Rider vehicle works. And, for my least favorite stage of the game: Pyramid Scheme. Rocket basically needs to collect the six machine parts in this level to trigger a parallel volcanic hell-ish universe in that world upon going inside of a big pyramid to fix this part of the amusement park. In the said zone, he can use the Glider Bike which is very cool but somewhat hard to control when you are trying to fly towards higher levels at the stage at top speeds. Some of the puzzles in this stage are far more elaborate. This could probably be the hardest stage in the game in a manner of speaking. There is also a final stage in which Jojo shows up to challenge Rocket through variations of all the stages that Rocket just visited. From there, the player will be able to beat the game. Keep in mind that there are two "endings" to the game. One will consist of Dr. Gavin simply congratualating Rocket for capturing Jojo and rescue Whoopie himself (in a comical manner) but he warns Rocket that he also still needs to collect the remaining Tinker Tokens and tickets around the park. The secondary ending consist of a full blown congratualations sequence... the credits... are shown in a very... interesting fashion where the player can still control Rocket and view the credits! How clever. On a personal level, I enjoy all of the stages, but if I were to choose I generally like the Clowny World, the Arabian Flights and Food Fright. In terms of difficulty, some of the tasks can be somewhat tedious but not overly punishing as the player is given quite a bit of lead way.
Sound
The music in the game is very well done. The general tone is that it introduces a rather jazzy and relaxing vibe to each of them which can easily fit into sequences where players are solving puzzles or simply trying to figure them out. The game generally has a very consistent and great soundtrack for those who enjoy listening to jazz or smooth soundtrack. Some of the soundtracks do produce a sense of urgency depending on where you are in the stage. I also stated that when Rocket is underwater with the camera positioned where he is, the music will change in a variation of the of the actual background music. This applies to every other stage that Rocket visits (the ones that have points where Rocket has to go underwater anyway).
The use of the piano within many of the said songs have a way of making the player feel as if they are in a very comfortable environment, all the while trying to solve a odd puzzle, which works pretty well for a game such as this. I love the Clowny Island theme song for example as it introduces a very cool environment. The soundtracks can be somewhat ambient but there is always the consistent jazz-like musical riff going on, along with extensive use of piano elements. At certain points in the game, some of the music can be relatively monotonous but not enough to make players angry or any of the sort, even if they should spend a lot of time within a certain stage. None of the character actually "speak" to each other. When text appears, the responding character simply makes a "hmm" or a some other odd noise that is exclusive to them to let the player know who is actually speaking to Rocket. Rocket himself is a classical silent protagonist, therefore he will not say anything. All we know about this character is that he means well and that he wants to save Whoopie World on Dr. Gavin's behalf. When he conducts certain actions in the game, he makes a bunch of "weee" or "yoohoo!" sounds which doesn't give much away nor are the particular annoying. The rest of the sound effects are decent at the very least and subtle. When you use Rocket's Tractor Beam, you can here a very quiet noise coming from it as the player holds down on the B button. When Rocket goes near an enemy (mainly the security bots) they make a small buzzing noise indicating that they know that Rocket is there.
Replay Value
The game does offer quite a few methods of playing the game as it also has cheat codes that will automatically provide Rocket with power-ups outside of what the game offers (however, in some cases, Rocket would have to obtain some of the in-game upgrades from Tinker himself before he can use some of the cheat codes). It is possible for speed runs to take place depending on what the player is going for. Or, the player can go for a 100% completion, while also beating the final stage. Otherwise, the player can gradually make progress and complete the game prematurely and then get every other collectable items later as there is no real time limit on the game.
PROS
- Generous challenges and difficulty
- Offers many ways of playing the game and freedom
- Awesome level design and concepts
CONS
- Somewhat obscure
- This game would likely have to be emulated as this is actually played on the N64
- Can be frustrating later on in the game for first time players
Grade
9 / 10
A very great... yet obscure video game. If players are looking for a very good platform that offers a decent challenge with an somewhat unorthodox protagonist, this is a very great game to play.
