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Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Irem Software Engineering
Genre: Action RPG
Release Date: June 30, 2009
Platform: Playstation Portable
Rating: E10+ - Everyone 10+
Reviewer: Eric
Not too many people got to enjoy Steambot Chronicles when it was first
released on the Playstation 2. This mech action adventure role playing game had
the few PS2 fans that played it enjoy every moment of it. Steambot Chronicles is
hopefully going to see a second wind in its career and Sony is more than willing
to put it out on the PSP.
The world of Steambot Chronicles is set in an era where most of the better RPGs
take place, Victorian times (Medevil era RPGs are first still in my mind).
Before the actual story starts you get to pick from a male or female character,
then you get to give yourself a name, along with your mech. The start of
Steambot Chronicles’s humor starts when it tells you not to go with a dirty name
for your mech since you have to live with it.
One part of Steambot Chronicles that hasn’t aged too well are the controls.
There is just too much in this game and the controls tend to get all tangled up.
Moving your character/mech is simple but when you start to battle enemies you
can tell the PSP version has the same problems as the Playstation 2. You need to
give it some time but even then it might be too much to handle if you are
somebody that likes to play multiple games at once.
The game starts right into it almost right away. Most of the game you’ll have to
run back to pick up some missions. Most missions either have you finding certain
items (lots of wood) or beating up those baddies that are causing trouble.
Collect items and earn your money to upgrade your mech. Cool times, just get
ready to do the same thing a lot.
Steambot Chronicles is sort of lacking in the storyline department. Your basic
jest of things is to win the Battle Tournament. Other than that part things sort
of go off of your missions. Once those missions are over that part of the story
is done and you are back to nothing.
So how about that Battle Tournament? This is a big problem with the game since
it is so repetitive. I know to a certain degree most tournaments in role playing
games are repetitive but something about Steambot Chronicles tournament just
can’t help the empty void that was made from the games lack of story.
Upgrading your mech makes good of a bad thing. You can mix and match any of the
pieces inside of the game. There are really endless opportunities on how your
mech turns out. All of the pieces give your mech a different look too; no stupid
“looks the same” bull shit some RPGs pull.
For a PSP game Steambot Chronicles looks great on the portable screen. Character
models are fluent and the day and night transitions are truly something to brag
about. There are no loading screens when this happens but you do have to bear
with a few loading screens during parts of the game. Nothing too bad though, the
length never seems to go over a few seconds (5-6 seconds top).
The music and sound in Steambot Chronicles in the game is another treat. Most of
the dialogue in the game is spoken by some pretty good voice acting. During key
points during the dialogue you’ll have to pick a way to respond. These points in
the dialogue lead to different paths and it opens up more of the games humor
(depending on your answer). This, along with the games soundtrack, really leads
to another Grade A achievement from Atlus’s current PSP lineup.
Final Verdict
The rebirth of Steambot Chronicles on the PSP is a real great treat to both
collectors and hardcore gamers. Steambot Chronicles has a certain charm to it
that makes it the silent killer amongst the vast collection of role playing
games on the PSP. The updated version does still have the confusing controls and
the story is lacking any real plot. This version of Steambot Chronicles is one
you should add in your collection but make sure you know what you’re getting
into.
Rating Breakdown
Gameplay: 7 out of 10
+ A fun and entertaining mech RPG that stays true to its
form.
- The controls have a steep learning curve.
Graphics: 8 out of 10
+ The visuals fit the PSP well.
- No real detail in most areas.
Audio: 9 out of 10
+ Solid effort with the voice work and music.
- The music doesn’t always fit the game.
Replay Value: 7 out of 10
+ Linking to other players adds new life to the game.
- Might be hard playing this +15 hour game again so soon due
to missions.
Overall
7.75 out of 10
More reviews:
MetaCritic: 9/10
TestFreaks: 8/10
Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament Trailer
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