RoboCop: Rogue Citybrings back the iconic 1980s character in a way we haven’t seen in a long time. While its trailers and gameplay demonstrations impress, you might be wondering if it is worth your time to actually play. Well, we have played it and are here to give you more information.
The entries below should tell you whether or not RoboCop: Rogue City is right for you and should also help you have a better time with the game overall since you will have a better idea of what’s in store. The game is ultimately a must-buy for any fan of the character, but also for anyone interested in atypical first-person shooters.
8You Move Like A Tank
The game eschews thefluid movementand twitch-shooting controls most modern shooters go for. Here, you move just like RoboCop. You slowly creep through the environment like a walking tank while enemies shoot in your direction. There are no cover mechanics, climbing up ledges, or wall running.
After all, none of these are characteristic of how RoboCop would actually move. While this would detract points from most shooters, it only makes sense for RoboCop. The character has a very specific way of walking that’s genuinely hard to replicate in real life, but the game does it well.
7Experience Points And Levels Matter
The most surprising thing about RoboCop: Rogue City is that it plays like a mini-RPG. Many missions are small hubs with collectibles and side quests. You earn experience to level up one of several categories. These are important and influence the way you will play.
Certain categories let you interact with objects you otherwise would be locked out of like safes and health stations. Others affect combat like letting you slow down combat or use a dash and knock down enemies.
6It’s Extremely Violent
This is something you could see in gameplay demonstrations but it really doesn’t become clear until the controller is in your hands. The game is extremely violent. Your bullets produce clouds of blood with every hit and explosions throw limbs in all different directions.
Looking back on any area after a firefight shows the results of the destruction with gore on the walls and body parts scattered about. It is reminiscent of the ultra-violence fromsome shooters of the 2000slike Cold Winter or F.E.A.R. The extreme gore is appropriate for the RoboCop franchise, whose first two films indulged in squibs and fake blood.
5Combat Evolves As You Progress
You might have some hesitation about the game, fearing that the combat will grow tiring after the initial awe of the unique action ends. However, Rogue City does do its best to switch things up with new enemy types that require new strategies to combat.
Snipers will try and shoot you from far away, while gangsters on motorcycles quickly encircle you. There are also special sequences that put you in a friendly competition with allies to see who can get the most kills.
4There’s A Surprising Level Of Interactivity
In Rogue City, the environment can be just as useful as a gun. The titular character can grab objects from the environment and throw them at enemies to kill them without wasting any bullets. You can also put enemies in a one-handed chokehold and throw them back, instantly disposing of them while knocking down other guards.
Then there’s the level of destruction in firefights. Walls become chipped when shot and other parts of the environment are thrown around or broken as they get damaged, truly making most firefights look like they wereripped directly from a 1980s action movie.
3There Are Long Stretches Of Gameplay With No Combat
With all this focus on combat and shooting, it is also important to point out that there are large stretches of gameplay with no combat whatsoever. Many of the side-quests are based around dialogue or solving a case using your special detective skills. While walking around the police station or the city, you don’t even have the option to pull out your gun.
Whether this is a plus or a minus is entirely up to you. Maybe some would prefer a streamlined experience that throws you from level to level, but the quiet moments also really help you appreciate the level of detail and effort the developer put into making this game feel like RoboCop.
2It Looks And Feels Like The First Two Movies
RoboCop: Rogue City does not take place in the future as we would imagine it today. Instead, it is a perfect recreation of the cyberpunk aesthetic the originalmovie captured in the 1980s. There may be robots working as police officers, but people still use CRT televisions and police vehicles look like repurposed civilian vehicles.
Most importantly, the Detroit in Rogue City feels oppressive and grimey. Aiming for the look of the movies was the right way to go, being both a treat to the fans and also showing that this world is where RoboCop works best. A remake from 2014 tried to update the world of RoboCop but it didn’t work out and the movie is largely forgotten now.
1Choices Matter And There Are Multiple Endings
You make choices during cutscenes and the game even puts a notification on the screen indicating that your choice has affected the character. While the decision-making doesn’t go as deep as Baldur’s Gate 3 or Fallout: New Vegas, they do affect the outcome of the ending.
On a smaller level, characters respond to you in a different way depending on the dialogue choice you choose. A lot of the choices you make have to do with RoboCop’s humanity and letting you influence the balance of how much RoboCop feels like a machine versus being Alex Murphy.
