Ideas for a Robotech Game

Upon learning of a rumored live-action film based on the Robotech universe, my interest in the series has rekindled.  I started watching the Macross Saga, the first part of the anime.  Robotech is a strange series, having been pieced together from three separate and unrelated anime cartoons.  The Macross Saga is adapted and edited from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime.

Before there were Transformers, there was Macross, the original transforming mechas.  The protagonists in the series operate Veritech fighters, essentially jet fighters, which can transform into bipedal mechas.  The SDF-1, which is the space fortress that forms the backbone of the Earth’s defense against alien invaders, can also transform between bipedal mecha and space cruiser modes.

The setting for the series is based on a mysterious alien spacecraft which crash lands on Earth.  Dubbed the SDF-1 (Super Dimension Fortress), the spacecraft is retrofitted with human technology to make it operable by the inhabitants of Earth.  From studying the SDF-1, humans discover Robotechonolgy, which is used to create the transforming Veritech fighters.

Conflict arises when the Zentradi, a humanoid race of space-faring beings who are roughly 40 feet tall, descend upon the Earth to recover the SDF-1 for something called “protoculture.”  The Zentradi bring millions of space cruisers housing a seemingly unlimited number of Zentradi operated battle pods to invade the Earth and recover the SDF-1.  The crew of the SDF-1 and its Veritech fighter pilots are all that stand between the Earth and total annihilation.

Great setting for a game, right?  This got me thinking, where are all the Robotech games?  Are there any good ones?

I’ve specifically focused on Robotech-based games rather than Macross-based games.  There are a truckload of Macross games, and the vast majority of them are side-scrolling shooters.  In addition, these titles are exclusive to Japan, and I’d like to stay focused on titles available in North America.

The first Robotech game appears to be Robotech: Crystal Dreams for the N64.  The game was never completed, but was supposed to be primarily a space flight sim.  The game was set to be open-ended, allowing the player to choose which missions to go on and which organizations to assist.  Sounds like it could have been an interesting game.

Robotech: Battlecry was developed in 2002 by Vicious Cycle Software, made up of former MicroProse developers.  Battlecry is a third-person action game in which the player controls a Veritech fighter and can switch between fighter, guardian, and battloid modes at will.

Overall, the game follows a linear, narrative-driven gameplay style.  The game also uses a cartoonish art direction, which I think works well.

Battlecry received above-average reviews, but I’m a little disappointed from a team who once worked on quality strategy titles at MicroProse.  Feels like a lost opportunity.

Also released in 2002 was Robotech: The Macross Saga for the Game Boy Advance.  Essentially a side-scrolling shooter, and there’s nothing really standout about the game.

Vicious Cycle released a second game in the Robotech universe, titled, Robotech: Invasion.  This time, our Robotech-based game focuses not on the Macross Saga but the New Generation, the third part of the Robotech anime.  Invasion plays from first/third-person perspective and no longer makes use of a cartoonish art style.  This second offering from Vicious Cycle also follows a linear, narrative-driven gameplay style.

Finally, though I think this barely counts, we have Robotech: The New Generation for mobile phones.  Released in 2007, it’s a top-down scrolling shooter.

That’s not a lot, and what we have been given is either arcade style shooters or bland, mediocre first/third-person action games.  I feel there has been some massive wasted potential.

What would a perfect Robotech game be?  One that puts you in command of your own Veritech fighter squad aboard the SDF-1.  Taking a page from the aborted Crystal Dreams, Players would have the ability to select which missions to go on and thus would be making decisions about where they would like to affect the overall battlefield.  Moreover, by selecting missions players can influence the way the campaign unfolds.

The Zentradi invasion could be like a dynamic campaign, similar to what From Software accomplished with the online component of Chrome Hounds (yet this need not be exclusively multiplayer. Intelligent/unpredictable computer AI can go a long way.)

Therefore, the Zentradi would be like an opposing player in the game, actively trying to invade and destroy the Earth in order to capture the SDF-1.  The player’s responsibility would be to ensure that this does not happen while also working towards the goal of removing the Zentradi threat.

There could also be many different mission types, each of which could affect the campaign in different ways.  For example, players could choose to strike a particular Zentradi space cruiser in order to salvage alien technology for study.

This salvage could be used to develop more powerful weapons or Veritech fighters, or the salvage could be the capture of protoculture, which can be a necessary resource to power the Robotechnology used by the SDF-1 and Veritech fighters.

Players could be given a squad of five pilots, each with their own Veritech fighter that can be customized with different parts/weapons, similar to the Front Mission series.  Each pilot can also have unique stats, like X-COM: UFO Defense, such as accuracy and piloting skill.

I’d also prefer that battle missions play out in a turn-based fashion, in order to give players enough time to plan and enact strategic tactical maneuvers.  In addition, like Battlecry, the different Veritech fighter modes can be important during missions by having their own advantages/disadvantages, such as a maneuverability/firepower trade-off between fighter and battloid modes.

When not on missions, players should be able to manage their squad in some sort of hub and have the ability to direct research and development, hire new pilots and purchase/manufacture new Veritech fighters to replace ones lost during a previous mission.

In reflection of this post, though, it seems like I want an X-COM game in the Robotech universe.  Regardless, I believe this would be an awesome game and one I would play endlessly.