Categorizing
Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament is a bit difficult. On some level, it plays out like a traditional RPG, with character development and story and NPCs. On another, you'll find this feels more like a job simulation, with lots of quests that fall more into the category of mundane tasks. Finally, you'll get plenty of robot battling, controlled in a style that is sufficiently heavy on action to make for at least an Action/RPG label. That is probably the easiest way to file the game, since the job-sim stuff still fits well within the purview of most RPGs, as fodder for questing. Building experience and wealth is a must in
Steambot Chronicles. You are cast as either a boy or girl new to town, that must prove his or her worth in the arena. Opponents will crush you unless you can gather the best new equipment and customize your 'bot in the shop. Lucky that you develop a good relationship early on with Venus and can load up on gear, provided you have enough cash on hand.
Gathering that cash is the meat of Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament. If you enjoy slow, steady gameplay that rewards patient players, you'll find much to like here. The repetition was frankly a bit... repetitious, for us. We wished for more variety in both the quest choices and the arena gameplay. Taking on quests or missions is all wrapped around the local employment office, where a lovely lady with a sultry voice will tell you about those in town in need of a hired hand. Mundane tasks like delivering a newspaper take on extra excitement when you have to fight your way through aggressive 'bots along the path to your destination. This is the best part of the game, but there aren't enough new areas or new enemies or new jobs to keep things fresh. Delivering your 10th paper to the same area and fighting the same 'bots just isn't thrilling. You will find that upgrades make the going easier, as you spend your hard-earned cash on new robot parts like arms, legs, frames, and accessories. The decision to upgrade versus buying new parts is a bit meaningless - you'll always need the best parts and you'll always have to upgrade them to defeat the strongest enemies in the arena. Multiplayer is fun enough, provided you have a friend with a copy of the game that enjoys the arena gameplay. Various locations simulated in the arena offer variety, and you will enjoy seeing your friends' customizations to their 'bots, but the actual controls allow too much fudging and button-mashing. A true online component might have taken multiplayer in Steambot Chronicles to another level.
