The Puzzle-RPG hybrid is not, at this point, a particularly novel genre. Obviously, Puzzle Quest is the game that comes most readily to mind, but other games have picked up the idea and run with it in the time since; Gyromancer fits the mold, as do iPhone success stories like Dungeon Raid and Sword & Poker. Today, though, I do have something a little different for you. Today I have the brainchild that comes about when somebody decides that the game that really needs a little RPG love... is Minesweeper.
Tongue planted firmly in cheek, Legend of the Golden Robot riffs on pretty much all the stereotypical RPG tropes, tossing them on top of a gameplay style that I certainly didn't expect would accept them as well as it does. While I don't think it's going to hold anybody's attention for weeks to come, there's more to like here than I anticipated, and I'm excited to share it with you.
As soon as you start up Legend of the Golden Robot, you'll know that it isn't a game that expects you to take it at all seriously. With a hero who's a thinly veiled Indiana Jones parody tossed into a world where Indy has no place being, a deep story is obviously not the focus here. There's an evil wizard. If you collect a whole lot of treasure, you can defeat him with a golden robot. Go.
Yeah, that's how it tends to go with evil wizards.
So what is the focus? Progressive exploration, handled through a combination of Minesweeper-style area maps and battles that take place as you explore them. The basic gameplay structure is this: you have 24 hours of in-game time to explore each area map. Digging up a tile might take 1, 2 or more hours depending on the terrain type and your equipment. Moving between tiles also takes up time. So does fighting. There's no game-ending "explosion" equivalent to Minesweeper's risk/reward equation, but there is a different balancing act to manage: entering a map costs money, and you need to recoup your investment. Later maps require a higher investment to enter, so you must prioritize your movement and your digging to try to ensure finding the best treasure.
I wonder why the elves never dig for the treasure. They clearly spend all day here.
It's remarkable to me how engaging the Minesweeper formula still is after all these years. Much like a Sudoku puzzle or any other "logical elimination" challenge, I found myself carefully considering my options before any move or dig attempt, as a wasted dig costs precious time, and time is money. There is, of course, the classic annoyance of needing to essentially start blind, and occasionally needing to simply guess when enough information isn't there to lead you to a conclusion, but the lack of an instant-fail condition mitigates that problem.
As for the battles, they're a fairly straightforward and frankly kind of tedious affair that I'm not really sure the game needed. It's an excuse to give you more stats to grind and equipment to buy with the money you're earning, but just having equipment that lets you play the Minesweeper-inspired part more effectively probably could have scratched the RPG itch for me. Turn-based battles with few options most often devolve into repeatedly clicking the same thing, especially once the enemies are less of a threat to you, and that certainly held to be true here.
Oh no, not a Dwarf Soldier, whatever will I do. Yawn.
Still, I do think the RPG elements bring more good than bad to the table. It's fun to head to the shop and see what new equipment can make you either a better fighter or a better treasure hunter between expeditions; there's the usual stat allocating after gaining levels; there are even minigames you can play at the tavern for bonuses, if you feel so inclined. It's a casual experience for sure (even death is easily recovered from via a Typing of the Dead style minigame), but one that kept me more engrossed than I gave it credit for initially.
Mmmm, delicious, delicious stats.
So there you have it; yet another gameplay style on which the RPG can be layered with at least a modicum of success. What'll be next? Snake? SkiFree? Let me know your predictions, and we'll all find out together.
Legend of the Golden Robot is...
- self aware and lighthearted, which always earns points with me.
- not a great RPG, but still a pretty great idea.
- a neat spin on one of the oldest and most-played PC games around.
- worth at least a few minutes of your time, even just as a curiosity.
It's a Flash game hosted on Kongregate, so you can head over there right now and give it a whirl. Enjoy.
"Free And Worth Every Penny" is a column I collaborate on with Mike Bellmore at Colony of Gamers. This piece also appears there. If you're done with this one and want more, feel free to browse the archives.