Robot Arena III
- June 19, 2016
- Gabriel Interactive
- 25h median play time
"Robot Arena III" is a simulation game where players build and customize combat robots using various components, then battle them in arenas with hazards and traps. The Bot Lab provides powerful tools for creating and modifying robots, and advanced physics and graphics enhance the realism. The goal is to become the ultimate robot builder through strategic design and tactical combat.
Reviews
- The soundtrack fits the vibes of their respective arenas perfectly, enhancing the overall experience.
- The enemy bot designs are generally nice, showcasing creativity despite the game's flaws.
- The bot lab is simple to use for new players, allowing for some enjoyable robot customization.
- The game is riddled with bugs and glitches, making it nearly unplayable at times.
- It lacks the depth and freedom of customization found in its predecessor, Robot Arena 2.
- The developers have abandoned the game, leaving it in a broken and unfinished state.
- stability42 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly impact stability and gameplay experience. Many users report frequent crashes, freezing issues, and game-breaking glitches that hinder progress, leading to frustration despite the game's potential and enjoyable aspects. Overall, players recommend caution before purchasing, as the game feels unfinished and in need of substantial updates to address its stability issues.
“This game is buggy as all hell (at the moment) so for now I'd recommend staying alert and looking at recent updates before purchasing. Sadly, I made the mistake of pre-ordering this game, which was... not smart. Either wait for a very large and useful update, or see if any amazing mods come out to fix its issues.”
“Overall, the game is a very buggy mess.”
“I think that this game should have stayed in early access and not left for full release because of how buggy it still is.”
- graphics32 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the Robot Arena series, particularly in the latest installment, have received significant criticism for being outdated and lacking improvement compared to previous versions. Many users express disappointment that the visuals do not meet modern standards, with some describing them as "awful" and "kiddy," while others note that they feel reminiscent of the 2003 game, Robot Arena 2. Overall, the consensus is that the graphics are a major drawback, detracting from the overall experience of the game.
“The graphics are a bit old-fashioned, but the game works stable for me.”
“Textures look okay, and polygon counts are high, so no real complaints on the graphics side of things.”
“The graphics are on par with Robot Arena 2 from 2003; it even uses parts from it.”
“And while the visuals were never groundbreaking for the series, in 2019 these graphics are just not acceptable.”
“After playing around with the game for a few nights and trying to give it the best chance I could, I have to say that Robot Arena 3 has worse graphics, controls, physics, and overall quality is horrible in comparison to the others in the series.”
“The art style is ugly and very unrealistic, with many of the arenas looking much bigger than they do in the screenshots and many of the textures looking plasticky and visually unrealistic.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the bot-building mechanics and potential for fun, while others criticize the core gameplay for being poorly optimized, slow, and plagued by broken mechanics and physics issues. Many users feel that it lacks the depth and polish of its predecessor, Robot Arena 2, leading to frustration and disappointment. Overall, while there are elements of creativity and customization, significant gameplay problems hinder the overall experience.
“So far, I've really liked exploring the bot lab setup - lots of different ways to create and configure my bot, and I can tell already that the feature-rich options will make for super fun gameplay.”
“That said, I can tell the developers have put a lot of thought into both the lab and gameplay environments.”
“However, you can use the premade bots or just download some from the Steam Workshop and jump into the very fun gameplay.”
“Absolutely terrible. I bought this game thinking it would be like Robot Arena 2, but the game mechanics are off and everything is wrong about it.”
“The optimization on this game seems to be terrible thus far. I'm getting dreadful framerates during gameplay despite my computer's resources barely being used (bearing in mind I'm using a laptop), peaking at around 25% RAM usage and 40% CPU usage.”
“Core mechanics are broken, the physics engine is very poor. You can exploit the parts layout because there are no collisions inside the bot.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many users describing it as rough, uninspiring, and low quality, often likening it to stock instrumental tracks. While a few players found some enjoyment in the soundtrack, the overall consensus is that the music detracts from the gaming experience.
“First of all, the soundtrack.”
“Even if it's just one song, I liked it.”
“It's not the prettiest game; the soundtrack is rough, but there are good things too!”
“Robot arena games were never renowned for their graphics, soundtrack, physics, or even their AI.”
“On a side note, the music is annoying, the sound effects are low quality and just sound weird, and some are ripped from the old game.”
“Background music is uninspiring stock instrumental stuff.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users feeling that the developers prioritized profit over quality and player experience. Many reviewers express disappointment in the perceived abandonment by the developers, suggesting that the game was designed primarily to capitalize on current trends rather than to provide a meaningful gaming experience.
“It was a cash grab from the start to dump into another bad game.”
“Didn't want to post such a negative review, but the devs have abandoned us and they basically made a quick cash grab.”
“It is nothing more than a cash grab to ride the BattleBots and Robot Wars rebirths.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted to be hit-or-miss, with some players finding the wonky physics amusing and others feeling that the overall comedic potential is hindered by unfinished elements. While there are moments of genuine hilarity, many believe that improvements are needed for the humor to fully shine.
“Don't care who you are, that's funny right there and serves you right.”
“The wonky physics can be hilarious if that's any consolation.”
“I think this could be a really funny game in the future, but things need to be changed.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is marred by technical issues, as players report frustrating experiences where their custom robots become locked during missions, preventing further gameplay and limiting their ability to create or modify bots. This has led to a negative impact on the overall enjoyment of the story missions.
“After creating a robot for 45 minutes, I was playing story missions and actually had it lock my bot, and lock the mission.”
“Couldn't play it, couldn't end it, couldn't use my bot for other missions, or even copy my bot and make a new one.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting poor framerates and underutilization of system resources, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. Many users have noted that the performance issues contribute to discomfort, making the game difficult to enjoy.
“The optimization in this game seems to be terrible thus far. I'm getting dreadful framerates during gameplay despite my computer's resources barely being used, peaking at around 25% RAM usage and 40% CPU usage.”
“The optimization is bad when actually playing; it makes me dizzy and want to vomit.”
“It's a slow, slow, slow game, and that's not just the performance being bad.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a deep emotional connection to the game, reflecting on how it once played a significant role in their lives. The current state of the game evokes feelings of sadness and disappointment, as it has transformed from a highly anticipated sequel into an abandoned project, leaving players longing for its potential revival.
“It was a huge part of my life for a few years, and seeing it in this state now just hurts me emotionally. What once was a huge hype and great sequel has turned into a dark, abandoned prototype, just waiting for someone to finish it.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, particularly when it comes to creating intricate designs and utilizing functions that are not supported by the game editor. While the tasks are not overly difficult, the repetitive nature of the work can become monotonous.
“It's not hard, but very tedious work for creating fancy curves, elaborate points and edges, and performing negative scale functions which are not available in the game editor.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
“I find the grinding mechanics to be overly time-consuming, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.”