Robo Pit

From Sega Retro

n/a

RoboPit title.png

Robo Pit
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Altron (JP), Kokopeli Digital Studios (NA/EU)
Developer:
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (12 tracks)
Genre: Action

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Saturn
JP 		¥5,8005,800 T-16603G
Sega Saturn
US 		T-10002H
Sega Saturn
EU 		T-10002H-50

Robo Pit (ロボ・ピット) is a one-on-one fighting game developed by Altron for the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation.

Gameplay

Robo Pit is a versus fighting game, in which players construct robots out of a selection of parts (a head/torso, eyes (because unlike the Western box art, the in-game robots opt for a "cute" aesthetic), "legs" and two arms) to fight one another on a 3D playing field. By default the camera is positioned behind the player, but it can be adjusted, for example, to create a first person fighting game.

You start with a ranking of 101, and can challenge any of the 100 robots ahead of you in an attempt to move up the rankings and into first place. Destroying your opponent will move you up, while losing will move you down. As you accumulate experience through matches, your robot becomes stronger which makes traversing up the rankings much easier - while it is fully possible to complete the game in a small handful of matches, the strongest robots will destroy you in one or two hits if the player hasn't practised.

An "auto fight" feature also exists, in which the computer will take control of your robot for you, however the outcome here is usually determined by raw stats rather than strategy, as the computer does not make full use of its surroundings.

Winning a battle can be achieved in two ways - either by draining a life bar or by knocking the opponent out of the ring. The winner then takes the opponent's arms (the only part of a robot that can be adjusted after its initial creation), which are often stronger than those found in the initial pool of components. Arms range from strong melee attacks such as swords and shields, to weaker long-range attacks like guns. Often an empty hand is a good way forward, as it can pick up obstacles on the field and throw them at enemies from afar.

Accumulated damage will add to a power bar allowing for special attacks. There is a standard ramming move available to all robots, and others which are determined by which arms are equipped. It is also possible to inflict damage just by jumping on your opponent.

There are about five stages (not including variants played at different times of the day) which are selected at random when entering a fight. Some matches feature special robots in their own arenas - the closest Robo Pit has to boss battles (although like all enemy robots, they can be avoided if the player chooses). The only battle that can't be avoided (although you may have to challenge the top ranking robot a few times to get into this position) is Zenith, a robot that only appears when the user is ranked at No. 1.

Versions

Despite launching a month after its PlayStation counterpart, the Sega Saturn version of Robo Pit is the more primitive of the two versions, lacking much of the presentational polish of its rival. This is particularly noticable in areas such as the winning and losing messages - on the Saturn, there is often an long pause between the announcer saying "You" and "Win", with the second word sometimes failing to trigger altogether, while on the PlayStation the message is delivered more naturally.

Special effects are also dialed back, and the lighting model is far simpler on the Saturn, however the core game is much the same between the two versions.

History

Legacy

In 1997 Altron released a sequel, Robo Pit 2, this time as a PlayStation exclusive. Robo Pit 2 is a huge departure from its predecessor, having more RPG-like features, an entirely different visual style, and attempting to bridge together a more cohesive story.

Production credits

  • Game Concept: Makoto Kitano
  • Programmer: Kozo Nishio
  • Robot Designer: Makoto Kitano
  • Stage Designer: Norimasa Kawano
  • Robot Animation: Kozo Nishio
  • CG Animation: Kitano Makoto
  • Sound Designer: Kiyohiro Sada
  • Music Composer: Minako Adachi
  • Manual Designer: Miho Tsujigo
  • Special Thanks...: Satoru Takahashi, Kenji Ichimura, Miyuka Kidachi, Yumi Saito, Tamotu Maruyama, Toshiaki Okamoto, Ikuko Kuwabara
  • Executive Producer: Masao Kuwabara

Copyright 1995 Altron Corporation All Rights Reserved

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Game Informer (US) #41: "September 1996" (1996-0x-xx)
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1996-03: "1996-03 (1996-02-23)" (1996-02-09)
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
40 №181, p91[1]
78 №49, p47
50 №50, p70[2]
80 №86, p52/53
63 №1996-01, p184[3]
70 №, p13[4]
Sega Saturn
 64
Based on
6 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Computer & Video Games (UK)
25
[1]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
64
[5]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
80
[6]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
85
[7]
Intelligent Gamer (US) NTSC-U
58
[8]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
50
[2]
Next Generation (US)
50
[9]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
66
[10]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
80
[11]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
63
[12]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
70
[4]
Strana Igr (RU)
53
[13]
Total Saturn (UK) PAL
71
[14]
Total Saturn (UK) PAL
77
[15]
Sega Saturn
 64
Based on
14 reviews

Robo Pit

Saturn, US
RoboPit Saturn US Box Back.jpgRoboPit Saturn US Box Front.jpg
Cover
RoboPit Saturn US Disc.jpg
Disc
Robopit sat us manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, EU
RoboPit Saturn EU Box.jpg
Cover
RoboPit Saturn EU Disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, JP
RoboPit Saturn JP Box Back.jpgRoboPit Saturn JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
RoboPit Saturn JP Disc.jpg
Disc

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 File:CVG UK 181.pdf, page 91 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CVG UK 181.pdf_p91" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 File:MeanMachinesSega50UK.pdf, page 70 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega50UK.pdf_p70" defined multiple times with different content
  3. ↑ File:SSM_JP_19960112_1996-01.pdf, page 190
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Saturn no Game wa Sekai Ichi~i~i~i!: Satamaga Dokusha Race Zen Kiroku, SoftBank Publishing, page 15 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:SnGwSISDRZK Book JP.pdf_p15" defined multiple times with different content
  5. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "October 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 60
  6. ↑ GamePro, "December 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 148
  7. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Octubre 1996" (ES; 1996-xx-xx), page 104
  8. ↑ Intelligent Gamer, "August 1996" (US; 1996-0x-xx), page 78
  9. ↑ Next Generation, "November 1996" (US; 1996-10-22), page 273
  10. ↑ Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 8" (JP; 1996-03-29), page 54
  11. ↑ Sega Power, "December 1996" (UK; 1996-10-24), page 52
  12. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-01 (1996-01-12,26)" (JP; 1995-12-22), page 190
  13. ↑ Strana Igr, "Dekabr 1996" (RU; 1996-xx-xx), page 87
  14. ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Two" (UK; 1996-09-30), page 52
  15. ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Four" (UK; 1996-12-29), page 45
Retrieved from "https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=Robo_Pit&oldid=334746"