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Teyon developers specialized in computer games and video games based on 1980s brands, with varying degrees of success. Rambo: The Video Game was a terrible on-rails shooter. On the other hand, “Terminator: Resistance” was definitely usable. “RoboCop: Rogue City” is the next game from the Poles. I took a look at the game on Xbox Series
“RoboCop: Rogue City” is one of the first games based on Unreal Engine 5. But don’t expect graphical bombast like “Alan Wake 2” here. After all, this title is not a triple-A game with an immense budget, but rather falls into the double-A range. You should keep this in mind before approaching the issue with too high demands.
I would also like to reveal something important: I personally consider the first film “RoboCop” from 1987 to be one of my favorite films ever. It is a deep and satirical action film, the content of which is more relevant than ever. The behavior of large companies also plays a huge role. If you’ve never seen “RoboCop”: definitely watch it! At the same time: If you don’t know the movie, “RoboCop: Rogue City” is probably not for you. Because the game also thrives on nostalgia.
Basically, “RoboCop: Rogue City” is a mix of shooter and action-adventure from the first-person point of view. But there are light role-playing elements too, as you can level up the Tin Man’s abilities as the game progresses. But if you’re expecting gameplay like “Far Cry 6” or “Doom: Eternal,” you’re in the wrong place. RoboCop is a hulking metal behemoth who can take a lot of punishment, but he’s not exactly agile. As a result, the fights take place in such a way that you don’t have to dodge as fast as an arrow, but rather attack enemies one after another as precisely as possible or hide in cover in the middle.
As we know from the films, RoboCop, voiced again by Peter Weller, the lead actor from the first two films, is anything but fussy. Gang members are eliminated in blood: crime simply doesn’t pay. But Teyon manages to capture more than just the deliberately comic violence of the original. As the story progresses, there is also growing public discussion about the use of cyborgs and robots in the police force and the behavior of tough police officers.
Especially since there are other tasks awaiting RoboCop besides shooting. Similar to the “Batman: Arkham” series, you have to analyze crime scenes or obtain clues and in the police station you observe what your human colleagues are doing and communicate with them. From time to time you also make small decisions and, depending on the consequences, you also receive rewards for doing your job according to the rules.
While the story is largely linear and there is no open game world, you also sometimes have the option to complete side tasks in operational areas. You can hand out tickets for illegally parked cars, solve murders, or find stolen vehicles. Here too the developers mix humor with the hard science fiction atmosphere, just like in the first film.
Now it’s like this: if I take away the RoboCop fan bonus, then “RoboCop: Rogue City” remains a solid game, nothing more and nothing less. But the developers capture the charm of the brand very well, in my opinion even better than all the films and TV series released after the first film. Shooting isn’t particularly challenging – you can pick up enemy weapons and then use shotguns and stuff – but the standard weapon with infinite ammo does its job too well. Only with stronger opponents in later levels is it necessary to be a little more flexible. But standard gang members don’t see any country anyway.
Since there are several difficulty levels in “RoboCop: Rogue City”, anyone who is primarily interested in the story can tackle the game. Technically, there is both a performance mode and a quality mode. As is often the case, the differences lie mainly in resolutions and frame rates. The performance mode also makes a good impression. In any case, this title is rather average in terms of graphics. The game environments and RoboCop himself look pretty good.
The other characters in the game are often animated in a wooden way, lip movements are not always in sync with spoken words, and in general the opponents look more like a PS4 game. “RoboCop: Rogue City” is only available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. While Peter Weller is obviously the standout as the speaker, Teyon also paid royalties for Basil Poledouris’ catchy score, which in some scenes is the icing on the cake. When the bombastic movie theme plays, he makes you smile.
As a result, “RoboCop: Rogue City” is a fun title for fans of the brand, but one that should leave everyone else indifferent and will certainly not convert anyone. But I think it’s absolutely ok. As a teenager I had to grow up with terrible RoboCop games on the C-64 or SNES. So it’s really surprising to finally find a good game for the brand that also captures the satirical charm of the original.
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