Giveaway of the Day - Robbie. Unforgettable Adventures

Robbie: Unforgettable Adventures (26.5Mb)

Introduction:

There’s little difference (only 1.6Mb) between the size of the download and its installation size. The game was created by Veles Studios and released by Realore about 5 months ago. This is the first time we’ve seen this Pacman clone on the game giveaway project. The game unpacks to a dual installation and activation module, and will create shortcuts on the desktop and in the Start menu, where you’ll also find an uninstaller. The game does play via Vista (I finally got around to testing it on my only Vista computer) and it’s also free standing which means you can shove it on a memory stick or even a CD and it’ll play from there.

N.B.:

Check YFJ’s post comment #9 below before you start playing the game. It seems there is a problem with the game which can be resolved by deleting the default players via the ‘It’s not me button to the top left of the main menu screen. Nice one YFJ, well spotted, thanks you

The Story:

Robbie is a cute and kind robot, who lives on a faraway planet called Robix. Robbie is sent on a mission to gather essential minerals from Earth and Mars after all the mineral ores on his home planet are mined out. If he can’t find these essential minerals his world will not be able to survive. His adventures take him to three different planets (it only shows three planets on the levels map, but I’ve also read that there are actually four planets), where his goal is to collect all the minerals he can, while avoiding the many dangerous creatures he will meet on his way; but knowing how essential his mission is he will stop at nothing to accomplish his aims. (b.t.w…. some of these dangerous creatures are hegehogs and squirrels, lol)

This is an ideal game for adults and children alike. Join Robbie in his fascinating adventures and help him to save his home planet ‘Robix’ in this funny arcade game!

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The Game:

The game is fully controlled by the mouse, though you can also use the keyboard cursor key for movement if you wish (it’s useful for fine adjustments to Robbies path). When using the mouse to move you can click on the destination and Robbie will find the shortest path; though beware when using this method because you’re more likely to lose a life via one of the creatures that inhabit the level. I found keeping the Left Mouse Button depressed and drawing a path in front of Robbie would work just as well; and, using this method, I was able to pick up all the crystals and dodge the creatures easily (unless I got stuck in a cul-de-sac, in which case i lost a life)

To select an item from the inventory (which can be found on the levels map) just left click with your mouse. You’ll find details all your bonuses in the inventory as well as the creatures you meet on your travels. Bonuses can be bought using the gold coins that can be collected at the end of each level, provided you’ve completed the level within a certain time. I didn’t get enough time while playing the demo to discover what bonuses were available, but it looks like there are six of them (check the encyclopedia and you’ll see six locked bonuses, which would indicate you have to unlock them as well). I saw an image while I was researching this game that showed a bonus round, which I’m presuming is an extra level where you can start to earn bonus types, (probably speed up, freeze creatures and even an extra life, though I’m only guessing).

To get gold coins you have to collect all the ore crystals on a particular level, though you can progress to the next level without achieving a 100% collection rate; however if you do this you don’t get your gold. Thankfully, you can return to any level that you’ve previously entered but not finished to collect any remaining crystals and then collect your gold coins. Once you’ve got the go ahead to collect gold coins, Robbie can move faster than normal, (you’ll see what looks like a rocket pack on his back); however, it’s unlikely you will collect all of the gold coins before the level stat’s window pops up. You can still collect the gold coins when this window appears, but your view is partially obscured.

During your travels you’ll travel to different planets, encounter several different creatures, all with their own characteristics (I think the creatures are related to the planets you are on, so Earth creatures are going to be familiar to us). As you meet each creature, they are entered into the games encyclopedia for future reference. Levels can contain any one or all of several different objects and obstacles such as impenetrable walls, bushes, rocks and tree stumps that cannot be passed, as well as gates and teleporters. The rocks can be rolled to block off the route of the creatures that inhabit that particular level. The creatures all walk pre determined paths, which initially makes the levels quite easy to complete in the time allocated, but as you progress through the levels the number of creatures you can encounter increases making it quite difficult to get through a level in the time allocated, even though you know where the creature is going to walk. There are areas of each level where creatures don’t walk, so if you’re close enough you can always avoid an approaching creature by going to one of these safe areas. As the levels get more complex, you are more likely to find yourself in a cul-de-sac , where there’s no way of avoiding losing a life of which there are three provided in game.

The levels map contains all the information you need to play the game. There’s access to the encyclopedia, your inventory, a levels record that includes an image of the level, the time you took to complete the level, the number of gold coins you earned as well as the stars you earned. There are three stars, a yellow one that’s awarded for completing the level, a pink one which is awarded on collecting all the crystals, and a green star for completing the level in less time than provided. You can also access the main menu from the levels map.

From the main menu you can access the options menu, which is rather limited with control sliders for music and sound plus a full screen to window toggle. The help menu is adequate, with six pages of information, which you can see via the images I’ve posted to my photobucket account (see below for link)

As you complete a level your progress is saved, though you can always return to a previous level to try and better your time. The game can be paused though leaving a level unfinished no save is made. There’s a flask to the top left of the levels map at indicates how much of the level is complete. This is a useful indicator because you can’t always see the whole level on screen at the same.

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Minimum System Requirements:

Processor (c.p.u.)……………………Pentium III 800

Operating system…………………..Win 98/ME/NT/000/XP/Vista

Direct X ……………………………….v8.0 or later

Video RAM……………………………32Mb

System RAM…………………………64Mb

Images:

All on one page:

http://s853.photobucket.com/albums/ab93/whiterabbit03/Robbie%20Uorgettable%20Adventures/?albumview=grid

As a Slideshow:

http://s853.photobucket.com/albums/ab93/whiterabbit03/Robbie%20Uorgettable%20Adventures/?albumview=slideshow

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Conclusion:

If you like Pacman style games you’ll love this adorable take on the genre. The graphics are excellent with several animations included (e.g. squirrels throwing acorns at you). The game play is what you’d expect of a fairly challenging Pacman game. There’s nothing really new about it, but the lay out and different environments help to keep your attention for a time. Initially when I realized it was a Pacman clone I though “Oh no!”, but that’s only because I’ve never really liked the Pacman genre; that said, I was pleasantly surprised to find I was enjoying the game while playing it last night. I’ll certainly be keeping a copy in my games library.

I’d say it’s an ideal game for filling in those odd moments when you need to take a break from more important matters; or in my case in between all the games I play, lol. I think the kids will love the game (more so than adults). I checked this assumption with my daughter (aged 8) and she thought the game was great, but only because she thought the hedgehog and squirrels were really cute; (we haven’t got as far as the Martian creatures yet). That was all she needed to continue playing the game. My older son (aged 10) conversely, though the game was boring and utter trash(however, he’s been obsessed with a free game called Atmosphir for several months – to the exclusion of all other games.)

I’m surprised that Realore (the original sponsor and main distributor of this game) are selling this for $19.99 because I’ve seen it for as little as $6.99 elsewhere. I’d certainly consider buying this game for the latter. Thankfully, we’re getting it free for today, so there’s no need to worry.

I’ve never really liked Pac man games, but after last nights trial run think I’ll quite enjoy playing this one in short bursts ‘in between’ other games that I play regularly, so the negative vibes that I felt initially towards this game were soon dispelled. The demo certainly left me wanting to play a little more ([i]which really surprised me actually[/i]), so I think it’s worth at least a score of 7 out of 10.

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Other Useful Information

Music:

If you find the music a little boring you can change it by replacing the following files, which are found by following the path C:\program files\Robbie\sound :

Earth_1.ogg
Earth_2.ogg
Map.ogg
Mars_1.ogg
Mars_2.ogg
Menu.ogg
Robix_1.ogg
Robix_2.ogg

You’ll need to convert whatever files you are going to use to the .ogg format. There are several audio converters available for free in the giveaway freeware library that you can find by following the link below:

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/freeware/cat/Audio_Video_Audio_Encoders_Converters/

Alternatives:

You can find several Pacman games HERE in the games synopsis and HERE over at Gametop there’s a great 3D version called Mummy’s Curse. There’s also another free 3D Pacman game called Paxman 2008 that you can download HERE over at FreeGamePick.

N.B.

When installing Gametop and FreeGamePick games please be aware that most of the games now try to hijack your browser and install toolbars during installation; however, these can be avoided by unchecking the appropriate boxes while the installation wizard is running. Also Gametop is now yellow flagged by McAfee’s Site Advisor. Apart from these niceties, all the games I’ve downloaded from both these sites are 100% safe

Yep, big bug this one! Only two playable levels!