Basketball has never been better in video games than it has been NBA Jam. Unless you count Acclaim’s in-game mileage throughout the millennium, which it sadly makes up for Very this, but when NBA Jam Is NBA Jamis the best. It’s just a shame we haven’t seen this since (damn) 2011.
Licensing NBA players’ names and likenesses is pricey (I assume), so for now RoboDunk he lacks body, he has it where it counts: dunks.
RoboDunk elevates brutality NBA Jam 2v2 gameplay (technically built on Arch Rivals), but gives it his own twist. Most importantly, there is no shooting. I mean, some robots have firepower, but they won’t throw the ball if it’s not going to pass. The only way to score is by dunking. To compensate for the lack of three-point shots, you can charge your jump, and the higher the charge, the higher the jump and the more points you will earn.
Like NBA JamViolence has no consequences, so you are encouraged to throw your elbows and arms to get the ball out of your opponent’s grasp. Alternatively, when you have the ball, you can also throw a transient shield around the robot that shocks anyone who tries to touch your ball. Each bot has its own special weapon that runs on an ammunition system. Some drop turrets, some shoot lasers, and some just have them different type of equipment. You get paid for giving out a penalty, so there’s no reason why the players shouldn’t go home in tears.
RoboDunk central mode it advertises itself as a roguelite, which basically means you keep trying, going through increasingly hard matches until you finally fail and have to start over (although you can pay to start at a more advanced stage. With the money you earn in matches), you can buy more bots, upgrade them or unlock recent bonuses that appear randomly before matches.
The core gameplay is solid. It’s as speedy as its main impact, never really stopping the gameplay as you push against the enemy network and get pushed back in return. The dunk charging system provides good risk and reward as charging a jump leaves you exposed but allows you to rack up points faster.
Each roguelite match has different modifiers, including hazards that come across the field such as rolling spike logs and random meteorites. They also work at different lengths and for different numbers of rounds, so it’s essential to take a close look at your setup before diving in and adapting to what’s ahead. Made entirely based on the basic gameplay, RoboDunk it’s straightforward but fun.
However, I didn’t like the roguelite framework. It’s presented as a progression where you have a choice of three matches, each offering two semi-permanent bonuses and featuring different sets of rules. While this works from a roguelite perspective, it takes away from the sense of sportsmanship. This only gives you a sense of progress in the literal sense of the word, but it doesn’t give you the feeling that you’re accomplishing anything significant.
But more importantly, the benefits are overflowing and the money is coming in damn slowly. You will receive a payout based on how high you score, how demanding you hit, shield successful, and weapon operate, and it will then be subtracted or increased depending on the difficulty of the match. In a good match I saw around 50 in-game currency. This can be increased by choosing bots that you don’t operate often. When the robots sit on the bench, they will gain a percentage escalate, which will give you a higher payout. This is actually an engaging wrinkle because it means you won’t stick to one robot and pour all your upgrades into it.
However, as you spend money on recent bonuses, recent robots, and upgrades to those robots, actually making significant progress seems extremely ponderous. To make matters worse, the difficulty modifier is extremely petite, so you’ll never feel like you’re getting a proper reward for winning harder matches. It really dampens the drive. The compulsion to push harder and further is reduced because everything seems to be at a constant level rather than on a curve.
There is one complaint that I feel weird about, but I think I can explain: there is no room for robots in basketball. Listen to me. Part of what made the more outlandish elements of NBA Jam more effective was the fact that you were watching real NBA players dunk from high and hit the floor. This is less effective with robots. I fully believe they are capable of superhuman dunks because they are not human. I have no idea if being pushed into concrete would harm these particular machines. Visual feedback was used to convey the experience, but since there is no skin to the game, I always felt disconnected from watching the situation unfold.
The robots themselves, and even the arenas, are supported by a surprising amount of background story that adds a lot to the overall experience. There’s a lot to do and discover, but it’s demanding to feel worthwhile. He never really feels grounded. Being able to connect is a key part of enjoying sports, not just in video games, but in real life.
Adding another player really helps because instead of it being a random set of machines, you and your buddy are playing basketball. As is often the case with multiplayer, this reduces the complications caused by ponderous progression and adds more meaning to matches. You can also strategize better by having one player defend and the other dunk. Co-op also shows how well all the mechanics work together.
And just as a side note: RoboDunk works quite well on a functional level. Dunk-centric basketball is a quick and fun snack. The aesthetic and minimalist stop-motion animation resembling a toy is impressive. However, the framework just doesn’t handle it quite well. My (perhaps superficial) thoughts on robo-dunkers aside, the roguelite setup doesn’t make for a compelling experience. It’s a decent play that you can pick up and play, but it’s not the dunk it should be.
