If I missed the peak of RoboCop’s popularity, several RoboCop toys still made their way through my greedy childhood hands. Ironically, my first encounter with the original film was in my high school days, which was the right decision because RoboCop is by no means a film for kids. Verhoeven’s dark, violent, dystopian, yet satirical vision of modern America in 1987 may have seemed like a sci-fi parody to viewers, but from today’s perspective, it’s eerily accurate.

I was pretty sceptical when I learned that Teyon was working on a new RoboCop game. Not only is RoboCop a very outdated and primarily sluggish hero, but Teyon is not exactly a guarantee of quality. Granted, their Terminator: Resistance was a reasonably solid title, but the same people are responsible for the abomination called Rambo: The Videogame, one of the worst titles I’ve ever played.

Somewhere in the middle of my playthrough, I realized that RoboCop: Rogue City is immensely entertaining. It’s an enjoyable and straightforward title that sends a love letter to fans of the films and old-school shooters at every turn. RoboCop: Rogue City is an excellent modern adaptation of Verhoeven’s classic and the ultimate Robo game that no franchise fan can resist. Even if you’re not a big fan of the tin can, Rogue City might appeal to you because of its retro vibe and absurd shooting.

The Story of RoboCop Rogue City

The story in Rogue City revolves around the infamous drug Nuke, and the already chaotic and degenerate Detroit will be further shaken by the emergence of a new underworld boss who wants to destroy RoboCop at any cost. Since the plot directly continues from the previous films, players will interact with numerous familiar characters throughout the campaign, such as Anne Lewis, Police Sergeant Reed, and the unavoidable “peacemaker” ED-209. In addition to the many supporting characters, a good thing is that Peter Weller is once again lending his voice to the titular hero, so expect a wave of nostalgia recreating his many iconic lines.

In addition to the characters, the sense of authenticity is achieved through numerous locations that seem lifted straight from the movies: the site of Murphy’s demise, the police station, abandoned facilities, dark and dirty streets of rundown Detroit, a neon-adorned arcade, etc. Teyon has captured the aesthetic of RoboCop, and the visual style, supported by Unreal Engine 5, does a good job of masking the fact that this is not a high-budget game. Since it’s a lower-production-value title, we won’t hold too much against it for some graphical shortcomings like poor lip sync or the stiffness of characters – after all, some of them are robots!

The Look and Feel 

On the technical side, Murphy seems to be on some outdated protocol, causing him quite a few problems. We were mostly bothered by sudden stutters during loading positions and entering larger areas on the map, and delayed texture loading also occasionally spoiled the visual impression.

Although the game has received some patches since its release, RoboCop’s technical aspect is the weakest part of the whole package.

Fortunately, the shooting went very smoothly for us. Still, some players complained about sudden frame rate drops in situations where many enemies combined with various environmental destruction effects. Although the game has received some patches since its release, RoboCop’s technical aspect is by far the weakest part of the whole package. 

The Story of Robocop Rogue City

RoboCop has a solid story, but its biggest asset is undoubtedly the distinctive way of dispensing justice on the streets of Detroit. The gameplay fully follows the original template, meaning that, contrary to modern habits, we play as a slow and invulnerable tank here. Forget agility, sliding, and sneaking – you won’t find that with Uncle Murphy. He does everything directly, loudly, and without any subtlety; he doesn’t say for no reason that he’ll bring criminals in either alive or dead.

RoboCop is exceptionally superior to his opponents, especially in the first few hours of the campaign, where you constantly smile and feel like the biggest badass in town. Dozens of thugs and crooks unsuccessfully rain lead on you, and RoboCop takes them down one by one with his signature Auto 9 pistol.

The shooting takes place in various open and closed arenas, with the closed ones being more memorable due to the possibility of environmental destruction. You can destroy everything, from plywood and office and construction materials to engines, steel structures, and walls. Besides looking pretty attractive, destruction also serves a gameplay purpose; once you see that some poor guy is hiding behind a concrete column, you can strip him of his shelter and earthly life in just a few moments.

Robocop Rogue City Gameplay

The shooting takes place in various open and closed arenas, with the closed ones being more memorable due to the possibility of environmental destruction. You can destroy everything, from plywood and office and construction materials to engines, steel structures, and walls. Besides looking pretty attractive, destruction also serves a gameplay purpose; once you see that some poor guy is hiding behind a concrete column, you can strip him of his shelter and then of his earthly life in just a few moments.

The action is brutal, but, like in the movies, it feels more satirical than grotesque. You will often tear off heads and other body parts from enemies, and you can also crush them with your fists and throw them into various nearby objects. Your pistol is accurate and by far the best weapon in the game, but for those with sadistic inclinations, RoboCop can grab other weapons like shotguns and assault rifles.

Ammo for your nine is infinite, and if his armour creaks from the hail of bullets, Robo can even restore his health. Although this is entirely faithful to the originals, here it’s still a game, and it would be silly if, during the entire 12-hour primary campaign, you just walked and shot without thinking. In addition to the increasing number of enemies over time, Rogue City gradually introduces more formidable enemies who come into possession of an arsenal even Murphy can’t just wave off: large-calibre rifles, sniper rifles, military machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, and more.

What is RoboCop?

Of course, we must not forget that Murphy is not just a killing machine but also a real cop. Therefore, many action sequences are occasionally replaced with quieter segments of exploration and conversations where our Robo truly serves the community. While most optional discussions boil down to trivial tasks where they practically ask you to bring them pâté from the fridge, there are also more exciting side missions where we can see the human side of our tin can.

One of the central thematic questions of RoboCop is precisely the nature of his existence, and Rogue City forces you to form your judgment on this through multiple choices during conversations with numerous characters. Murphy can behave towards the environment as an empathetic human or a cold and ruthless robot enforcing the law, depending on your mood.

For example, you may see a kid drawing graffiti on a wall. Whether you let him go with a paternal reprimand and a warning or immediately punish him for vandalism depends on you. Although the choice usually has no impact on the broader story or the ending you’ll get, it nicely portrays your version of RoboCop. Such details are necessary not only to shake up the hours of shooting but also to illustrate how layered Murphy is as a protagonist.

In Conclusion

Although the game is quite linear, there are a few larger sections, such as particular neighbourhoods or your police station, where you can move and explore voluntarily. These are also the only parts where you feel how slow RoboCop is. Keeping that in mind, Rogue City always had challenges with pacing; the story, side activities, and action segments alternate correctly, and the primary campaign ends just when you feel you’ve experienced everything you wanted. However, if you can tolerate the sluggish movement and want to collect every bit of what the game offers, expect your time with Rogue City to last up to 16 hours.

Robocop Rogue City has an ESRB rating of M and is unsuitable for children younger than 17 because of its blood, gore, and enormous amounts of violence. 

If you are looking for another mature-themed game that is fun, like RoboCop but in a different way, check out Exoprimal!