The 90′s were the golden age of point-and-click adventure games.  An excellent but relatively unknown entry in this genre was Robot City.

Based heavily on Isaac Asimov’s Robot City, Robot City focuses on Derec, a guy who has no idea who is and wakes up in a city populated entirely by robots.  Not only is he unsure of who he is, but he’s also being accused of murdering a human in Robot City.  Since he is believed to be the only other human in the city, and the Three Laws of Robotics make it impossible for the murderer to be a robot, he is the only logical perpetrator.  He is provided a small amount of time to prove his innocence, and thus the game begins.

One of the downtrodden of Robot City

I’ll be honest, the general gameplay in Robot City is very similar to other point-and-click adventure games of the time.  Players navigate through  static backgrounds by moving along a grid, and click on parts of the scenery to interact with it.  That’s about where the similarity ends, though.  Robot City incorporates a fair amount of voice acting, and, even though the backgrounds are static, the atmosphere is very heavy and deliberate.  The presentation gives the illusion of actually walking through Robot City; even the various smells and “feel” of walking in an entirely sterile environment seem to emanate off the screen.

The graphics haven't aged terribly well, but they still get the job done

In order to prove Derec’s innocence, you will have to solve puzzles that stretch across the entire city.  As if this wasn’t challenging enough, portions of the city completely rearrange themselves at random.  That long alleyway you used to find the next clue?  Guess what.  It’s nothing but a solid building now.  Still, navigating the environment isn’t as difficult as one might think, considering all of the walls and buildings look quite similar and portions of the city change on a whim.  The world is fairly sizable, but it doesn’t take too long to get from end to end.

Unlike Myst, the solution to the puzzles and mysteries aren’t buried in books or star constellations.  As long as you pay attention to conversations and take semi-decent notes, you should be able to figure everything out without too much trouble.  As I recall, there are couple of real doozies, but nothing feels impossible to solve.

Your apartment is where you can outfit your own robot with various modules

While the puzzles are decently challenging and the atmosphere is perfectly executed, it’s the various personalities given to the robots that inhabit the city which are the highlight of this game.  Just about every robot you meet has an entirely unique personality; some are hilarious, others are very serious, and still others are borderline malfunctioning.  You even have your own cut-up of a robot at your disposal that will assist you in proving your innocence.  Depending on which module you outfit him with, he can defend you, figure out logic problems, and more.  Regardless of which module you choose, he has a snarky attitude, like a less-evil version of HK from Knights of the Old Republic.

Robot City is a classic of the genre, taking all the best parts of other entries and combining them into one awesome adventure.  Be sure to check it out if you have never explored its mysteries.

Note: the screenshots used in this article were found here, which offers a GREAT look at this classic game.