1981 · Midway Games · Arcade · Maze

Robby Roto

Robby Roto is a game that Bally/Midway originally released on its Astrocade-based hardware back in 1981. Other games that ran on this hardware include Gorf, Wizard of Wor, and Professor Pac-Man. The author of Robby Roto is Jamie Fenton, who acquired the rights to the game after it did not do well in the marketplace.

Released: 1981
Platforms: Arcade
Genres: Arcade Maze
Developers: Midway Games
Publishers: Midway Games
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action
Country: United States
Languages: English

About

The Adventures of Robby Roto! (usually shortened to Robby Roto) is an arcade video game produced by Bally/Midway in 1981. In Robby Roto, the player digs through a dirt-filled maze collecting items while avoiding pursuing creatures. It is one of the few games made available to legally download on the official website of video game emulator MAME.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player controls the titular character who enters an underground maze to rescue trapped miners and collect treasures. The mine is initially filled with dirt, which Robby digs away as he moves through it, clearing a path behind him. The entire mine is shown without dirt briefly as each new level starts. As he digs, Robby will sometimes bump into rocky areas which he cannot dig out, in which case small arrows appear indicating the directions he can move.

Scattered in the mine are three trapped miners, represented by frowny faces in a red box. When Robby digs them out, they turn into smileys and begin to follow him as he moves. The goal of each level is to return the trapped miners to the surface, and only one path, at the top center or the map, leads outward. At higher levels, a door closes behind Robby after he enters, and must be opened by retrieving a key before the level can be completed.

Reception

Robby Roto sold fewer than 2,000 units and was much less popular than 1982's Dig Dug. Co-developer Dave Nutting claimed, "it was a very complex game and those who played it found themselves on the defensive—most were intimidated. Gamers like to be aggressive."