Attack of the PETSCII Robots (DOS)

AOTPR is a fairly recent game, and it was originally designed for the Commodore PET as an experiment to see if a fun action/puzzle arcade game could be written for the PET. Along the way, he kept adding systems... Currently, the game runs on DOS, Super Nintendo, Commodore PET, VIC-20, 64, 128, Sega Genesis, Commodore Amiga, and Apple II. It's also unofficially supported on a few other platforms, and several ports are in progress. It's amazing how a game written for a 32K 8-bit computer has been ported to so many different systems and is fun to play on all of them. So what is AOTPR? Despite the appearance, this is not an action game. It's a puzzle game: you are supposed to use time bombs, EMP bombs, magnets, and environmental objects to manipulate and destroy a swarm of malfunctioning robots. Once all the robots are eliminated, the level ends. The game is simple in concept, but there's a lot to do in practice... find hidden items, discover strategies for dealing with each robot, and then try different strategies on different maps. I own this game on several platforms now, and I think the DOS port is among the best - along with the Amiga and Genesis versions. If you like retro computing, this is a great game to play on your PC and on your vintage computers.

I am far too dumb for this game, but I am DETERMINED to beat it anyway. The soundtrack absolutely slaps, and it reminds me of games I used to puzzle over for HOURS on a floppy disk full of shareware that I had as a kid. If you like DOS games, grab this one. You'll enjoy it, even if you're a fool like yours truly.

I am looking forward to the future development of this game on Steam. Out of the box, the game-pad controls are not intuitive and even some vital functionality is missing like being able to switch items and weapons. So, the number one thing I would like to see is full controller support to make the game easier to play. Otherwise, I feel like I have to hack to change controller inputs like moving movement from the joystick to the d-pad and manually adding switch items/weapons controls to other buttons so I can access them through the controller which is how I have spent all my time so far trying to make my game play experience more enjoyable. In addition, it would be great to see the creation of some achievements. I understand this game was not initially designed for modern platforms and specifically for retro computer systems, but I don't think it will be too hard to adapt. All in all, I have played this game through other emulators, and it is a great game, but it still needs some improvements to make game play more seamless.

I was waiting for this game to be available on steam for a long time

It's a good retro puzzle game, though I do wish the DOS box emulator picked up my controller's inputs properly. But I can still use the keyboard. Also, I recommend disabling the Steam overlay since TAB+Shift is used to toggle whether the map shows the locations of robots. Additionally, make sure to read the manual. There are helpful hints for each map in the manual which I have found to be indispensable.

Honestly, i watched all of the 8-bit guy episodes on this game and so far im really enjoying it, this is a really good game. I really want to buy this game physically but as of now i have no MS-DOS pcs or C64s in my house so i cant really play it physically lol, which is why im glad he put it on here with dosbox. I recommend this game if your into strategy games!

Very nice conversion of this PET game

Good game. Very fun. Controls take some getting used to but it's a great strategy game.

Ignore my playtime. I play both PETSCII Robots and Planet X3 on a real hardware DOS machine, not via Steam. These games are meant to be played in DOS, and like some of the older and other retro games here on Steam, they come packaged and setup with DOSBox for play on modern hardware. However, you can copy the game files out and play both of these modern masterpieces of retro awesomeness on your real DOS hardware if you have it. Simply navigate to the games install directory and copy the contents of the “Game” folder to your real hardware machine and you’re done. It’s that easy. Run the executable, select your desired video and audio options, and play. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I personally play these great games using DOS 6.22 running on a classic Cyrix PR166+ powered machine with a whopping 32MB of PC133 RAM, a tried-and-true S3 Virge DX with a full 4MB of VRAM, with a Creative Sound Blaster AWE 64 ISA card pumping out all my audio. Is any of this necessary? Nope. These games work perfectly as packaged here on Steam via DOSBox, but they sure are a lot of fun to play on real hardware if you have the desire and are able to do so. I’m glad David Murry decided to release his games to Steam so they can reach more people. Planet X3 and PETSCii Robots are both fantastic games and a must have for any retro fans!

This is a fun retro-themed multi-platform project from The 8-Bit Guy. It is an action puzzle game where you try to defeat all the robots in the stage. There are 15 stages, each requiring a different set of planning and resource management for how you are going to take down the robots. The game might mislead people about what kind of game it is at first. It is not strictly action, despite the weapon loadout, and it is not adventure, despite the resemblance to the Ultima games. The point is to position yourself and various obstacles strategically to allow yourself to wipe out the robots while taking minimal damage. No matter the difficulty setting, this game is pretty challenging. You can't just shoot at things and not expect consequences. Most hovering bots don't attack unless threatened, so that gives you many options for searching for resources around them. Roller bots require better planning and heavier weapons, since they can shoot you easily if you fight them straight up. Generally, you don't ever want to fight a bot straight-up--the game will drill this harsh lesson into your head quickly if you don't learn it right away. I like the nice touch of having "evil bots" resemble Maximilian from The Black Hole. It's an obscure reference, but a good one: You don't want to be in the same room with such a sadistic monster. If there's anything I dislike, it's that it takes just a bit too long to search for resources. A comparable case would be Impossible Mission, which also involves searching and robot dodging. Impossible Mission doesn't waste your time with searching, as most furniture has stuff, as opposed to this game, which does not. Overall, this is a good play, but the "be prepared" scouts philosophy is critical in this game. If you aren't prepared, you'll die a lot.