Robocraft is a somewhat popular free-to-play game on the PC platform and has, according to the developers, 10 million players. The developers then decided to further expand their playerbase by designing an enhanced port of the game to the Xbox One platform, calling it Robocraft Infinity. But for some reason, Robocraft Infinity is not free-to-play. You either have to buy it or be subscribed to the Game Pass service to play it for ‘free’. So, is this port worth your money, or should you stick to the free version on the PC?
Robocraft Infinity is a third-person vehicle combat multiplayer game where you can build your own vehicle with block-based parts. This vehicle creation mechanic is the main selling point of Robocraft. While the basic design of the building parts hold the game back from giving you a truly unlimited amount of options to do what you want, it still gives you enough to be able to create what you want in a less detailed matter. It can best be compared to Minecraft, in which your creative options are also limited but enough to make some impressive designs. If you’re not the creative type, then you can easily pick one of the template vehicles that the developers created for you (which includes a T-Rex).
Stat-based creations
One of my worries with the whole ‘build your own vehicle and use it in combat’ concept was that designs with a lot of building parts would have an advantage over the ones that have much less of these. Luckily, that is not the case. While you can build whatever you want, you do have to keep an eye on several stats that can affect your vehicle’s overall performance. For example, a tank that is built out of 100+ parts may have a pretty strong defense, but the weight of all these parts combined may slow it down immensely, making it easier to flank or outmaneuver it. Or how about an airplane that is equipped with a load of guns and cannons? Sure, it packs a lot of firepower but all these weapons make it much more vulnerable since it has no space for armor parts, turning it into a glass cannon that can be killed with a low amount of shots. The developers did a good job in balancing the creative freedom with the stat-based gameplay.
Multiplayer
Speaking of gameplay, let’s talk about the other selling point of Robocraft. After all, who doesn’t want to test out their creations on a battlefield filled with mechanic abominations build by other people? The multiplayer modes consist out of two options, Team Deathmatch and Battle Arena. Team Deathmatch is a standard 5v5 setup where you immediately respawn after death and have to score the most amount of destroyed opponents in a set amount of time. Battle Arena is basically Conquest of the Battlefield series, where you have to capture points on the map and defend them. These two game modes are all there is to do when it comes to trying out your vehicle, which is pretty disappointing. It also doesn’t help that the netcode can sometimes be sloppy, resulting in opponents seemingly teleporting around the map. It’s not so bad that it makes the game unplayable, but it is a noticeable issue. Still, I managed to have some fun with the multiplayer, especially Team Deathmatch since it encourages you to constantly try different vehicles to see which is the best. It is also the best way to earn in-game currency to buy parts and lootboxes. Wait, lootboxes?
Unlocking parts
To unlock new parts to use in the vehicle creator, you have to either buy them separately with the in-game currency or open virtual lootboxes. Buying them separately is easy at first, but after a few hours, you start to notice how much grinding you’re doing to unlock the next part. Combining this with the low amount of multiplayer modes makes this process very repetitive. If you don’t want to spend many hours grinding, you can buy lootboxes. While lootboxes could work if they’re well-implemented, I’m afraid that the system in Robocraft Infinity still needs some work. Earning enough currency to open lootboxes is easy, but the duplicate rate of the items you unlock is too high. My inventory is filled with parts I never use because I already have enough of them. If you want to have a better chance at getting the items you want, you have to buy lootboxes with real money, which reminds me a little too much of the system EA tried to use in Star Wars Battlefront II. If the developers manage to tweak the duplication rate lower than it currently is, then I think the lootbox system in Robocraft Infinity is pretty harmless. But right now, it’s an issue you can’t ignore.
Conclusion
Robocraft Infinity has a solid basis that needs some expansion, specifically by adding more multiplayer modes, improving the netcode and tweaking (or removing) the lootbox system. Most of the enjoyment comes from building your vehicle and immediately testing it out. It’s not a game I can recommend to everyone, but those who are a fan of games like Minecraft should be able to find some enjoyment in it.
