Which is better? Robotrek vs Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

Robotrek and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest are both turn-based RPGs on the SNES, and they’re fairly simple games. Neither takes that long to beat, and in some ways, they feel like starter games in the genre. They also have some similar gameplay mechanics.

It is a lot of fun for me to compare a science fiction game with a high fantasy game. There is some overlap between games from these settings, and it is interesting to see how each setting is handled. With this comparison, one of the games has a little time travel in its story.

While there are some great things in each game, they have some weak points. Neither game is great, but they are both solid RPGs that are a bit on the easy side. Their stories are fine, the gameplay is okay, and I like the graphics in each game. Let’s get into them and see what they have to offer.

Game Descriptions/Overviews

Each game brings something different to the table. While they both have simple turn-based combat, they have different settings and stories. There are also a few differences in gameplay.

Robotrek is a science fiction game that has some time and space travel in it. You play as an inventor, and you have to eventually save the universe. The main character doesn’t fight in this game; instead, you build robots and use them to fight robots, humans, and monsters. There is also some action puzzle solving in this game.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is a high fantasy game where the player controls a solo protagonist. There is a revolving cast of secondary characters who fight alongside you. The plot is fairly simple. You have to restore the light to four elemental crystals and eventually defeat a big bad guy. It is like a watered down version of the NES game in terms of its story.

These are brief descriptions of what happens in each game. There is a little more to each of them. They do have a few similarities and quite a few differences. Let’s get into the main differences between these two games.

Main Differences 

There is a lot to cover here. These games have differences in setting, story, gameplay, and combat. I’ll try to keep this to those four things, but I might have to add more.

The settings are quite different. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is a high fantasy setting where you’re using magic and fighting monsters. Robotrek is a science fiction setting where you use robots to fight battles. They can use melee weapons along with guns and bombs.

These games have very different stories. Part of that has to do with how crazy the one in Robotrek gets. You start off fighting terrorists, then you travel through time, go into space, and eventually fight the big bad guy who is threatening the universe. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest feels like a watered down version of the NES game. You have four elemental crystals to restore the light to, and then you fight a big bad guy. There is also a prophecy in there for good measure.

The gameplay and combat are very different. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is a very simple game. In combat, you have a party of two characters, and one of them can be left on auto. Robotrek has the player controlling one character, but you can swap between the other two. There is also a perk given to the player if they can defeat the enemies in a set amount of time; items can be found on the battle screen, and you can move your character around.

Those are the big things that stood out to me. There are other things that are more minor, which I’ll get into in the next section. Let’s go over the core mechanics of the two games and see which are similar and which are different.

Comparing Core Mechanics (Combat, Story, Visuals, etc)

Since some of this is included in the main differences between these games, I’ll try to elaborate on them here. I’ll be going over the combat, visuals, and the world maps. Both games have similar set-ups and graphical styles, but their combat is quite different.

The combat systems are totally different. While it is turn-based, Robotrek uses an active time system. Your weapons and special attacks force your robot to cool down; the same thing happens when you swap robots. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest isn’t like that, as it has a more traditional turn-based combat. You can put the other member of your party on auto if you want.

These games have similar approaches to moving around their world maps. They have the player move on set paths from one location to another. While you can explore each location, it isn’t as much fun as exploring the world map at will.

The graphics aren’t too different. Both games are more cartoonish, but Robotrek looks better overall. I like the chibi art style of the game more. Both games have nice graphics, but there is more detail in Robotrek.

Their inventory systems are quite different as well. Robotrek has more inventory screens because of its crafting system. It also has a workshop that you can access when your character gains a level. It works for this game because of the focus on technology. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest’s inventory is similar to that of the other games in the mainline series.

These are some of the core gameplay mechanics for these games. Because they’re both RPGs, there is some overlap between them. Let’s get into what each game does better than the other.

What Does Final Fantasy Mystic Quest do Better?

I could only think of a few things that Final Fantasy Mystic Quest does better than Robotrek. These aren’t huge differences, but they are the ones that stood out to me. I’ll be going over the puzzle platformer sections and the battle screens.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest does a better job with its puzzle platform sections. Each of your weapons has a secondary function, and they’re used better than those in Robotrek. While both games have sections where you use items outside of combat, it is more satisfying in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. The sections are also more challenging.

The enemies change more on the battle screen when they take damage. While this happens in Robotrek, it is done better in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. This is something that I wish more RPGs did. The enemies change twice as they take damage. It is a great way to tell the play that they’re almost done, unless you really like doing math.

Those are the things that I think are better in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. There is something that I find interesting about this game, and I do like some of the mechanics in it. I do wish it was more challenging. Let’s get into what Robotrek does better.

What Does Robotrek do Better?

There are quite a few things that Robotrek does better than Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. One of the big things has to do with my memories of playing the game. The other things include the graphics, story, and gameplay.

The graphics in this game make me smile. Everything looks rather cartoonish and happy. Even the enemies aren’t all that menacing, which works well with this game’s plot. Everything looks happy, and it is easy to see where things are, for the most part.

The more I play this game, the more I enjoy the story. It gets so ridiculous that I just have to smile at it. Everything feels like it belongs in the game because it is science fiction. I like the ending as well. When I compare these two games, Robotrek has the more enjoyable story.

 This game has some wonderful combat mechanics and a very fun crafting system. They really elevate the game over the other games in the SNES’s second tier of RPGs. While it isn’t all that obscure now, this game wasn’t as well-known back in the mid 1990s. Its gameplay is way more creative and more refined than other RPGs on the SNES.

There are other things that this game does better. These were the things that stood out to me. At the end of the day, the story, gameplay, and my memories really push this game ahead. I like weird games, and this definitely fits the bill of a weird game.

Which is Better Overall and Why? 

Robotrek is the better game. Both of these are unique games, but one has better gameplay, graphics, and a more enjoyable story. I also have more memories of playing Robotrek, which pushes it ahead of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.

I really like how different the combat is in this game. It resembles a tactical RPG to some extent. You can also come up with programs for each robot, which function as the magic system in the game. It is also fun to have three robots that you can alternate depending on what the battle requires of you.

The graphics in Robotrek are better than those in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. The character sprites are more detailed, and everything looks happier to me. I also like the town, world map, and combat graphics more.

As goofy as this game’s story gets, there is something about it that I enjoy. It starts off fairly normal, and then goes off the wall as things progress. Because it is different from other RPGs on the SNES, it makes me like it a little more than other games.

These are the biggest things that stuck out to me. If there was one thing that clearly puts this game ahead of Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, it would have to be the gameplay. It is more challenging, works in the crafting system well, and is more fun.

Which Would I Rather Play?

Unlike some of the other times I’ve compared games to Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, I would rather play Robotrek. It is the game that I have more fun with, and have more memories of playing. I’m not too sure what else I can say about it.

The reasons I chose this game over Final Fantasy Mystic Quest are that I enjoy the game more. It has better graphics, gameplay, and the story is much more fun to play through. I enjoy how simple this game is, and that it is more challenging than you might expect. The battles are so different from anything else on the system.

There isn’t too much else I can say about this game. It is a great game to play, especially if you’ve played all the other RPGs on the SNES. There is something about it that makes me come back to it. I have a lot of memories tied to this game.   

Conclusion 

These games have some similarities, but they’re very different games. Dinal Fantasy Mystic Quest has a terrible reputation online. For a while, I didn’t like the game either, until I revisited it. I have no idea what Robotrek’s reputation is in the internet age. Mostly because I’ve never bothered to look it up, and I don’t really care about how others view the game.

My memories of these games are quite different. Robotrek is one of the games that I practically forced myself to enjoy because it was one of the games I downloaded back in the 1990s. I liked it, but never got far in it back then. Despite that, I would keep returning to it and get a little further each time. After I beat the game, I was very impressed with it.

With Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, I had a similar reaction to other people. I really didn’t get the game, and wrote it off as a starter RPG. When I played it recently, I found it to be a fun little game with a familiar story. It won’t make it on a best or worst of list, but it is better than I remembered.

There are other games that fall into a similar category as these two. Some of them are games I played on emulators, and others are RPGs that I tried, but never finished. I do like these games more than things like Paladin’s Quest and Secret of the Stars.

If you liked this post, please check out the other posts in this series. Such as Robotrek vs Inindo or Inindo vs New Horizons.