This is going to be another odd one. Robotrek and Destiny of an Emperor don’t have much in common. There aren’t too many RPGs out there that are similar to them. One interesting thing is that neither game has magic.
These are two games that I played on an emulator first before finding the cartridges a few years later. They’re both RPGs that I don’t remember any of my friends talking about, which made me feel like I discovered something awesome. I have quite a few fond memories of these games.
We have a science fiction game taking on an alternate history game. On top of that, one is a comedy and the other is serious. Robotrek is an original story, and Destiny of an Emperor is based on a manga. There is so much more to this, so let’s get into these games and see what they have to offer.
Game Descriptions/Overviews
There isn’t much that these games have in common aside from them both being RPGs. This means there are a handful of core mechanics that they share, but everything else is different. Let’s go over some of the basics in each game.
Robotrek is a science fiction game that gets more bonkers as the game goes on. You play as an inventor, and you use robots to fight your battles. There is a crafting system in the game, which is really cool to see. The story starts out somewhat normal, with the player trying to defeat a group of terrorists, then you travel back in time, and end up in space.
Destiny of an Emperor is an alternate history take on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. You play as Liu Bei’s generals, and you have to go on a quest to gather your party. The game roughly follows the story, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but puts more of a focus on Liu Bei. It ends with a fight against a rival Emperor, and then you unify ancient China.
These are just brief descriptions of both games, and there is a lot more to both of them. I could go on about one of them in particular forever. They each have something that helps them stand out from a very crowded field or 1990s RPGs. Let’s get into the main differences between them.
Main Differences
There are a lot of differences between these two games. I won’t be going over graphics because I don’t think that is a fair comparison in this case. What I’ll be focusing on is the story, gameplay, and the combat systems.
The two games have very different stories. Robotrek’s is more comedic and a little bonkers. Destiny of an Emperor is a serious story that is based on a manga. It is an alternate history story that takes a more realistic approach than what is in Robotrek.
The gameplay is pretty different as well. Destiny of an Emperor lets you do more exploring, has some archaic mechanics, and has the player form a party of seven characters. Robotrek has a crafting system, lets you alternate between three robots for combat, and doesn’t let the player explore too much of the game’s world.
These games have different combat systems. Robotrek has a more tactical approach to fighting. You can swap between your robots, move them around the battlefield, and it uses an active time combat. Destiny of an Emperor has you fight with five party members, you need a tactician to use the magic system, and it turn based.
These are a few of the differences between these two games. I’m sure I could keep going with all of them, but I wanted to keep this brief. The ones that I’ve listed so far are the more significant differences. Let’s go over some of the core mechanics.
Comparing Core Mechanics (Combat, Story, Visuals, etc)
I’ve gone over some of this in the previous section, so I’ll try not to repeat myself. There will be a little overlap because some of these mechanics are part of the significant differences. They have unique gameplay mechanics, the combat is different, and the overall tone of the stories is different.
Both games have something unique in their gameplay. Robotrek has a crafting system for equipment, and Destiny of an Emperor lets you recruit enemies to your side. These help the games stand out and make things a little difficult when you compare them.
The combat systems are quite different. Robotrek’s is more tactical, and Destiny of an Emperor is similar to other console RPGs on the NES and SNES. Neither of them has a magic system, and they have something that fits with the overall themes of the game. I like how both developers did this.
These games have very different tones. Robotrek’s is comedic and rather happy. Everything in the game looks cute, for lack of a better word to use. Destiny of an Emperor is a little dark and takes its subject matter seriously. It is also a bright and colorful game, and its graphics have more similarities to the Dragon Quest games.
Destiny of an Emperor has a fairly archaic menu system. Each character has an inventory, and you have to open a menu to talk to people. I really don’t like this because it feels unnecessary. Robotrek is a bit more streamlined, where you don’t have to do any of that. There are multiple inventories in Robotrek, but they make more sense to me.
These are some of the mechanics that I wanted to touch on. I know that there are more, but I don’t want to repeat myself, and I’m not totally sure how many more I have to go over. Let’s get into what each game does better than the other.
What Does Robotrek do Better?
There are quite a few things that I enjoy more in Robotrek. It is a very unique game that has several things that are wonderful in this game. I like the combat, crafting system, and the more comedic tone of the game.
Robotrek has the better battle system. Not only do I enjoy this tactical approach to battles more, but this feels easier than what is offered in Destiny of an Emperor. There is more going on in them, and I like a few of the twists that are in this game more than the more basic approach in the other game.
The crafting system in this game is very good. While it is basic, it is much better than the games that have one or try to do something similar. I love that it is worked into the leveling system. Every time you gain a level, you can find and read a book that lets you make something else. This is how you build the equipment for your robots.
This game has a comedic tone that really stands out from other RPGs. The story gets crazier as the game goes on, which is something that I really enjoy about this game. It feels like the developers took everything from other games and tried to jam it all into the game.
These are the things that Robotrek does better than Destiny of an Emperor. I’m sure there are things that I’ve overlooked, or that others feel are more important. Because these two games are so different, I went with the things I enjoy more about each game. Let’s get into what Destiny of an Emperor does better.
What Does Destiny of an Emperor do Better?
There are a lot of things that I enjoy about Destiny of an Emperor. It is a very unique game, and one that I have a lot of memories of. I love that it sends you on a quest to find your party members, you can explore the game’s world, the setting is great, and it has more playable characters.
You go on a quest to find your party members. This is something that I always like in a retro RPG. It helps that I already know more about the characters in this story, but this is a way to get to know some of the characters in the story. It also adds more quests and gets the player to explore the game’s world a bit more.
There is a lot more exploration in this game. While both are mostly linear games, Destiny of an Emperor has the player doing more exploration. You’re also not locked into a set path on the world map. Being able to just walk around and grind for levels and money is more fun for me.
I love the setting. The games based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms are some of my favorite games. This game is a small part of my decision to study history when I got into college. It had a lot to do with my love of history. It is also a wonderful period for a video game to be based on.
Destiny of an Emperor has more playable characters, which is a good thing in this case. Most of the enemy generals can be recruited to your side, which is how you fill out your party early on. It can also make some of the battles a little easier, as it takes a character out of a boss fight from time to time.
These are just some of the things that are better in Destiny of an Emperor. I’m sure I can think of some things that I enjoy more or think are better in this game. I want to keep this section brief. Let’s get into which is better and which I would rather play.
Which is Better Overall and Why?
This was very hard. Both of these games are a lot of fun, but I had to give this one to Robotrek. It is the easier and more accessible game of the two. Destiny of an Emperor has some archaic gameplay mechanics, and it can be a little too hard for some people. Robotrek has better gameplay, the story is more fun, and I love how this game tells its story.
Robotrek has a better combat system. I love tactical RPGs, and this is a very good one. While the combat isn’t as complex as Destiny of an Emperor, it is much better as it is easier to understand. Battles are faster paced and more fun because of the active time combat system.
The crafting system is a unique feature, and makes the game more fun. Both games have some unique features, but I like the ones in Robotrek a little more. The crafting system adds a lot to the game and lets the player customize their robots, which is always fun.
While I love the story in Destiny of an Emperor, there is something about playing a comedy like Robotrek. It has a bonkers story that just makes me smile. I love how it keeps escalating and goes off in bizarre directions.
I held off on talking about graphics because I don’t think it is fair to compare them. What I will say is that I like the way Robotrek tells its story more. There are more cutscenes, and they’re used better. I also enjoy the more comedic tone of this game.
These are some of the reasons why I think Robotrek is the better game. I did do something here that I don’t normally do. This time, I took into account which game was more accessible to a new player. Robotrek is the easier game to get into. Let’s get into which game I would rather play.
Which Would I Rather Play?
In this case, I’m going to go with Destiny of an Emperor here. When I sit down and think about which one of these games I want to play, it is Destiny of an Emperor. I love how unique this game is, I love the story, and I enjoy the setting.
This game has some very unique features that aren’t going to be found in other RPGs. I love that you can recruit enemy generals to your side. Not only is it a fun way to build up your party, but you can take a character out of a boss fight. I also like the tactical attacks.
Instead of a magic system, this game has you using tactics. One of your seven generals has to be a tactician, which gives you access to the different tactics. These take the role of magic in this game. It is a very cool way of keeping this game grounded and making it more of a low fantasy alternate history game.
The story is very good, and it is one that I’ve played through several times. It is a classic story, and this version of it translates to a video game quite well. I really enjoy the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and this game tells a fun version of that story.
This goes along with the story. I really like this setting for a video game. China’s Three Kingdoms Period a lot of fun. It can be used for an RPG, a beat’em up, a fighting game, or a strategy game. This is my favorite setting for a video game.
These are some of the reasons why Destiny of an Emperor is the game I would want to revisit. It is a very fun game on the NES. I wish the sequels had been released in North America, even if they were rehashes of this story.
Conclusion
This was a much harder comparison than I thought. These games are pretty different, and they don’t really match up too well. There are a few core mechanics in common, but aside from that, there isn’t much. Both are good, but not good enough to get into the upper tier of RPGs.
Robotrek is one of my favorite SNES games. It is one of the better RPGs on the system, and one of the better games. I have it near the top of the second tier of RPGs as far as the SNES goes. It is much better than quite a few of them, and I have a lot of memories of playing it.
Destiny of an Emperor is also a game that I played on emulators first. Both games were something that I discovered before my friends. This was pretty cool back in the day, even if a few of the people I played games with didn’t share my enthusiasm for the games. It happens. Not everyone is going to like the same things.
I’m not too sure what I’m going to be covering next. I have more games that I need to compare with Robotrek, but I don’t know which one I’ll go over next. No matter what, I’m sure it will be fun.
If you liked this post, check out the other games in this series. Such as Robotrek vs Sweet Home or Phantasy Star III vs Phantasy Star IV.