Robot Wars: Metal Mayhem

Robot Wars: Metal Mayhem
Box Art for Metal Mayhem
Production Information
Developer	Tiertex Design Studios
Publisher	BBC Multimedia
Release Date	December 7, 2000
Game Information
Series	3
Platform	Game Boy Color
Genre	Action
Ratings	ELSPA: 3+ OFLC: G8+

"Are you ready for WAR? Challenge the might of the robots in the ultimate battle arena. There's only one winner as you fight to destroy the enemy and avoid destruction from the evil house robots. Put the scrap back into metal as you train, build your own robot and go into battle against the computer or human roboteer!"

— From the back of the Metal Mayhem box

Robot Wars: Metal Mayhem was the very first of the Robot Wars video games to be created. For the Game Boy Color, it was based around the third series of Robot Wars and featured competitors from that series.

Arena

• War Zone - Metal Mayhem featured only one main battle arena, loosely based on the Series 3 incarnation. In addition there were other arenas set up for the trial modes.

Features

The game with the box and instruction book

The game itself featured several different modes. The first of these was the Robot Workshop mode, which allowed players to build their own robots from several choices of components and categories, divided into Chassis, Motors, Gear Ratios, and a Weapon (From a choice of either a Pneumatic Spike, an Axe, a Flipper, or a Circular Saw).

The next mode was the Grudge Match mode, which allowed the player to select a robot to control and an opponent to fight in a standard one-on-one battle, with best of three results. This, in turn, linked to the War Zone mode, which was the same as the Grudge Matches, except the player's opponents were preselected, and eight of them had to be fought and beaten in a row to win. One hit knock outs included being flipped by an arena spike or falling into the pit of oblivion. Otherwise, robots had to wear down their opponent's hit point gauge through attacks, arena hazards or House Robots. A robot bursts into flames once its health reaches zero.

Finally, there was a Trials mode, which consisted of a variety of challenges that the player could do. These consisted of the Gauntlet, Sumo, Skittles, and the Slalom, a new event in which a robot had to navigate a path across the arena to the end zone, whilst avoiding periodic bursts of flame which erupted from the floor.

Differences between game and show

• Dead Metal was featured as pink and grey, rather than the all grey appearance he had on the show. This was most likely inspired by Dead Metal's original lobster-esque colour scheme, and to add some colour to the game.
• The pit is four times its normal size. Arena spikes are also heavily enlarged, most likely to make them more visible in the game.
• The flame pits have been merged into one large flame pit that sits in the centre of the arena. If a robot drives onto the flames, their health will deteriorate rapidly.
• The arena floor flipper is omitted from the game.
• House Robots are unable to leave their CPZs. This is due to the fact that a robot is automatically eliminated if immobilised, and breakdowns are not a part of the game.
• Flippers or lifters are unable to flip opponents over, merely flap up and down whilst whittling down an opponent's health. The only way to flip an opponent is via the floor spikes.
• X-Terminator appears in a plain silver colour scheme similar to its Series 4 incarnation, X-Terminator 2, rather than the red and orange version in Series 3, which the game is based off.
• Self-righting mechanisms are omitted from the game, due to the instant KO from being flipped.
• The ability to throw an opponent out of the arena is omitted.
• Due to the limited graphics available, most robots (including House Robots) have only a single weapon. As a result of this downgrade, famous machines lose much of their trademark.

Errors and Glitches

Ultor as it appears on the back of the box

• Thermador features in the game, but under the name Thermidor II.
• Only two dimensions are given for Sir Chromalot and Diotoir.
• Crasha Gnasha is purple in the arena, rather than blue like its real-life counterpart and menu artwork.
• Chaos 2's weapon is incorrectly listed as "Pneumatic Axe".
• In the game's credits Mentorn Barraclough Carey, the company that produced Robot Wars, is misspelt as Mentron Baraclough Carey.
• Ultor is visible in an in-game screenshot on the back of the box, but does not appear in the actual game. The reason for this is unknown, but it may have been cut from the game during production.
• A glitch is present in "War Zone" where, if the player chooses to view the stats of their opponent and then chooses to continue to the next fight whilst still on the stats screen, the player's robot will be replaced with the opponent and they will fight their last opponent again.

Reception

"If I was locked in a room with only a Game Boy and this game I think I’d rather attempt to eat the Game Boy instead of putting myself through this again."

— Dracophile of Twilight Foundry

The game received very poor reviews. A review for The Twilight Foundry said that "any way you cut it you lose", citing in particular the repetitive music track, terrible graphics, unexciting gameplay, limited customisation, lack of bonus content and poor controls. Robshi from GameFAQs criticised the game for being nothing like robot combat and gave a final instruction to stay far away from the game.

Gallery

Australian cover

The back of the box

An advert from Robot Wars Magazine for Metal Mayhem

Credits

• With special thanks to Steve Plotnicki, Benton Levy and all at Mentron Baraclough Carey*
• Robot Wars theme music tune by Golden Break Music

Featuring

• Behemoth: Anthony Pritchard
• Big Cheese: Roger Plant
• Chaos 2: George Francis
• Crasha Gnasha: Jack Pickup
• Diotoir: Peter Redmond
• Dundee: Richard Manion
• Fire Storm: Graham Bone
• Milly-Ann-Bug: Geoff Warren
• Panic Attack: Kim Davis
• Purple Predator: Trevor Andrew
• Pussycat: Robin Herrick
• Scutter's Revenge: Darren Ball
• Sir Chromalot: Steve Merrill
• Terminal Ferocity: John Ryland
• Thermidor II: David Harding
• X-Terminator: Marlon Pritchard

BBC Credits

• Development Manager: Louise Merlin
• Commissioning Editor: Andrew Joly
• Rights and Acquisition Manager: Sian Teasdale
• Head of Creative Design: Shamsul Rosunally
• Marketing Executive: Liz Reynolds
• Testing Manager: Archana Sharma
• Reversioning Manager: Lena Strand
• Localisation Assistant: Alejandra Jimenez

Tiertex Credits

• Production and Lead Programming: Chris Brunning
• Production Assistant: Gray Marshall
• Graphics: Bryan King, Kevin Knott, Gray Kennedy, TagMonkeys
• Sound and Effects: Mark Ortiz
• Testing: Kevin Ray, Dominic Wong, James Rippon, Mark Wilkinson
• Special Thanks: John Prince, Donald Campbell

*An in-game typo. The correct spelling of the company's name is Mentorn Barraclough Carey.