Steambot Chronicles

Robots, music, and a dash of Vanilla

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Many games are described as ‘ahead of their time’, but that’s exactly what quirky action-RPG Steambot Chronicles was. An open world with abundant side-quests and a protagonist you develop through dialogue choices? On console, in 2006? Somehow, yes. To this day, few games have successfully dabbled in as many elements simultaneously as this steam-powered JRPG.

Those elements may not always be the most polished, but they’re there and not one of them feels shoehorned in. There’s a hunger mechanic which means listeners will walk away from you mid-performance if your stomach growls. You can design your own licence plate for your Trotmobile (your customisable battle mech and vehicle), as well as chop and change between weapons, wheel types, and even windshields. There’s a stock market. The community will give you a nickname – probably unflattering – based on your most recent antics. You can rent a house and fill it with furniture, decide to take to the streets in only your swimming trunks, or delve into an optional dungeon in order to bring back precious stones for women after your affection. Maybe you want to put the entire plot on hold and dedicate time to becoming a billiards pro or winning the fighting tournament. The charmingly odd and surprisingly open industrial world is yours.