Overall=8.3

This game is a fun RPG style game. Your name is Rod,a Biomotor Unitron pilot,and you are out to prove you are the very best. Yes,I know it sounds like Pokemon,but it is true. You fight in the arena for fame,glory and XP and fight in the outside world for GP and XP. You will find treasure scattered all over the place and some might be tough to get to. You will get into random battles a lot,but trust me,you want to fight as often as possible. Your goal is to build up your Unitron to withstand the fiercest that the arena and later monsters can throw at you.

Graphics=9

The graphics are plenty good for the system and I think it was a competitor for the Game Boy/GBA (but I could be wrong). The graphics are easily on par and in full color with anything on the system. The characters are bright and well done,the overland is standard,and the battles are where you see you and the monsters swapping blows. The effects are nice and the text is easy to read,the symbols,not so much,but there is a help guide in game.

Sound=8

The sound is nice and crisp,you will hear the same theme over and over but it is not a bad thing. The effects are done well and add to the ambiance of the fights. The sound is par for the system and is pretty good. The soundtrack is nothing to write home about but at least it serves its purpose.

Addictiveness=8

You will have a lot to do in here. Whether you are fighting in the arena,fighting in the outside world,trying to find materials,tools,or tuning up your Unitron,you will have plenty to keep you busy. If you are like me,you want the best arms (weapons) you can find or create. Naturally,the better the weapon,the lower your odds are of crafting it. If you can find the Mastery tool,that is an instant 100% success rate.

Story=9

At first,you are some guy that is lucky enough to have a Unitron and someone to help upgrade it for you. You start off in arenas to boost your XP and then you must explore the world around you. As you do,you see how others perceive you,either as a hero or someone that is an insult to their ways. Talk to everyone at least 3 times,they might have info for you. As you become stronger,you can learn new tricks and attacks and those will save your neck in later fights. You also find at the end of the game that your machine only works because some alien presence allows it and was using you and humans. You must then decide whether to serve this being or become your own Master.

Depth=8

The game is pretty deep and you must explore dungeons and defeat powerful monsters to gain material,money,tools,and XP. Your helper also gains levels by creating new arms for your Unitron. You need each other to survive. Whether you are fighting for glory,fighting for powering yourself up,or tinkering in the shop,you will have plenty to keep you busy. You also have a pretty deep elemental tree and your weapon could be strong against one type of foe,but be weak against another type. I managed to get lucky and get away with the best arms I could find or make,but you might want to keep an eye on that and decide that you want a different weapon to help you out.

Difficulty=8

The game is challenging,but fair. It does give you the option to cut and run from a dungeon and save if you wish. Trust me,you will be doing that a lot. I like to save after crafting a new weapon,a new level,or when I have had enough. You are not going to survive if you think you can just bash every enemy's head in. Sometimes you have to hang back and think a move ahead. If you are low on life,heal up and try to recover. There is no shame in defeat. There is an ancient saying,"If you are knocked down 1000 times,you get up 1000 times." Learn from what worked and what did not. Sometimes all you need is to power up and try again.

Final thoughts:

This game is fun and enjoyable. If you like to grind and feel yourself getting better with each victory,then this is a game for you. Do not let the fact it came out on the Neo Geo Pocket Color scare you. A lot of good games came out on that,it just suffered from terrible timing,aka Pokemon. Remember,each time your character levels up,his responses get better. Each time your mechanic levels up,her skill in crafting gets better. There is no one right way to make your mech,it depends on what you think is important. Now I will tell you that my end game weapons were the Rail Gun and the Buster and they caused quite a bit of damage,especially after the special attacks you learn in later levels.