Review - RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business

Developer: Teyon

Publisher: Nacon

Available on: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

Review system: PlayStation 5

The half-man-half-machine law enforcement cyborg is back! Two years ago, developer Teyon and publisher Nacon released one of the best sleeper hits of 2023, RoboCop: Rogue City. The action-adventure first-person shooter was lauded for its presentation, gameplay, and cinematic attributes that paid tribute to one of the most important sci-fi movies ever made. Now the team is back with some unfinished business. 

The team has returned to the world of Old Detroit with RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business. A story of vengeance and justice, RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business is a welcome follow-up to the original release and is another exciting chapter with strong, crunchy gameplay and a solid story, even with some technical difficulties. 

Shots fired at Omni Tower

It's been some time since the events of Rogue City. RoboCop returns to Metro West, and to a horrifying sight. The police station has been hit. Bodies are strewn across the floor. Computers and servers are in disarray. Police officers lay slain where they stood their ground, some mysteriously frozen to death. RoboCop discovers a lone survivor, Sgt Reed, and while he is rescued, one of the most important pieces to RoboCop is stolen: his data chair. 

An army of mercenaries has seized control of the newly built OmniTower, a towering residential complex under the ownership of OCP. The tower holds cutting-edge technology as well as thousands of Detroit residents who were promised a new life. They intend to use RoboCop's data chair to take full control of OCP's technology. Seeing the threat and pursuing the data chair, RoboCop sets foot into the lobby on a dangerous quest to ascend the Omni Tower and take down the criminal threat one floor at a time. 

You're Move, Creep

RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business is a follow-up to 2023’s RoboCop: Rogue City. The first game was an action-adventure first-person shooter with lite RPG elements and choices that affected the overall story. The original game had an open-ended structure, with main missions interspersed with secondary missions and an open-world hub where RoboCop could walk a beat to take on smaller cases. 

RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business is a more straightforward and linear first-person shooter. Players walk up floor by floor to eliminate mercenaries and save civilians, while also encountering technologically dangerous threats like drones and combat robots. There are moments that dot the experience where RoboCop can help a resident with a potential crime that serve as a nice break from the chaos. However, the brunt of the game is to fight the mercenaries to the very top of the tower. 

It's trouble then

RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business echoes the comic adaptation of another well-known figure of the law, Judge Dredd. In the 2012 movie Dredd, the fictional law enforcement officer ascends the towering community of Peach Trees to take down the drug Lord Mama. Between the penthouse and the lobby are hundreds of floors of gang members. RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business takes this inspiration and matches it to great effect. 

Every floor of Omni Tower is filled with armed mercenaries, equipped with cutting-edge weapons. These aren't the pushover Nuke gangs of the original game. Trained and well-armed, they will make short work of RoboCop. They are ruthless and care not for the innocent civilians below. Deadly drones cut down anyone who resists. RoboCop is the only being standing in the chaos. It's a strong callback to Dredd. There's even a shooting section involving automated turrets that feels pulled straight from the infamous minigun moment from Dredd. 

Dead or Alive

It isn't just the bad guys who are armed and deadly. The mercenaries have taken over the tower’s defenses, which include combat drones, exploding robots, and even the Otomo robots from RoboCop 3, complete with their uncanny smile. There isn't any wiggle room, and firefights take place in hallways and lobbies. Expect to see lots of brutalist architecture, with concrete and pipes, as well as using every square inch for cover.

The gameplay of RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business is familiar to those who played the 2023 game. Shooting is pulpy and crunchy, with RoboCop's trusty Auto-9 pistol making short work of enemies, especially with headshots. The Auto-9 can be customized with different motherboards and hidden chips scattered in each level. The chips can customize the motherboards to provide different enhancements to the pistol, such as higher clip sizes or more powerful rounds. 

Brute Force

Those who played the original Rogue City will be very familiar with the gameplay of RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business. RoboCop has various special abilities, from shields to melee punches to deploying a flash bang with his left hand. RoboCop can use various weapons from shotguns to grenade launchers, but the Auto-9 is the backbone of the shooting gameplay. These were abilities that players worked towards in the original game, but in Unfinished Business, these abilities are available at the start. There are some additions to the gameplay this time around. 

If an enemy is standing next to something yellow, RoboCop can issue a one-button takedown. Slamming an enemy into an electrical board or smashing a sign down on an enemy is satisfying and useful for taking down more armored targets. The game introduces a cryo gun that is so effective and satisfying, Mr. Freeze would be jealous. One cathartic section puts players at the helm of an ED-209, peppering enemies with large-caliber rounds while a hard rock riff plays in the background. At one point, players get to play as Alex Murphy before his fateful day, working a case with fellow officers.

Police Files

Compared to the amazing story of Rogue City, the story for RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business is more serviceable this time around. Whereas the first game hit the beats of the first movie and asked daunting questions, Unfinished Business is more of a strong story of street justice. That doesn't mean it isn’t good. Peter Weller returns to bring his trademark deadpan humor and acting to RoboCop. He even lends his performance to the flashback mission. The story sees RoboCop as a character who also fleshes out the world inside Omni Tower. The secondary characters and antagonist do provide a story that’s more than standard. 

Overall, it is a blast playing as RoboCop again. Using the various abilities and dispatching hundreds of armed mercenaries is exciting and satisfying in a unique way that only RoboCop can do. The ultraviolence lends itself to the dystopian world that is depicted in the movies. There are even fake movie posters and radio ads that uncover a world where Alaska has beaches right where the ozone layer is gone. The story works with its tale of street justice, while also expanding aspects of the first RoboCop movie. The presentation feels cinematic and polished, with Peter Weller's acting chops as RoboCop. Chills were at the back of my neck when the theme played as the action began. To make it more authentic, you can shoot enemies between the legs, just like the first movie. It's a strong game, but there are some glitches in the programming. 

They Fix Everything

RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business could have offered more for a standalone release. New futuristic weapons, more gameplay attributes, and perhaps a longer campaign. The game can last upwards of eight to ten hours, which is a lengthy stay for the price, but perhaps more could have been added. I could have easily imagined a rogue-like mode to be built-in into the overall experience. Additionally, the game has a surprising number of glitches. One opening cutscene was borked as it wouldn't load or function properly. The game also reuses assets for NPCs, and there is trouble with lip syncing. In a way, it can be argued that this does lend to the game’s B-movie vibes, but these glitches could have been ironed out. Finally, the music could have been more dynamic and memorable, given the game's situation. 

Despite the technical flaws, RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business is a strong standalone experience and a great complement to the original release. The game's gameplay is as strong as ever, and the fight to the top is a challenge. While I wish it were longer, it's a good time to be back in RoboCop's metal shoes again. Teyon clearly has found their groove, and maybe, their next step might be in a certain Mega City. In the meantime, stay out of trouble and enjoy RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business.

ROBOCOP: ROGUE CITY - UNFINISHED BUSINESS IS RECOMMENDED