Mini Robot Wars

Size Doesn't Matter!
—Tagline for the game

Mini Robot Wars is a Tower Defense game that is similar to Plants vs. Zombies. In it, a bunch of Metool-lookalike Mechanical Lifeforms try to stop an invasion of their planet.

"The Machines" are an army of killer robots produced by Star Travel Inc. Their mission is to find planets to provide a suitable place to build space resorts for wealthy people. They have recently found "Green Planet", a planet with lush forests, oceans and mountains.

However, the planet is not uninhabited- a bunch of small alien robots named the Minirobots inhabit it. Being peace-loving creatures, the Minirobots are not prepared against the machine invasion, and were mostly captured or destroyed. This is the Minirobots' last chance to drive out Star Travel's machines.

Similar to Plants vs. Zombies, you place troops on the battlefield to prevent enemy robots from reaching the other side. There is a twist, though- instead of a top-down view, you play in a side-view similar to a platform game.

This game is not a chibi-fied version of Super Robot Wars.

Tropes used in Mini Robot Wars include:
  • Action Bomb: The Minirobots have the Mini-Mine, the Mini-Bomber, and the Atomic Bot, while the Machines have the Time Bomb.
  • AI Breaker: Easier way to beat the Destroyer: Place one unit in his physical attack range, this will force him to use his charge move. When he pulls back, retreat that unit, and the Destroyer will waste an attack in place of a more deadly one.
  • Airborne Mook: The Scout Helicopter, Jetpacker, Napalm Airship, Hyper Jet, Ghost, and Reaper. Later on, even the ground-based mooks can come with a helicopter attachment that allows them to fly.
  • Anti Frustration Feature: The iOS versions of the game made the mini-games optional, allowing you to skip some of the excrutiatingly tough ones (Meteoric Army, for example).
  • Aquatic Mook: Most of the enemies in the third stage.
    • The Mole also gets the ability to swim on the water surface.

"Ocean doesn't save you from Mole anymore; for it can swim now!"

    • And later, the Giant also gets the ability to travel on the water!
  • Armor-Piercing Attack/One-Hit Polykill: The flamethrower and snowballer units can do this. The machines have knights, which also hit 1-2 units behind the one they're attacking. And then there are the Wave Motion Gun attacks used by Marine Strikers and the Final Boss.
  • Asteroids Monster: The Stingray submarine enemies split into three very weak, small copies when destroyed.
  • Clown Car Base: The Transporter and the Killer Whale can send out an indefinite number of machine units.
  • Crosshair Aware: The Sniper targets his foes with this after obtaining the Eagle Eye ability. This allows all his bullets to hit 100% of the time.
    • The Destroyer has a move where it targets up to two of your Minirobots. If you do not move the Minirobot out of the targeted square in time, they get grabbed and are instantly destroyed.
  • Death or Glory Attack: The Sniper's bullet does a ludicrous amount of damage if it hits the enemy. The only problem is that its bullet has a chance to miss. If you've been relying on them to defeat a strong enemy and they miss, you can kiss your defences goodbye.
    • This is solved with the Eagle Eye upgrade. It makes all the sniper's bullets hit no matter what, making it a lot more useful.
  • Degraded Boss: Remember the Destroyer which you had to fight as a Final Boss twice? In The Last Stand, you have to face it again as a end-of-world fight (Thankfully, it only uses the laser, and you can avoid it easily this time).
  • Destructible Projectiles: Almost all enemy projectiles can be destroyed. Essential, because you also take damage if an enemy projectile goes past the right side of the screen!
  • Earth-That-Was: The true ending reveals that the Star Travel Inc. (the humans) lost the "Blue Planet" a long time ago due to their own neglect.
  • Evil Counterpart: Arguable, the Napalm Airship to the Dropper, and the Knight to the Warrior. Both of them even have similar colour schemes compared to their good counterparts, and also attack in a similar way!
  • Evil Laugh: The sound cue that signals the approach of a reaper.
  • Expy: A lot of them, to the plants and zombies from Plants vs. Zombies.
    • For the Minirobots
      • Fuzors, being your resource-producing machines, are based off the sunflowers. Papa Fuzors are similar to Twin Sunflowers.
      • Factories produce money, like marigolds.
      • Gunners are like peashooters. They get a rapid-fire upgrade, which is obviously based off the Gatling Pea.
      • Blocker Bots are similar to Wall-Nuts.
      • Mini-Mines are like Potato Mines without the startup time.
      • Freezers are somewhat similar to Snow Peas, although their attack stuns enemies for a short time instead of slowing them down.
      • Missilers are similar to Cat-Tails, as they both shoot homing projectiles that hit enemies all over the screen.
      • Flame-bots are like fume-shrooms, as they use a medium-range attack that hits all enemies in the squares in front of it.
      • The Mini-Bomber is like the Cherry Bombs, both blow up the surrounding eight squares after being placed.
      • The Atomic Bot is based off the Doom-Shroom, except it hits the entire screen and doesn't leave a crater.
      • Floater bots, Buoyer Bots and Submerger Bots are like Lily Pads and Flower Pots, in the sense that they allow you to place land units in the air, on the water, and in the water respectively.
      • Mariner bots are similar to sea-shrooms.
      • Barrier bots act similarly to Pumpkins, you place it on a unit to give it extra protection.
      • D.Shotgunners fire a triple Spread Shot similar to Threepeaters.
    • For the Machines
      • Smashers are similar to the normal zombies, Heavy Smashers are like Coneheads, while Mega Smashers are like Bucketheads. Except that Mega Smashers do a lot more damage against a minirobot compared to a buckethead against a plant.
      • Ultra Cyclers are like pole-vaulting zombies, in the sense that they can jump over gaps.
      • Jumpers are this game's take on the Pogo Zombies- they jump over everything without having to attack.
      • Drillers are based off the Snorkel Zombie. Drillers will tunnel underground until they get in front of a unit, then they will pop up to attack the unit. However, they can be attacked from the top when tunneling.
      • Moles are based off the Digger Zombie, in the sense that they are stealthed when they are underground, and will undermine your units by attaking a vertical column in front of it. Like the Digger, you'll require a unit that causes it to resurface.
      • Rocket Wagons and Blast Tanks are somewhat similar to the Catapult Zombie.
      • Time Bombs are similar to the Jack-In-The-Box Zombie, in the sense that they blow up if not destroyed in time.
      • Capsule Cages are like Bungee Zombies, they drop on a minirobot and take it away if not destroyed after a short time.
      • The Giant is like the Gargantuar (loads of HP, instantly crushes your units, slow), and its upgraded variant the Titan is similar to the Giga-Gargantuar.
      • The Destroyer takes its attacks from Dr Zomboss's Zombot. It has a charge move which crushes minirobots in front of it (Zombot's stomp), a Wave Motion Gun that takes out two rows (combination between the fire/ice ball and the winnebago), and a grab move that targets your minirobots before destroying them (like the bungee zombies).
  • Follow the Leader: Most people would definitely notice the similarity to Plants vs. Zombies.
  • Fragile Speedster: Jetpack robots are fast Airborne Mooks that can take less damage than the regular Mooks. Jumpers are quite fast, but they too die very easily. Somewhat subverted by the cycler units, they travel fast but are as durable as a regular unit.
  • Gameplay and Story Integration: The final cutscene for the first two playthroughs show the Minirobots on one side, and the wrecked, purple-coloured Destroyer and his defeated minions on the other. However, on the final playthrough, the wreckage of the blue-coloured Destroyer Zero is shown instead.
  • Geo Effects/Weather of War: During the third playthrough (The Last Stand), the enemy machines attack in full force while screwing around with the ecosystem. The result causes the levels to have a hazard that harms your minirobots.
    • Green Fields: A periodic shower of acid rain damages all topmost robots.
    • Waste Sands: Earthquakes occur periodically, damaging anything on the ground.
    • South Ocean: Whirlpools may rise from areas without floor, damaging an entire column of minirobots.
    • Glacier Land: A non-damaging blast of wind pushes back all your air units in a row. If your air units get pushed into the ground or off the right side of the screen, they are instantly destroyed.
    • Iron Fortress: "Meteors" rain down on the field, these are actually Mooks. If a meteor lands on a minirobot, it destroys that minirobot instantly.
  • Goomba Stomp: The Minigames featuring Skipper. Skipper's only method of offense is to bounce on his opponents, damaging them.
    • Goomba Springboard: The second minigame starring Skipper has him bouncing on multiple enemies... in mid-air. Falling down results in an instant loss, so you're forced to jump on one Mook to the next.
  • Green Aesop: The machines are trying to convert the Green Planet's natural landscape into an artificial resort. The minirobots do not take well to the environmental destruction.
  • Grim Reaper: There's an enemy called the Reaper. Thankfully, it does not destroy your units in one hit. However, it can freeze the minirobots around it due to a fear attack of some sort.
  • Helicopter Pack: The Gyrotor. Starting from the second episode onward, land-based enemies can have one attached to them. This allows them to act like Airborne Mooks.
  • Hopping Machine: Jumpers.
  • Humans Are the Real Monsters: They're the ones behind the machines' invasion!
  • If It Swims, It Flies: The Frost Orca is a large orca-like submarine enemy that operates underwater. In one of the Mini-Games, though, you face it while flying through the air.
  • Improvised Weapon: Some of the enemy Machines use their weapons for construction- the Smasher's maces were made for it to clear forests, while the Driller's main function was to drill tunnels. In fact, only a handful of Machines were explicitly made for destruction- these are the ones that fire at you.
  • In Name Only: The Napalm Airship supposedly drops napalm bombs. Said bombs do not even explode into deadly flames (they only do one hit point of damage).
  • Invisible Monsters: The Mole and the Ghost have stealth and need to be revealed by using a radar or special platform.
  • It's Raining Machines: "Meteors" in certain stages rain down on your troops. These are actually Mooks sent down from space. If the "meteor" hits any of your units, they die instantly!
  • Kaizo Trap: One of the Minigames has you use a bomber unit to destroy a Giant. Even if you beat the Giant, you still have to survive the residual enemies- if you die after beating it, it still counts as a loss.
  • Killer Robot: The enemy machines.
  • Kill It with Fire: The flamethrower minirobot.
  • Kill It with Ice: The freezer bot can stun enemies for a short time with its ice projectiles. Later on, the dropper minirobot gets an upgrade that allows it to drop freezing bombs.
  • Kill It with Water: The bubble minirobot shoots bubbles that attack enemies above it. Great for submarines floating overhead.
  • Made of Explodium: Averted, even though all the characters are robots. Both the Minirobots and Machines just fall down when they die. Even missiles and projectiles do not explode! In fact, the only things that explode are the Mini-Mine, the Mini-Bomber (and mortar shells), the Atomic Bot, and the Time Bomb enemies.
  • Mechanical Lifeforms: The Minirobots.
  • Mechanical Monster: The Frost Orca. The Destroyer also counts as well.
  • Mook Maker: Transporters, which deploy ground units (unless it is flying, in which case it also deploys air units) and Killer Whales, which deploy marine units.
  • No Self-Buffs: The Fixer Bot is able to heal all units around her, but not herself.
  • Not Completely Useless: An experianced player would be able to beat the first two episodes without needing the Fixer Bot at all. Then the third episode comes with periodic environmental hazards that damage your Minirobots, making the Fixer Bot mandatory for your survival.
  • One-Hit Kill: The Giant and Titan do this to your units, the latter can smash three units at once!
    • The Destroyer also has two attacks that kill instantly, but are easily predicted. The third one, however...
  • One-Man Army: Leonid, The Shooting Hero. He's basically a Gunner minirobot with rapid-fire and the ability to aim diagonally, and in the minigames where you use him, you get to destroy over 75 enemies singlehandedly.
  • Overshadowed by Awesome: The Cannon units. They could only fire upwards at an angle, and that's it. You get a flying unit that shoots straight shortly after, and it is arguably better than the cannon.
    • And then you get the mortar unit... which makes the cannon a lot more feasible again.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: The minirobots. They're presumably smaller than a human.
  • Prophet Eyes: Almost every single enemy machine has a pair of evil-looking white eyes. Those who do not either have a pair of evil red ones or in the case of Destroyer(Zero), yellow.
  • Shout-Out: The Minirobots bear more than a passing resemblance to Metool, the Mascot Mook of Mega Man.
  • Smash Mook: Most of your enemies have an attack pattern of "get in front of nearest Minirobot, attack it with melee".
  • Sniping Mission: One of the Mission stages (Sharpshooter) plays out like this. You use a Sniper unit, and have to attack the enemy machines by clicking the centre of the crosshair as soon as it appears on them (clicking on a machine when no crosshair is on them causes the Sniper to miss).
  • Sorting Algorithm of Evil: The Machines. You face off their weakest units first, then the stronger ones as you progress. In terms of stages, you will fight a few weak enemy units, before the main attack force.
    • The manual justifies the latter-the Machines send some weak units to scout the area before their main attack force comes.
  • Spikes of Doom: Present in the Iron Fortress level. Placing your minibots on them will cause them to constantly take damage. Get rid of the spikes by using explosives.
  • Spikes of Villainy: The Heavy Smasher and Mega Smasher sport them. The Titan has two on its head, unlike its weaker variant the Giant.
    • Destroyer Zero looks like The Destroyer, except he's blue and has more spikes on his head.
  • Spread Shot: The D.Shotgunner unit fires out a spread of three. Upgrading it allows it to shoot five shots at once.
  • Superweapon Surprise: The Minirobots themselves. Originally too weak and defenceless, it is up to you to save their race, provide them with war tactics, and obtain stronger, more war-capable units in the process. By the end, they manage to smash the invading machines THREE TIMES until the machines give up.
  • That One Attack: Destroyer's Mouth Beam, which comes out without warning and kills 2-3 rows of units very quickly.
  • The Medic/Wrench Wench: The Fixer Bot, who heals the units around it troops by throwing a wrench at them. It's also a female.
  • This Is a Drill: Used by the Driller Machines.
  • True Final Boss: Destroyer Zero. Expect one hell of a fight.
  • Tunnel King: The Driller enemies and their stronger variant, the Mole.
  • Unexpected Gameplay Change: Quite a few of the "Mission Stages" are like this, which brings frustration to players. The iOS version allows you to skip the stage if you cannot beat it.
  • Video Game Settings:
  • Waddling Head: The Minirobots.
  • Wave Motion Gun: Used by the Marine Striker enemy ships, as well as the Destroyer. The former's takes a long time to charge, the latter's comes out without warning and it kills your units very quickly.
  • X Meets Y: Plants vs. Zombies meets Mega Man.
  • Your Princess Is in Another Castle: Done twice. After beating the machines once, they come back for revenge. After beating them the second time, they come back in full force. The minirobots regain their peace only after beating Destroyer Zero.
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