Robot Warlords (Velvet File in Japan) is a turn based tactical RPG by Nexus Interact, published by Dazz (in Japan) and Midas Interactive Entertainment (in Europe). The plot is that you and several others are assigned by the Japanese government to deal with a terrorist organization. You do this by piloting "Bullets", giant robots that are capable of equipping parts and weapons to make themselves stronger.
The story takes place in Japan, August 2002. Rogue factions within the armed forces have taken control of the latest in weapons technology (BULLETS) and have declared a state of martial law. Fearing civilian casualties from an all out counterattack, the existing government hires a band of mercenaries to crush the rebels, equipping it's members with the few bullets that remain. With seven days to stop the rebellion and bring order to the streets of Tokyo, the mercenaries face all out battle. The future of the nation depends on these Robot Warlords.
Robot Warlords contains examples of:
- Big Bad Duumvirate: Yoshimasa Urano and Ryohei Nagatsuka. Their plan is to establish a new government to replace the old one, using the power of Bullets to showcase their overwhelming might.
- Electronic Music: All of the game's soundtrack is electronic, from the toe tapping title screen, the vocals of the menu theme to the simple but effective mission themes.
- Fake Difficulty: During the main story, you're stuck with whatever you're given and you cannot upgrade your mechs until you unlock Life Mode. Until then, you will suffer
loss after loss until you win. - Hello, [Insert Name Here]: The game allows you to name your Bullets, though you can't change the character's names.
- Hired Guns: The player characters are a hired group of mercenaries designed to take down the rouge factions within the armed forced.
- Market-Based Title: The mysterious intrigue of JP's Velvet File or the action and adrenaline of US/EU's Robot Warlords? You decide.
- Randomly Generated Levels: Upon beating the game, the player unlocks Life Mode (referred to as Battle Mode on the game's back cover) where the player is pitted against a randomized set of foes to unlock money to upgrade their Bullets.
- Real Robot Genre: The Bullets are far more realistic, befitting their purpose as military weapons.
- Military Coup: The main antagonists attempt one of these, hoping to get their new government recognized by the rest of the world as official.
- Mission Control: Kazuma Saeki is the man who assigns the main characters to their assignment of defeating the rebel forces and also tells the player their mission objectives.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: After finally getting rid of the terrorist organization, the Japanese government decide that your team needs to be liquidated and sends an elite squad to kill them.
- Overly Long Fighting Animation: Every time you choose to take an action during your turn or when the enemy performs an action, an animation will play for movement or combat. The game allows you to turn these animations off if you find them cumbersome however.
- Puppet King: Part of Yoshimasa Urano and Ryohei Nagatsuka's plans involve installing Dr Tachibana as an interim president until their new government has been officially recognized. It doesn't take and it's implied that Dr Tachibana is helping the current government to play both sides of the conflict.
- Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You: Both English and Japanese versions of the boxart depict a green cycloptic Bullet pointing their machine gun at the audience. Velvet File Plus's boxart replaces this with an Extreme Closeup of the same green Bullet
- Timed Mission: All missions in the main game require to defeat all enemies within several turns.
- The Professor: Professor Jonouchi, the current manager of Jonouchi Manufacturing and the person who is responsible for giving your team their Bullets to fight. Her granddaughter Kasumi Jonouchi is one of the playable characters you can use in battle.
- Title Theme Drop: The final mission in the game uses the same catchy theme from the title screen, just to make it clear that things have changed for the protagonists.
- Unwitting Pawn: Your team of mercenaries turn out to be this, revealed after crushing the rebellion.
- Updated Re-release: The game received a Japan-only rerelease called Velvet File Plus which fixed several bugs and added support for the Sony Playstation 2 Print Fan with Pop Egg.
