Adaptation Displacement: The theme probably wouldn't even have a fan base if it weren't for the game.
Awesome Music: The music that plays during the introduction cutscene. Sadly, currently there isn't a SFX-free version of this song available.
Cult Classic: The Rock Raiders toy line and PC game may not be particularly well-known, but it has a strongly devoted fanbase. The modding possibilities for the PC game has only increased the appeal, as an entire online community has been built around mods for the game.
Demonic Spiders: Slimy Slugs take inordinate number of shots from the Laser Gun to drive off, and will only be warded away by the recommended weapon, the Sonic Blaster (of course, this doesn't really work and you have to resort to Pusher Beams). They also have an energy-draining attack that makes energy crystals useless.
Disappointing Last Level: The last level, Rocky Horror, was rather disappointing. There were few monsters, a pre-built base with a recharge seam, and a massive crystal cache at the north end of the cave. Even worse, Chief said that "There are Rock Monsters all over the place!".
The Chrome Crusher obsoletes all other mining vehicles as well as dynamite, since it's able to drill through hard rock in only seconds.
For that matter, the Tunnel Scout to all water vehicles: the Rapid Rider can't deliver enough cargo to be useful, and Artificial Stupidity makes the Cargo Carrier nearly useless (Rock Raiders can't handle the idea of auxiliary bases). When edited in, the Tunnel Transport even more. In fact, many vehicles are useless.
The handheld Laser Beams pretty much nullify the threat of Rock Monsters and Ice Monsters, able to destroy them in one shot. Freezer Beams are nearly as effective against Lava Monsters. This means there's no point to the Pusher Beam at all.
Goddamn Bats: The bats and the spiders, which do nothing except scare or trip the Rock Raiders, slowing them down or permanently cancelling their orders.
Good Bad Bugs: Rock Raiders can walk diagonally between squares even as long as the destination is walkable terrain, which allows Solid Rock and sea corners to be traversed. However, the pathing engine will also make the Rock Raiders walk on lava if an acute angle is walkable. Additionally, if a rock raider is interrupted when carrying an electrified fence to place it on a square, and he is interrupted (such as by the Spiders) he will drop it, and an electrified fence can never be built in that square anymore, and often the fence will never be picked up. As when extra ore is placed on a building and not picked up until your air supply is gone.
Funny Moments: There's a very dramatic sequence in one of the pre-mission cutscenes where a Rock Monster emerges from a wall and marches menacingly towards the Rock Raiders' Chrome Crusher. The Rock Raiders flee before it, but Docs is unable to escape, and cowers in fear as the Rock Monster looms over him. The Rock Monster ignores Docs entirely, takes a single Energy Crystal from the Chrome Crusher, and walks away while cradling the crystal in its arms like a baby.
Gameplay Derailment: There is very little balance given to your arsenal, leading to most players making use of only a small handful of tools and absolutely nothing else. In addition, building a second base counts as this in stages that expect you to ferry items over water or from a distance.
Low-Tier Letdown: Most of the vehicles are considered useless by the average Rock Raider player, but special mention goes to the Hover Scout, which cannot travel over water or lava, cannot carry cargo, and cannot drill rock. All it does is make a Rock Raider travel faster over land, but the inability to drill or carry cargo makes it easily outshined by the Small Digger and Small Transport Truck, respectively.
Most Wonderful Sound: "An Energy Crystal has been found!", especially in a level like Lake of Fire where every Energy Crystal counts.
Hearing Chief say the words "Mission complete!" after completing a mission.
Nightmare Fuel: The menu music in the PC game. It certainly fits the mood for being trapped in a faraway alien planet in a hostile underground environment, that's for sure.
The game is generally playable, but there are a lot of obvious clues the game was rushed even to an unsuspecting player, most notably the rampant Artificial Stupidity. There is also the fact the game is impossible to achieve 100% Completion on, as well as the extremely unbalanced vehicle and building roster.
Air Riders level is the only ice level that features lava. Apparently, while the ground next to the lava can erode in this setting, there are no textures for this happening, meaning that you have no idea that a piece of the floor is in a state of undergoing erosion, and how far this process already went.
Periphery Demographic: Well, the game was made for people aged "8-99", but it was still targeted at younger people. And gained many adult fans. Hardcore fans.
Scrappy Weapon: Pusher beams. Why waste time shoving the monster around when you can one-shot it with a laser beam (if rock or ice), or give it Five Rounds Rapid from a freezer beam (if lava)?
Spiritual Successor: As revealed in thesetwo Rock Raiders United threads, Data Design Interactive was impressed by the dedication of the PC game's fanbase and is currently working on a Spiritual Successor titled "Block Raiders", which will be taking quite a bit of inspiration from Minecraft. The members of the original Rock Raiders development team are working on this new game.
Back to Basics is an evil pit of Slimy Slugs. Not only that, but your air supply runs out unnaturally fast (which makes sense, since you are so far underground) which means having a support station is absolutely paramount. If the Slimy Slugs get to it (and at some point, their bound to) and drain all of its energy, you have perhaps 2 minutes max to get power back to it, or its game over. Speaking of power, actually finding energy crystals is very difficult, as the level is designed so that energy crystals are significantly more difficult to find, meaning you have to spread your resources thin to find them, which leaves your base relatively lacking in manpower to defend it. And you'll need that power to fend off rock monsters that frequently attack it as well. Unfortunately, Back to Basics must be won to unlock the final mission. What's even worse is that the AI has a tendency of glitching out on this level, where if you break too many walls, your units may suddenly cease to pick up any energy crystals lying around, no matter what you do.
Don't Panic. First you spend several minutes running from lava monsters and a lava river, then you spend what little Oxygen you have left either collecting Energy Crystals or quickly building a base, and then collecting Energy Crystals. There is a secret path you can drill through which will take you directly to the area with the Energy Crystals, if you can find it.
Lake of Fire. In most levels where erosion is a hazard, you are given enough cavern space that, as long as you maintain a strong Power Path dam to block the lava lake, you should not have to worry too much. In Lake of Fire, most of the cavern is filled with lava, with only very thin land bridges leading from one rock formation to another. If you spend too much time building Power Paths, the land bridges in deeper parts of the cavern will have eroded away by the time you get there, and before you know it, the precious Energy Crystals contained within those rock formations are lost, making the level Unintentionally Unwinnable. On the other hand, if you don't build any Power Paths, the land bridges closer to your base will erode away much faster, and the land bridges far from your base are going to erode away anyway. And did I mention that the whole level leaves you Almost Out of Oxygen, making a Support Station a necessary priority on top of everything else?
Ugly Cute: As long as they are not invading your base, the Slimy Slugs are actually kind of cute, especially in the cutscenes. The way one Slimy Slug smiles and wags its tail when Axle is waving an Energy Crystal, and the way another Slimy Slug sadly shakes its head after watching Axle and Docs drive into the abyss... it's just too cute!
The PlayStation Game Provided Examples of (Tropes from the PC Game are not mentioned unless different):
The Problem with Licensed Games: In stark contrast to the PC version, this one was much more poorly received, playing out like a generic and unenjoyable puzzle platformer. Some people have even argued the most enjoyable part is the sliding puzzle minigame on the load screen of the NTSC version.
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