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Robotron 2084 Clones and Ports (Vid Kidz Robotron-likes)


Clones & Ports of Robotron 2084



This article is concerned with computer-game clones and ports of Vid Kidz's Robotron 2084 coinop of 1982. Robotron-likes are defined by me as fixed-screen shoot 'em ups that feature 8-way movement and 8-way firing on a top-down playfield of open-slather.

The article is only concerned with Robotron 2084 clones and ports that appeared on Western computer game machines. The clones and ports are presented chronologically.

Open-slather Robotron games are not the same as Berzerk games (maze) or Commando games (scrolling playfields). However, all three come under run and gun games.

The Original Robotron 2084 Tech-Specs


Powered by an 8-bit Motorola 6809 microprocessor clocked at 1 MHz, the original Robotron 2084 coinop runs at 60 FPS while displaying at 360x240 resolution and with 16 on-screen colors drawn from a palette range of 256. Robotron employs 2x bit blitters.

When assessing ports and clones of Robotron, consider that some micros did not have any custom chips or coprocessors, let alone five dedicated boards packed with specialized circuitry.

Robotron 2084 Clones


Smash T.V. Amiga 1989


The 1989 Amiga port by Probe of the Smash T.V. coinop are passable. Indeed, playable. Especially with a friend in 2-player coop mode.


Llamatron 2112 Amiga 1991


Llamatron 2112 was designed and coded by Jeff Minter of LlamaSoft in 1991 for ST/Amiga. Llamatron is a king-tier Robotron-like with psychedelic graphics. While its audio-visuals and presentation are unconventional, its gameplay is as classic as it gets.

Best played with 2x micro-switch joysticks suction-capped to the desk: mad.


Twin-joystick control aka two-joystick control aka dual-joystick control is when you use one joystick to move and another joystick to control the direction of fire. Thus, one can move in one direction while firing in another, aka strafing. Twin-joystick originated in Taito's Gun Fight coinop of 1975. It was also famously employed in Vid Kidz's Robotron 2084 coinop of 1982, of which Llamatron is a psychedelic clone.

Dual-stick is a god-tier shoot 'em up control system that could easily have been employed in more 8 and 16 bit micro shooters, but wasn't.

Llamatron 2112 IBM PC 1991


Llamatron 2112 was ported to IBM PC 808x in 1992 from the original ST/Amiga versions of 1991. Supporting 2 joysticks for Robotron-style action, Llamatron is one of the best fixed-screen shoot 'em ups ever coded.


Robotron 2084 Ports


Robotron 2084 IBM PC 1983


The Vids Kidz Robotron coinop of 1982 was ported to i808x by Atarisoft in 1983 in 4-color CGA 320x200. A multi-directional shoot 'em up, Robotron's 60 kbytes executable requires an IBM PC compatible with 128 kbytes RAM.


Robotron features 8-way movement and 8-way firing of the controlled sprite, Robotron Hero. In order to clear a stage players must destroy the Robotrons as they converge on the hero.

Robotron 2084 Commodore 64 1984


Robotron 2084 was ported to Commodore 64 by Tom Griner of Atarisoft in 1984.


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