Battroborg is great motion controlled robot boxing fun for ages 7 and up

Battroborg is a game that simply looks fun.  It has motion controlled robots and boxing-just add children aged 7 and up for hours of yelling, robot boxing fun.  Battroborg was named one on the Most Wanted Holiday List 2013 for Time To Play Mag, Best Action Toy of the Year in France and Belgium in addition to numerous other accolades.  But, does the toy deserve all of the praise?

As a parent setting up toys can be taxing.  Don’t let the small words and big instructions to Battroborg 3-in-1 Battle Arena intimidate or fool you.  Setting up BattroBorg was simple but the instructions are printed in about 8 languages on the same sheet of paper so it looks more complicated than it is.

Once the game is set up there are a couple of ways to play.  You should start out in the gauntlet mode, which is essentially a practice mode.  Align the ropes so that the Battle Borg can only go straight and put the practice targets out in the field.  This will allow you to get a feel for the robots, how they move and punch. Once you’ve got a handle on how to move the bots around you’re ready for the more advanced and interactive battle mode.

In the battle mode you and a friend control different bots and try to ‘knock them out’.  The Battroborgs have lights just behind their shoulders that light up different colors.  They blink green when they start up and cycle through white, yellow, red and then flashing red as the last color before they get knocked out.  When they receive their final blow they make a broken robot noise and then stop working.

Synching the Battroborgs are simple, just turn the robot on, switch the controller on and they’re speaking to each other.   If you turn on the controller while both robots are on then you’ll be controlling both bots, that’s the only problem we technically had in playing the game.

Actively moving the Battroborgs and controlling them are two separate things.  I can move my borg all over the place, but they often get jammed up on the ropes or in areas away from my opponent.  It takes a little bit of practice to move your borg with purpose and actively fight the other one.

That is the real benefit of the gauntlet mode.  You can practice going from side to side more efficiently and with more finesse by simply practicing.   There are some videos on the Battroborg site that break down how to better use the controllers also.

When you move the controller quickly up and down it moves the bot in a spastic, uncontrolled manner.  To efficiently move the bot put the small controller in one hand and the big one in the other hand.  Your hands become an extension of the bot’s arms.  When you move your right hand up once, the bot’s right hand punches and the same with the left.

With a little practice you can make Battroborg more of a game and less of a talentless rock em sock em robot boxing match.  I still have not gotten the bots to where it’s like Real Steel or anything, but it’s great fun.

I’ve played the game with a number of different aged kids.  The youngest was 6, he had great fun, but the inability of the bots to move around frustrated him.  Once I shared with him how to more efficiently move them around, he wasn’t as frustrated, even though he didn’t listen to any of my suggestions.  The older kids could move the bots around better and were a more sporting opponent.

At between $54 and $70, Battroborg 3-in-1 Battle Arena isn’t a cheap toy, but does provide hours of entertainment.  Be careful with the bots because they are expensive to replace.  If you have kids that love robot boxing and you want them to have a toy that’ll keep them for  hours Battroborg will do that.