'Medabots' Had Games!?

Medabots is one of my favorite anime of all time. However, until recently, I hadn't played the games the anime was adapting. Around the time of its English broadcast, the only game I was aware of was Medabots: Metabee & Rokusho for Game Boy Advance. As a kid, I refused to play it because of its heavy use of motion tweening for battle animations. Unbeknownst to me, Medabots: Metabee & Rokusho was a remake of Medarot 2, so in other words, there were other games. Two decades later, I discovered that not only were there more games, but the Medabots fan community was in the process of translating them. Thankfully, most Medarot games are Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles with less off-putting battle animations.

Medarot

To my surprise, the Medabots anime I liked so much wasn't an adaptation of the original but instead its sequel, Medarot 2. In Actuality, Medarot was a prequel to the anime and unknown territory to non-Japanese fans. Instead of the anime's protagonist, Ikki Tenryou, the story follows the adventures of Hikaru Agata. Medarot is a turn-based RPG released on the Game Boy and is reminiscent of other monster-collecting games on the handheld. As a Pokémon obsessed kid in the '90s, it would have been a welcome addition to my game library, even if it is a bit rough around the edges. What struck me about the original Medarot game is its reserved storytelling and non-linear exploration reminiscent of Pokémon: Red & Blue. More impressive is how fully developed the Medarot series' signature "relay" battle system was even in its first entry. If you want to try Medarot, a fan translation is available courtesy of the Medabots fan community.

Medarot 3

Medarot 3 is the sequel to Medarot 2, and what the much-loathed sequel to the Medabots anime Medarot Spirit is loosely an adaption of. I had always assumed Medabots turning into vehicles in Medarot Spirit was a ploy to sell more toys, but it originated as a game mechanic introduced in Medarot 3 called Medachange. As a Game Boy Color title, Medarot 3 takes advantage of the increase in power to deliver a better-looking and more robust RPG. Having been released after the anime, Medarot 3 takes inspiration from its character designs, and even voices from the anime have made their way into the game. In a way, Medarot 3 is a more faithful successor to the anime than Medarot Spirit because it continues the story of the previous cast instead of replacing them with new characters. Medarot 3's fan translation is currently in progress but is nearing completion, with the game itself being fully playable in English.

It's a surreal experience when you discover that there is more of the media you enjoyed as a kid. On the one hand, it's nice to unearth more of something you like, but on the other hand, it's sad that it plunged into obscurity in the first place. Part of me still wishes for anime adaptations of the game-exclusive Medarot content, like the above fan animation by illustrator and animator MIROKU. However, between the anime receiving a Blu-ray release with English subtitles from Discotek Media and the official Medarot YouTube channel airing reruns, the future seems bright for Medabots. If any of this piqued your curiosity, I recommend joining the Medabots fan community at the Project Rising Beetle Discord server. As for me, I will be anticipating further fan translations of the Medarot series (looking forward to Medarot 5 in particular) while starting that playthrough of Medabots: Metabee & Rokusho I should have years ago.