TransBot

Description

TransBot is a side-scrolling shooter, clearly influenced by arcade hits like Gradius but simplified for a home audience. You pilot a transforming mech-ship through a looped sci-fi landscape, shooting down waves of enemy craft while collecting mystery boxes that grant temporary weapons. Unlike its Japanese cousin Astro Flash (same game, different name), TransBot feels stripped down—limited variety, a single looping level—but its transforming mechanic was novel for the time. While it lacks the depth of contemporaries on PC Engine or MSX, it’s a nice example of early Sega experimentation, aimed more at younger or first-time players than hardcore shooter fans.