Semibot

This is a work in progress, please leave it untouched as it will be fixed shortly. - MisterCosmic99

The Semibots are versatile, multi-purpose robots that transport valuables in R.E.P.O. and serve as the player's character. They can run, speak, grab objects with a tractor beam and even go into a compact form.

Appearance[]

A Semibot appears as a small, weathered robot with a semi-circular head and two large, cartoonish eyes with tiny black pupils. The head is split into two, with the top part hinged at the back, and it will move and bounce up and down when the player speaks into their microphone. Its body is divided into three stacked segments: head, torso, and pelvic area, each slightly wider than the one above. These segments can collapse telescopically, allowing the Semibot to crouch, crawl, or compact itself when tumbling.

Its arms and legs extend as long, cone-like shapes that swivel from fixed points on the body. In normal movement they appear stable, but in tumble mode they flail loosely as the Semibot is jostled around. When crouching or crawling, the limbs contract and shorten, keeping the body proportionate to its compacted frame. The right hand splits into three prongs when holding an object, projecting an orange, glowing tractor beam that connects to the item and flexes as it shifts. The left hand remains solid, with a flashlight mounted to the right side of the arm; the map is attached in the same fashion.

Customization[]

In R.E.P.O., the player is given a few different options to make their Semibot unique to them. While outright outfits and accessories have not been added, they are confirmed to be coming at some point later in development.

Colours[]

In the menu during a game or lobby, you can select from a 4x9 grid with a variety of colours. The colours range to all corners of the rainbow, and have both light and dark shades.

Expressions[]

By pressing your 6-0 keys, you can make your Semibot's eyelids and pupils change to make them appear to have emotion. They are in order as follows: Angry (5), Sad (6), Suspicious (7), Eyes Closed (8), Crazy (9), and Happy (0). The expressions can also be combined together to create new expressions making 21 total unique expressions.

The King of the Loser's Crown[]

The King of the Loser's crown is the only cosmetic currently which adds attire to your Semibot and appears to be. It is obtainable via the winning the Disposal Arena and being dubbed the "King of the Losers". It heavily resembles the crown valuable, but it has a far more saturated and shiny appearance.

Abilities[]

A Semibot's best defence is their agility and stealthiness, as initially they are not very fast, durable, or able to fight. However, they can acquire upgrade modules to allow them to specialize in such avenues (See the next section). As a Semibot, you rely on these skills to traverse levels, collect valuables, defeat monsters, and do most non-basic abilities. They are as follows:

Grabber[]

Their right arm has a built-in tractor beam which allows them to pick up, rotate, and utilize any object in the game. While holding an object, they are still subject to gravity given they are big enough, while smaller items will snap into the beam. Moreover, they can grab the back of another semibot's neck with this tractor beam and then transfer their health to the target semibot gradually, should the target semibot be missing any and the gifting semibot have enough to provide (The gifting semibot cannot give away their last hitpoint with this method).

Collapsing[]

Since Semibots can collapse telescopically, pressing the crouch button (Ctrl by default) shrinks them into a smaller form called "Crouch" and makes it harder for enemies to spot them. Crouching normally reduces enemy vision cones against the semibot who's crouching, and also increases enemy detection time against them from ~1 second to ~2 seconds; this also applies in Object Mode. Going under furniture or other objects collapses them further into crawl mode, further shrinking enemy vision cones against that semibot, and extending enemy detection time against them to ~5 seconds. While sprinting, a semibot can press the crouch button in order to roll in the direction they are moving, allowing them to swiftly dive underneath tables or chairs fluidly. This can also be used to dodge underneath some enemy attacks or quickly hide from a monster that just entered the current room and hasn't seen them yet.

Object Mode/Tumble[]

Press the tumble button (Q by default) to enter Object Mode, which collapses the Semibot into a smaller form similar to crouching. In this mode, the Semibot is affected by physics like any other object—it can be picked up, rotated, and thrown. Semibots may also be forced into this mode by enemy attacks or similar influences, disabling their movement until they either recover by themselves, or are saved by another semibot.

You can use this mode to “fall in style” with a Tumble Launch: run, jump, and press the tumble button to transfer momentum into a forward roll. This can be enhanced with the Tumble Launch Upgrade, and further modified into a glide using the Tumble Wings Upgrade. With the Tumble Climb Upgrade, you can also grab onto walls, floors, ceilings, and any other part of the environment such as tables, and then move yourself around the terrain by looking around while holding onto that grapple point. Actively using this upgrade drains stamina however, and when it depletes, you will automatically lose your grip and fall.

Speaking[]

By pressing the text chat button (T by default), you can input text into a bar on the bottom of your screen. When you hit "Enter", your Semibot will read out whatever you put in a robotic computerized voice, which can often mispronounce words and speaks in monotone. You will change the pitch of your voice the more up or down you look, becoming higher or lower pitched respectively, and whispering when crouched or on the death screen. The IRL Text-to-Speech used is powered by "Klattersynth" by Strobotnik.

Reviving[]

When a Semibot dies, they will turn red and explode, leaving behind only their head with the eyes black. This head can be picked up and brought back to the Extraction Point, and when extracted (Performed by satisfying the active extraction point's money requirement), it will revive the Semibot from that head (However, they will be extremely fragile and easily killed again unless healed in some way). Reviving can also be done with the Truck healer at the end of the level when all extraction points are completed (Though a semibot can only be healed and revived by the truck once per level, and if they die again in that same level, the truck healer will not restore them).

Partial Reviving[]

While a semibot can be killed, they also have a built in battery module that passively charges while dead. This can be activated at their own volition after a sufficient amount of charge has accrued. In doing so, they will temporarily regain control of their head, being able to look around, jump forwards slightly with the help of a pair of gripping appendages that also deploy with the battery activation, and also communicate with still-functioning semibots (Although their voice will be somewhat distorted while communicating). This battery does not last very long (Though its duration can be extended with Death Head Battery Upgrades), and when it runs out (Or is disabled willingly), the semibot's head will return to its inert state and resume charging the battery until it's activated again or they are fully revived.

Exploding[]

A Semibot can explode for a variety of reasons, the explosion doing no knockback or damage to others except for launching their head away (However, it can potentially damage nearby valuables). This explosion can be performed via losing all HP, falling into a pit or hazardous liquid (Such liquids are often glowing as a visual indicator), the Truck beginning to leave and the countdown for your Semibot expiring, being caught inside an extraction point zone when it activates (Either on the edge or inside of it), or via pressing "Self-Destruct" in the menu during the game.

Tools[]

The Semibots are useful by themselves, but by using outside tools, your Semibot is able to do new and incredibly useful things. The tools range from items which need to be bought or which are included when you start.

Given At The Start[]

There are a few tools in R.E.P.O. given to you at the start of each game and are permanently affixed to you throughout the entire game. These are:

Flashlight - A standard black handheld flashlight. It will provide illumination for the Semibot and will be put away when you go into crouch or Object Mode. It has unlimited battery, cannot be upgraded, and cannot be turned on or off at will.
Map - An odd-looking, handheld, sci-fi, mapping device which is held with one hand. It will display to you a top down, simplified view of your surroundings, highlighting valuables (yellow), items (cyan), and player heads (red). The interface is green with walls, pits, and stairs being visible. Rooms that haven't been entered yet will be marked with question marks. The truck is marked out with a cyan rectangle on this map, and extraction points are marked out with either a red square if inactive, or a cyan square if active. Moreover, if an extraction point is activated or all extraction points have been completed, a trail of white dots will span from the semibot's position on the map to the active extraction point or the truck respectively, providing waypoints to help them reach their destination.

Purchased/Obtained[]

Other tools you can use can only be obtained by purchasing them or finding them through outside means. The general list of those are:

Upgrades - A coloured package containing the power to enhance your abilities like strength and HP, or add on like tumble wings or a double jump. More info can be found at its respective page.
Health Packs - A white, metal, boxed device with one or more health symbols on it. When used, it will restore 25, 50, or 100 HP to the Semibot that used it, before then becoming useless and destroying itself when thrown. More info can be found at its respective page.
Items - A variety of items can be used by the Semibots such as melee and ranged weapons, explosives, orbs, drones, and other various items to help the Semibots. More info can be found on the Purchased Items page and the specific item's page.

Lore[]

Semibots work for the Taxman, their supposed creator and de facto boss. They collect any item with enough value inside the different locations throughout the game that range from magical to supernatural to the mundane. They then sell these valuables to the Taxman via the Extraction Points, where they receive SURPLUS in form of compensation.

They seem to have no long term goal and will be scrapped upon an entire team wiping out. Their final resting place is in the Disposal Arena, where they will be forced to fight their fellow Semibots or simply die if the Semibot is alone. Their fate following their scrapping is unknown, but we know that Semibots seem to be continuously made with supply, training, and AI (or souls) to control never being a concern.

The lore of the Semibots is both complex and relatively vague as much of the theories preposed are built from clues, speculation, and various details in-game. To read more on these theories, please check out "The Semibots" in the Lore page.

Tips[]

If you type “/cinematic”, the UI will become invisible and your character will start walking very smoothly.

If you type “/greenscreen”, a green chromakey will appear in front of you, capturing the objects closest to you (other players can't see it.)
- If you type “/bluescreen”, the same chromakey should appear, but in blue color. (this is currently broken).
The chat uses HTML text formatting, so any type format using <> will change how the text appears in-game. (Only the game itself can use it.)
- Examples include <b>, <i>, <sprite=value>, <size=value>, and more.