The year is 2084 and mankind has fallen victim to its own creation, a race of sentient robots called Robotrons. Originally designed to serve man, the Robotrons have turned on their creators and are determined to kill or reprogram all humans, turning the "lucky" survivors into evil mutants. Armed with an anti-robot laser containing an endless supply of laser beams, you alone must shoot wave after wave of robots. (You can shoot and run in all directions.) Along the way, you can score extra points by saving human clones.
The field of play in Robotron 2084 is basically a two-dimensional rectangle cluttered with small, simply drawn characters. There are three kinds of basic robots: Mindless Grunts, Indestructible Hulks, and Giant Brains. Other enemies include Galvanizing Electrodes, Cubic Quarks, Torturing Tanks, and Sinister Spheroids and their deadly spawn. You can play the game with one controller, or if you want to help recreate the original 1982 Williams arcade game experience, hook two controllers together using the enclosed plastic tray.