Medarot : Kuwagata Version

Released in Japan for Game Boy on November 28, 1997, Medarot: Kuwagata Version is one half of the first Medarot role-playing game. Natsume developed the game and Imagineer published it. This original Japanese release predates the overseas Medabots adaptations and establishes the series' mix of exploration, collecting, and robot competition.

The story follows the young Hikaru Agata during his summer vacation. His dog Bonaparte finds a Medal, the vital core of a Medarot, and the discovery leads Hikaru to assemble and operate his first robot. As he grows from a newcomer into a capable competitor, he enters Robattle tournaments and is drawn into conflicts with the criminal Roborobo Gang.

A Medarot is built around a Tinpet frame fitted with a head, two arm, and leg parts, while its Medal supplies its intelligence and influences how it performs. Finding and changing those components is central to the adventure, letting players alter a robot's weapons, movement, durability, and tactical role instead of relying on a single fixed party.

Robattles are the game's robot contests, where opponents command their Medarots and the outcome can yield new parts for further customization. The original release contains 60 Medarot designs, or 240 individual parts, and its Medal system ties certain medals to suitable robot motifs. Communication battles add another route to collect medals under specific conditions.

Kuwagata Version is paired with Kabuto Version rather than being a separate sequel. Hikaru begins here with the stag-beetle-type Rokusho, using the Kuwagata Medal and Head Scissors parts; Kabuto Version instead starts with the rhinoceros-beetle-type Metal Beetle. The editions also make different parts available, so trading and battling through the Game Boy link connection complement the single-player quest.

Beyond the tournaments, Hikaru encounters rivals, allies, and the secretive figures behind the Roborobo Gang's escalating schemes. Multiple possible endings are tied to the game's relationship routes, giving this early Medarot a more personal conclusion alongside its custom-robot progression.