Super Robot Wars
Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:06 pm
After the release of Transformers: Battlegrounds on consoles, I was left wondering how many people here know/play the Super Robot Wars games.
For those of you who don't know the franchise, it's a series that's been going on for 30 years now and has seen over 50 games released. It's basically a turn-based strategy game with RPG elements that is kind of like Fire Emblem (s o r t o f), but it's a giant crossover between dozens and dozens of different Super Robot/Mecha franchises, including Gundam (obviously), Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mazinger, Invincible Robo Trider G7, and the Transformers-related Braves series, among many, many others. Each installment in the series includes a different set of franchises that feature in the game, with each game generally containing around two dozen franchises per installment.
More recent additions to the roster have also included other prominent science fiction anime franchises like Cowboy Bebop, GUNxSWORD, and Magic Knight: Rayearth. The Transformers have yet to make an appearance, but with the relative prominence of the Braves series in the game in recent years, who knows what might happen? Takara seems to be on good terms with Bandai Namco, who publish the SRW series.
For a very long time the series was exclusive to Japan, and the games were entirely in Japanese. However, in recent years the South-East Asian releases have become import-friendly, and are playable in English, with all menus being in English and all dialogue being subtitled in English. Several of the games are currently available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
The games are not overly difficult, but they're more complex than Transformers Battlegrounds (particularly when it comes to character optimization). It's a fun series, and for anyone looking to get a super robot turn-based strategy itch scratched, I'd definitely recommend it.
The maps don't tend to look very impressive, but the games offer a TON of gameplay. The story mode takes a long time to get through, and many games have branching paths which give additional playability. Plus the rosters are HUGE. And where the map screens may not look that impressive, the battle animations and special move sequences look superb, and are just really satisfying to watch. I particularly love watching the transformation sequences of the Braves characters.
For those of you who don't know the franchise, it's a series that's been going on for 30 years now and has seen over 50 games released. It's basically a turn-based strategy game with RPG elements that is kind of like Fire Emblem (s o r t o f), but it's a giant crossover between dozens and dozens of different Super Robot/Mecha franchises, including Gundam (obviously), Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mazinger, Invincible Robo Trider G7, and the Transformers-related Braves series, among many, many others. Each installment in the series includes a different set of franchises that feature in the game, with each game generally containing around two dozen franchises per installment.
More recent additions to the roster have also included other prominent science fiction anime franchises like Cowboy Bebop, GUNxSWORD, and Magic Knight: Rayearth. The Transformers have yet to make an appearance, but with the relative prominence of the Braves series in the game in recent years, who knows what might happen? Takara seems to be on good terms with Bandai Namco, who publish the SRW series.
For a very long time the series was exclusive to Japan, and the games were entirely in Japanese. However, in recent years the South-East Asian releases have become import-friendly, and are playable in English, with all menus being in English and all dialogue being subtitled in English. Several of the games are currently available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
The games are not overly difficult, but they're more complex than Transformers Battlegrounds (particularly when it comes to character optimization). It's a fun series, and for anyone looking to get a super robot turn-based strategy itch scratched, I'd definitely recommend it.
The maps don't tend to look very impressive, but the games offer a TON of gameplay. The story mode takes a long time to get through, and many games have branching paths which give additional playability. Plus the rosters are HUGE. And where the map screens may not look that impressive, the battle animations and special move sequences look superb, and are just really satisfying to watch. I particularly love watching the transformation sequences of the Braves characters.