Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Title: Super Robot Wars 30
Developer: B.B.STUDIO CO.,LTD.
Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
Genre: Strategy
Price: $59.99
It's hard to narrow down Super Robot Wars 30's best points. The Super Robot Wars series itself is already well known for its tactical gameplay and its clear homage to the mecha anime genre. It wears its inspirations on its shoulders with pride, making it a one-of-a-kind game franchise that's able to lure in new fans with its deep, engaging, tactical battles and, at the same time, appease old ones with its solid writing. One would expect Super Robot Wars 30 to do the same, and it does. But more than just follow in the footsteps of its predecessors, it openly celebrates the best parts in the series.
Super Robot Wars 30 starts off small, letting players pick the character route they want to traverse initially. However, the roster soon opens up, with different characters from Japan's most famous mecha franchises eventually becoming available to recruit. These characters bring with them their own unique abilities and skill sets, giving new recruits a specific role to fulfill with very little overlap. It's up to the player to decide who to use, which characters to bring to each stage, and what strategy to use to achieve victory,
It all sounds pretty simple at first. Many other tactical role-playing games, including those from the Fire Emblem and Disgaea franchises, can lay claim to the same thing. What really sets Super Robot Wars 30 apart is its presentation. Tactical battles look pretty mundane at first, but a significant chunk of SRW's charm lies in the combat animations and character barks that go with it. Since each character has its own set of weapons and personalities, the animations you have for each attack are all different, Each is punctuated by a special intro and snappy quotes. Your attacks differ entirely based on what weapons are used, and effort has been spent to make it seem weighty and impactful.
In Super Robot Wars 30, the missions you take are also accompanied by long segments of story exposition, presented in a very visual novel-esque fashion. These might bore someone who simply wants to enjoy the tactical side of the game, but the serious writing helps prop up the story, especially when characters from different franchises get to interact with one another. It's the little things like this that are the real treats of fanservice for long-time followers of SRW, and the developers know exactly the types of audiences they cater to. Characters do not feel weird or obnoxious; they are instead written according to their in-universe canon, making for some entertaining teamups and drama depending on the progression of the narrative.
If there's any real criticism to be levied against Super Robot Wars 30, it’s that the mission design can feel lacking on occasion. While SRW's charm certainly carries a lot of the gameplay, some maps do tend to feel a little repetitive. Thankfully, this is a minor issue on the whole, and the game makes up for this lack of variety with its overall quality.
On the whole, Super Robot Wars 30 is easily one of the best games available on Steam, and while it does carry a hefty price tag, it's worth every penny if you're even remotely interested in TRPGs and mechas. For the genre, no other game series comes close.
THE GOOD
- Has all the charm and intensity of the previous Super Robot Wars games, and more
- Still has the same addictive tactical gameplay setup
- Tons of content to run through
THE BAD
- Needs more mission/stage variety
- A bit costly in the absence of any sales blitz
RATING: 9.5/10
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