Super Robot Wars Y, Fanservice Mecha to the Nth Power – PS5 Review

In over three decades, so much time had never passed between one episode of Super Robot Wars and the next. Almost four years have passed since Super Robot Wars 30, and not without reason: Super Robot Wars Y is indeed the first chapter of the saga to be developed by Bandai Namco Forge Digitals, born from the reorganization of B.B. Studio, the first to use Unity as a graphics engine (they had been using the same one since the 90s), and the first to debut on PS5 (along with Steam and Switch). Are we witnessing a change of course then? No, and that's fine.

If you're not familiar with Super Robot Wars (plausible, this is only the second game to reach us, out of dozens produced), know that we're talking about a turn-based strategy game where numerous anime and manga (and more) series from the mecha and super robot genres converge, from the evergreens Gundam, Getter Robo, and Mazinger Z, to classics like Combattler V and Reideen, or more recent but lesser-known titles, such as Majestic Prince and SSSS.Dynazenon. A melting pot of giant robots where heroes and villains from various universes join forces and fight it out in an original story. A godsend for fans of the reference works, but also an excellent showcase for discovering new worlds to become passionate about.

One of the most common complaints related to Super Robot Wars 30 was a lack of cohesive narration, where the cast of a particular series tended to do their own thing, interacting little and poorly with the other beloved characters. For its part, Super Robot Wars Y slightly reduces the number of selectable characters (still immense) and offers a more linear but much more engaging and better-structured story, with a main plot and various subplots that enrich it and constantly introduce new details.

To make a long story short, the game opens with a transposition of the Zero Requiem, at the end of a bloody war in which Lelouch's rebellion (by necessity), the first Neo Zeon war, Operation Meteor, the Destiny Plan, and the thirteenth Gundam Fight occurred simultaneously, with an attached Devil Gundam interlude. And this while old and new threats emerge on Earth and at the galaxy's borders, including alien invasions, monsters from the underworld, space-time fractures, galactic empires, and even kaiju, of various natures, by the way.

A hodgepodge without rhyme or reason that for some reason ends up revolving around a flying fortress city and the handful of protagonists, created specifically for the occasion, who govern it. And the incredible thing is that... it works. If you look closely, it's clear that the described universe is too small for the amount of war fronts involved, not to mention the technological and cultural gap between the various factions, yet Super Robot Wars Y incorporates the events with great nonchalance, connects and contextualizes them, succeeding in making everything functional and quite credible.

Some heroes are at the end of their growth journey undertaken in their origin story, some have yet to begin it, others are halfway, and the direction takes advantage of this both to retrace scripts already seen elsewhere, adapted to the circumstances, and to expand the personalities we had left behind after the credits. Friendships, rivalries, doubts, and conflicts give life to an extremely pleasant cast to follow, capable of bringing smiles to those who already knew them and stimulating the search for extra material outside the game. Even the new entries are not bad at all, they harmonize well with the atmosphere and bring interesting novelties. They almost don't seem to come from a dozen sagas created over fifty years, were it not for the drastic stylistic differences with which they are drawn on screen.

Obviously, not all series receive the same attention, just as not all characters get to shine in the spotlight, however, there is an effort to give everyone an opportunity, with regular dedicated missions, power-ups, and other embellishments to bolster the roster. There are tons of dialogues and the texts are very good (with some sporadic blunders), but no trace of voice acting (understandable), except for the interludes when returning to the main menu and battle cries. Keeping track and remembering who's who can be complex after a while, but you'll always have synopses of the franchises and a summary sheet for each individual appearance.

Once on the field, Y confirms the characteristics that have accompanied Super Robot Wars since the early 90s. It's the classic SRPG with an isometric view, with factions moving in turns on vast square grids. No architectural barriers, bottlenecks, or other tricks like in Fire Emblem or Advance Wars, they wouldn't make sense given the average size of the mechs, not to mention that most of the time you fight in the air or in space.

More than strategy, however, I would speak of micro-management of individual units, for which we will have to manage the range and energy cost of the move set (with an eye on morale) to ensure engagements that are as favorable and inexpensive as possible in the long run. Then it's a matter of understanding when to counterattack, defend, or attempt evasion, sparingly using each team member's abilities, Spirits, and Assist Links, for additional bonuses.

Generally, we will be in command of 15-20 robots, plus 2-3 flagships, which will provide support, cover, and maintenance to nearby troops. Quite a few, but it's rather easy to cycle through active units and study the best approach, thanks to a clean and easy-to-read interface. The only difficulty arises when there are squares with different elevations, such as buildings or mountains, which overlap or worse, hide allies and enemies; being able to view the map from above would help.

There is no permadeath; we can be decimated and have everyone ready for the next mission again, unless one of the mother ships or one of the current protagonists goes down; in that case, you are forced to restart from scratch or from the beginning of the turn (the game automatically saves after each phase). The opposing armies are foolish, and they rush headlong against the first target in range, but they are numerous, tough, and quite annoying when they concentrate fire on a particular unfortunate unit.

Entrenching yourself at a point and waiting for them is almost always the ideal tactic; monotonous, true, but effective. The standard difficulty is manageable, easy on many occasions, but if, like me, you have a habit of deploying the entire squadron in rotation to maintain a certain balance, you might encounter some headaches, given that the opposing forces level up very quickly (nothing insurmountable, however). Increasing the challenge significantly increases damage taken, and less experience is accumulated, so if you want to test yourself, you won't be disappointed, and you'll learn to appreciate elements like terrain bonuses and weapon and mech compatibility with the environment.

If you like to tinker, you'll be interested to know that it's possible to upgrade various unit parameters, with a unique bonus after enough investments, and equip them with unlocked parts. For some, it's also possible to modify the loadout and the active pilot. The latter, in turn, can be trained for higher stats and new abilities. As if that weren't enough, after a certain number of kills, they will become "aces," gaining further benefits. The opportunities for grinding are not infinite, and funds are not enough for everyone, however, "nurturing" your army and getting the best out of each member provides great satisfaction.

Longevity primarily varies depending on how many side missions you intend to undertake (I recommend all of them) and how much you can "tolerate" the combat animations (some last quite a while). In any case, a thorough first run will easily take you between 75 and 100 hours of gameplay, and there's material for a second thanks to the presence of two protagonists (with dedicated stories), branching paths, and secret characters. As a fan of the genre, the pace always remained high, but I wouldn't have minded more variety among enemy factions. There are many factions, but they have a maximum of 2-3 types of "grunts" and after a couple of chapters, familiar faces start to repeat.

From a technical standpoint, Super Robot Wars Y isn't exactly a powerhouse, but it does its job well, even if the interface is less flashy compared to SRW30. Many of the animations are taken from previous episodes: some are a bit weak, others show their age, but the final attacks (Wing Zero first and foremost) know how to create hype. Load times are short on PS5, and only one crash, which after so many hours I'll even grant it. A few more CGs during dialogues wouldn't have hurt.

The audio compartment is almost entirely a "do you like to win easy?" situation, between stock sound effects from the past (most of them at least), voice actors, and official soundtracks. The catch is that the best tracks, i.e., opening themes and main themes, are relegated to a 30-euro DLC, which is not cheap, considering that these are one-and-a-half-minute versions and not the full ones. The original music and instrumental remixes in the base package are excellent, but they don't compare to a random Last Impression, or a Kaze No Reply, a World End, a Majin Kenzan... well, you get the idea.