SUPER ROBOT WARS Y PC Review
Summary: An excellent entry into both its own franchise and the tactical RPG genre as a whole, with a solid story and a great soundtrack.
4.3
Great!
I’ve never been much of an anime fan, but I’ve always had an appreciation for games and media featuring massive robots after first catching wind of the original Gundam Wing series a few years after it was released in the late nineties.
Similarly, I’ve been a fan of tactical RPGs for a long time. So, when a game comes out that combines the two, it immediately grabs my interest.
Super Robot Wars, as a series, has been around for a long time, initially hitting the streets in Japan in 1991. Since then, there’s been a slew of releases across most home consoles and handhelds. Despite this, it’s a franchise that’s largely passed me by, only really being aware of the games as of the last game, which was a celebration of the series’ 30th anniversary. This newest instalment largely sticks to the formula the games are known for: grid-based, tactical RPG combat.
What makes the Super Robot Wars games stand out among other titles in the genre is their approach to characters, bringing pilots from a variety of different anime together to take on foes. Over twenty different shows and their characters are featured in Super Robot Wars Y, bringing together pilots from various Mobile Suit Gundam shows, MACROSS Delta, COMBATTLER V, Code Geass, and many more.
Gameplay is typical for a tactical RPG. Players and their foes take turns moving their units around the battlefield on a grid, attacking and using special abilities on one another. Super Robot Wars Y has quite possibly the quickest gameplay loop I’ve ever experienced in this genre.
Actions and missions themselves can be executed very quickly if the player chooses. Rapidly speeding through actions and even skipping many of the animations if desired. I found it to be surprisingly refreshing for the genre, which normally takes a more thoughtful approach. Not that the game is thoughtless, far from it. There are a huge number of different options and approaches that can be taken in every encounter. Defeating enemies and completing missions awards credits that can then be used to upgrade your units, further unlocking strategic options as the game progresses.
New to the series is the Assist Link System, which allows well-known side characters to get involved in missions, bestowing players with new abilities and useful effects in combat.
Super Robot Wars Y is a simplistic game, visually. Mostly using well-drawn sprites in a 3D map to represent everything. When commands are executed, it shifts to larger, higher resolution representations of the characters and mecha, using simple animations and text overlays to display the action. It looks decent enough, the UI leaves a lot to be desired, however. There’s a lot of text and stats on screen, which is fine; it’s not presented very elegantly, though.
The soundtrack is phenomenal, featuring licensed songs from the various series that are in the game, as well as a host of new, original music to go alongside it. There’s little in the way of voice acting in the game, but given the huge number of characters from well-known franchises, this is somewhat understandable.
Steam Deck
I’m happy to report that Super Robot Wars Y is a flawless experience on Steam Deck, despite Steam reporting the game as being unsupported. The game runs perfectly at 60fps, without a single drop during my time on it. The relatively simplistic visuals also result in great battery life, easily getting several hours out of a full charge. This could potentially be pushed even further by reducing the Deck’s TDP and clock speeds.
Final Thoughts?
Super Robot Wars Y has fully sold me on the franchise. It’s a deep and fun tactical RPG with loads to do. Excellent performance on both desktop and Steam Deck, and a stunning soundtrack make this one an easy one to recommend for anime and tactical RPG fans alike.
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