Every at times, a licensed anime title comes alongside that goes above and past your expectations. Not simply an ode to the supply materials, however a finely crafted online game as effectively. That’s SD Gundam Battle Alliance in a nutshell — an virtually dangerously addictive motion RPG that franchise followers will possible adore. Despite its cutesy, chibi-style look, this is without doubt one of the greatest and most devoted Gundam variations that PlayStation has seen in an extended, very long time.

Battle Alliance is a mashup of almost each Gundam collection going. It all takes place inside a type of digital actuality, the place Gundam histories are recorded and saved. Playing as a faceless VR pilot, you find yourself trapped inside the database, and along with Juno, your operations officer, and an particularly chipper AI nicknamed Sakura, you are tasked with repairing clusters of corrupt information to make sure your freedom. Naturally, this implies taking to battlefields throughout a great deal of completely different timelines, and placing hundreds of cute cellular fits to the sword.

The story itself is essentially forgettable and stuffed with shaky sci-fi phrases that do not actually imply something, however it acts as a serviceable automobile for ferrying you between missions. More than something, it is the gameplay loop that’ll hold you coming again — a superb mixture of bite-sized battles, tense boss fights, and the thrill of amassing and upgrading an in depth catalogue of playable cellular fits.

If you are a Gundam fanatic, there is a real thrill in seeing which fits and pilots pop up subsequent. The aforementioned database corruption signifies that characters from far-off realities can collide, resulting in some particularly cool crossover encounters. Once they have been despatched again to their very own world, you unlock ‘True’ missions the place you get to re-enact the canon state of affairs, correct character dialogue and all. The recreation even recreates key scenes from the varied anime, additional solidifying the sensation that it is a actual labour of affection from developer Artdink.

Moving on, fight is easy on a floor stage. Each swimsuit has a one-button melee combo, a heavy assault, and three particular strikes, often reliant of ranged weaponry that operates on a cooldown. A brilliant assault can be an possibility as soon as your gauge is maxed, and your defensive strategies include blocking and dodging. Again, simple stuff, however there is a first rate diploma of depth to be present in completely timed blocks, dodges, and aerial combos. It’s all snappy, straightforward to grasp, and enjoyable to utilise.

Taking on commonplace enemy fits is pretty easy, and maybe a tad repetitive after you have invested tens of hours into the sport, however cleaving an opponent in half along with your trusty beam saber is at all times satisfying. Boss battles, alternatively, will be rather more demanding. The overwhelming majority of missions finish with an enormous struggle towards a lethal opponent, decked out with a beefy well being bar and uninterruptable assaults. These encounters are all about endurance; ready for the fitting second to launch a counterattack. Think of it like Monster Hunter, however with humorous little robots.

These duels are notably troublesome if you happen to’re alone, so you will be pleased about your AI companions. You can take two allies with you on missions, and though your buddies generally is a bit silly, bosses can solely give attention to one goal at a time. As such, it looks like boss encounters are designed round team-based play, with mechanics like elevated again injury being essential in chipping away on the enormous well being swimming pools. What’s extra, you and your AI friends can revive one another, ought to issues go pear-shaped.

Some boss battles, particularly towards big cellular armour enemies, are particularly effectively designed in that they encourage you to correctly discover your swimsuit’s capabilities. Perfect blocks and dodges can develop into a necessity when the going will get powerful, and mastering a difficult struggle looks like a reward in itself.

So fight’s usually nice enjoyable and unlocking every kind of cellular fits is a blast, however it must be harassed that there is a grind right here. Individual missions solely are likely to final between 5 and ten minutes, however you will end up replaying them with a view to each unlock and stage up your shiny new fits. The pleasure of lastly getting your palms on a cool Gundam is usually tempered by the realisation that but extra grinding can be required, if solely to carry it up to the mark along with your present swimsuit of selection.

Co-op can actually assist alleviate any tedium, although. You can create your individual on-line foyer or bounce into an open one via the principle menu, and any progress that you just make carries again into your single-player marketing campaign — together with the unlocking of later missions. As you’ll be able to think about, co-op play reveals new methods, and if you happen to’re teaming up with a few pilots who know what they’re doing, it is simply probably the most environment friendly option to get issues finished.

But if you happen to’re working into hassle and you do not need to hop on-line, you’ll be able to at all times make use of the sport’s straightforward mode, which makes missions a lot much less demanding. The solely draw back is that you just will not discover as many components — equippable stat-boosting objects — throughout your excursions. In any case, an ideal place to begin if you wish to ease your self into the expertise.

We’re making this identical level once more, however SD Gundam Battle Alliance actually is a feast for franchise aficionados. Graphically, the sport is not in any respect spectacular, however the fits, in all of their chibi glory, have been completely modelled. Likewise, the property’s many trademark sound results are right here, and the soundtrack is full of music from the exhibits alongside banging digital remixes. For wannabe Newtypes, it is nothing wanting a pleasure.

Conclusion

SD Gundam Battle Alliance is without doubt one of the greatest Gundam video games in what looks like an age. A extremely addictive gameplay loop carries the expertise, consisting of bite-sized missions, snappy fight, and the fun of discovering and unlocking new cellular fits. The grind can really feel a bit aggressive at occasions, and the story’s vapid, however there is a clear love for all issues Gundam right here.