Three decades of robot wars have culminated in this huge celebratory game. Was Super Robot Wars 30 worth it?
Table of Contents
The first game in this franchise, Super Robot Taisen, released in 1991. Since then, there have been annual releases up until the Covid-19 pandemic hit. This game was originally supposed to release in 2020, but was delayed until late 2021. After release, three DLC packs were released: a two part season pass, and a third expansion pass.
This game features mechs and characters from over 20 different series. There is an in-game encyclopedia that gives a decent overview, so you don’t need any background knowledge. You also don’t need to track down some of the older series unless you’re really into certain shows. Think of some of these older titles as being Japanese versions of Looney Tunes or Scooby Doo; there’s enough cultural exposure that they know the memes, tropes, character archetypes, etc, but you don’t necessarily need to sit through the shows to grasp the premise.
There are two big categories for appearances: series that appear with both mechs and characters, and standalone units. For example, Amuro with the Nu Gundam from Char’s Counterattack is in, but DLC later added in the Hi-Nu Gundam as a additional unit.
There’s nuance to some of these appearances. Several of them aren’t actually animated series, such as GaoGaiGar vs Betterman. GaoGaiGar Final “appears” solely so that they could use the music from it for the relevant units. Other examples include Mazinkaiser Infinitism or the Mobile Suit Variations, which made it in simply to showcase certain units.
As per usual, the writing is great. The game does a fantastic job of patching up where needed, and the character development salvages some of the poorer writing from certain shows. For what it’s worth, Bandai owns Gundam outright now, so that means this is technically canon.
While there are only two endings, the multiple difficulties (especially Super Expert) make for a lot of replayability.
You’ve undoubtedly played games where guest, DLC, or secret characters are in your party, but have absolutely no bearing on the plot. SRW 30 averts this hard – DLC characters integrate seamlessly into events. As soon as you recruit them, you can expect to see characters like Mikazuki or Masaki weigh in on conversations.
Menus are a bit janky at times. You’ll definitely see it when you’re trying to navigate to different sectors to explore between missions.
You might remember warships in other games being over-the-top, whether it was the Kurogane having a gigantic drill mounted on the front, or the Yamato being the single best unit in SRW V. However, they don’t hold a candle to the Dreisstrager. The Dreisstrager’s abilities are intricately woven into all the upgrade systems for this game. As such, the ship grows as you accumulate resources, and it’s so far above the other ships that they aren’t even worth mentioning.
I genuinely like this game, so I’ll try to be gentle, but there are a few issues with continuity. SRW 30 happens after a lot of significant events have occurred and plots have been resolved.
Some characters get some backstory as to what they’ve been doing this whole time. Koji Kabuto gets roasted for not sealing the deal with his girlfriend, while Tetsuya is a dad now. Char Quattro survived the Axis Shock and went out and found himself (and his wrecked Hyaku Shiki).
Meanwhile, other characters just exist in a sort of temporal holding pattern. Amuro, Kamille, and Fa are among the best examples of this. It’s unsatisfying to know that other characters have been actually living their best (or mediocre) lives while some of legacy characters have been in the freezer, waiting to be thawed out and tossed in the cockpit of an outdated mobile suit.
Characters (as well as their associated plots and mechs) from the consistently appearing series just don’t hold up. I love Zeta Gundam to death, and I like seeing the Gundam Mk. II, but it might be time to let the characters sit out a game or two. Kamille is one of my all-time favorite characters, but it’s hard to justify using the little bundle of rage when there are so many units who’ve benefitted from power creep.
The developers do a fantastic job of salvaging stupid plots, but there are some series that are just tiresome to sit through. A great example is L-Gaim. I know that it was included in the game solely because they recently printed model kits for it, but it’s rough. Take ZZ Gundam – it’s a divisive series at best, with a terrible beginning and unlikeable cast of annoying kids. Fortunately, it’s saved by the second half, which remembers that it’s not The Goonies in space and gets back to the war drama we all showed up for. Take away the brand recognition and second half from ZZ Gundam, crank up the slapstick, and you’ve got L-Gaim. These missions are just tiresome, and the playable units don’t make it worth your while.
The Transformers bootlegs Brave series characters aren’t much better – these neurotic robots need to chill.
I’m obviously a big fan of the genre. With that said, there’s still a lot of enjoyment to be had, whether it’s from the combat, the mech/pilot planning, or the interactions between characters.
Any of the SRW titles are chock-full of content and are great for players who like to minmax and tackle the higher difficulties. The base game has a lot of content, but the DLC will set you back quite a bit.
This game is for mecha enthusiasts and SRPG fans. Fair warning: check the series list. If you’re exclusively a fan of say, Evangelion, then this may not be the title for you, but you shouldn’t write it off – it’s still an excellent game.
This is the best Super Robot Wars experience currently available. I completely recommend it. Super Robot Wars 30 is worth it.
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