Standard Definition Gundams
Being a fan of Japanese anime can sometimes be a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that this is almost a golden age where there are great anime shows popping up all the time. The curse is that there is usually a lull in seeing some of those properties translate to good games. So, it is with my love of the Gundam series; I first got into it with Gundam Wing from the Toonami age with my favorite at the time being the Deathscythe Gundam. Going back to the start with the One Year War, I have consumed a lot of Gundam media but sadly the number of good games from the franchise are so few I can count them on one hand. So, when I first heard about the announcement for SD Gundam Battle Alliance; I kept my excitement in check.
A lot of that was due to the fact that I didn’t know much about the ‘SD Universe’, but I found out that ‘SD’ stands for ‘Super Deformed’ and it’s an off shoot of the Gundam models known as Gunpla. Essentially if you take the normal Gundam’s and shrink them down you will get a SD version. The story in SD Gundam: Battle Alliance revolves around the player who is a mobile suit pilot during the ‘One Year War’ being transported to the ‘G Universe’ where they will meet an AI who explains how Gundam suits are causing Breaks (incursions into the G Universe) and messing with time. Honestly the story is wacky as hell and its just an excuse to bring popular Gundam suits from throughout the series long history in one place; and for that reason, it works.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
There is a lot of content and stories that players will experience that only the hardcore fans will understand. Even I didn’t get some of the references and realized that I have missed a few series over the years. But at the same time long time fans will be rewarded with seeing some of their favorite characters meet up and interact with each other and in some cases fight each other. All of the voice over in the game is in Japanese with subtitles which isn’t a bad thing for cutscenes, characters have conversations over the course of a mission and unless you are fluent there is no way to fight enemies and pay attention to the subtitles. I know I missed out on some things, but luckily players can replay any of the missions and will have to in some cases to unlock new playable units.
Speaking of missions, SD Gundam: Battle Alliance has a fairly straightforward gameplay loop. Missions will either vary from either defending or attacking an enemy, but it does a good job of springling in some optional mission objectives to spice things up. But due to a lack of any sort of checkpoint system and the length of some missions this can lead to some frustration if a player is destroyed. It doesn’t help matters that missions can wildly vary in difficulty from super easy, to just punishingly hard. Also like I mentioned before some levels will have to be replayed multiple times in order to collect fragments, or other loot that can be used to augment the Gundams. Luckily even choosing an easier difficulty doesn’t change the chance for the loot that players will receive, so you won’t be punished for not being able to complete the normal level. But as players progress, they can level up there Gundam and can always come back to attack a harder difficulty later.
I wish I could dote on the combat in SD Gundam: Battle Alliance but alas it is extremely simplistic. Having dedicated buttons for melee combat and special attacks makes mixing things up with enemies easier but outside of a single combo there isn’t much to remember with combat. There are some suits that are suited more for range than melee but every suit has the same melee combo at their disposal. There is a stamina bar that makes the game more than just a button masher, players will need to utilize their blocks and dodges to perform counters on various enemies. All of these attacks are flashy and loud in typical Gundam fashion and are cool to see play out.
SD Gundam: Battle Alliance is definitely a game that is created for the fans. From the roster of over 60 mobile suits (with more to be added via DLC) across the entirety of the series almost 50-year run its clear to see the passion and work that the team at Artddink poured into this game. The easier combat is complemented by the cutesy art style that the SD universe allows and even though I would prefer a more traditional Gundam experience; I must admit I had a really good time with this game. Even with the lack of an English dub and the easier combat SD Gundam: Battle Alliance may not win over any new fans to the series but for those fans who have been yearning for a new Gundam game this is one that is made for you.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
