Super Robot Taisen J (English Patched) GBA ROM

Review by LordZemus:

SRW J is one of the many tactical mecha RPGs that Japan released , but one of the few that were translated 100% into English.

You start off as one of the main characters you choose: Touya Shiun (Crybaby McDouche at first) and Calvina Coulange (Super Soldier Girl) , each one interacting totally differently with the characters , adding this way a great replay value to the game , and if you combine it together with the diverging paths you have to choose in the game , the replay value multiplies , and even more if you want to go with all the mechs that you have to choose at the start :

Bellzelute (long range mecha with high agility-coolest one in my opinion)

Coustwell (Jack-of-all-trades mech with high mobility)

and Granteed (melee-based tank mecha)

I do no wish to butcher the story , but it is basically a combination of all the plots of the multiple mecha anime series included in the game woven together to give all the characters a common goal to pursue.(I’ll use Toya’s initial missions as an example) It starts off with one of the mechs you chose at the beginning crash-landing in the high school you study ( Kouji Kabuto from Mazinger Z and Sousuke Sagara from Fullmetal Panic! are some of your classmates-cool no?) and the pilots of the robot just happen to be the Power Puff Girls :

Festenia Muse (Blossom)

Melua Mela Meia (Bubbles) and

Katia Grineal (Buttercup)

(they will be you copilots and each one has different skills and adds different bonuses to your mech-Melua gives +300 DEF , Festenia gives+200 attack…) who drag you into the mech to fight off their mysterious unkown pursuers , after that, the Mechabeasts arrive and Mazinger Z and Aphrodite join you in battle ; after the mission is over you join the Nadesico Ship (Martian Succesor Nadesico) in order to escape pursuit from the goverment who want to take you and the girls in for riding an unknown mech , the Nadesico carries mechs from many other anime series and goes to Mars to investigate the attack of the Jovian Lizards on the human colonies , there you meet the characters from SPT Layzner and discover the truth about the Jovian Lizards… and this goes on and on and I really don’t want to spoil the game for you guys…

The game

It is a turn-based RPG played on a grid map where your mechs move and battle the enemy units . Each unit has its own perks and weaknesses : some are better suited for underwater combat , some can take a lot of attacks while other die in one hit… the juice of the game lies in using each mech depending on the situation and terrain you play in , for example : Mazinger Z is a great Land Mech and most of his attacks are Energy-based (energy attacks are weaker underwater ) , so despite how cool and strong it is , bringing it into and underwater fight would be suicide because : his energy attacks would be useless and its mobility is greatly reduced underwater making it very difficult to keep up with the other mechs.

Pilots also play a large role : they determine the effectiveness of the mech and assist each other with their passive skills (such as Command which enhances the performance of nearby mechs , or Potential which makes the pilot stronger the less health the mech has) and active skills that consume the pilots SP(recharged after each mission or by using consumables) that can change the tide to you favor (Trust heals 2000 HP , Accel allows you to move 3 steps further … )some mechs pilots can be even changed for others.

After each battle you earn XP for you pilots , parts to modify the performance of mechs (for example Thrusters would give Mazinger the ability to fly making it an Air-Land mech) and money to upgrade them.

This game will be well liked by mech fans and strategy gamers (even if you dont know any of them), the mechs attack animations are long and and really well done ( although later on you may get bored of them and skip them with the B button) the music are GBA remixes of the anime main themes, and the plots of the different animes actually mix well and the great replay value and hidden secrets (and more mechs) will make you grind and replay this game a lot (you keep everything each playthrough) .There is a last thing I’d like to add : the game takes the plot from all of the animes and may spoil you the plot , you have been warned.

The anime series are:

• Banpresto Originals (not anime , but original mechs made for this game only)
• Brain Powered
• Combattler V
• Dancouga
• Fullmetal Panic! &Fullmetal Panic?Fumofu.
• Hades Project Zeorymer
• Mazinkaiser
• Martian Succesor Nadesico
• Mobile Fighter Gundam G
• Mobile Suit Gundam Seed
• SPT Layzner (personal favourite, has a rad BGM theme)
• Tekkaman Blade
• Voltes V

At the beginning of the game you can choose your 3 favorite series the mechs of those series will get extra customization slots

Pro-tip:

If you ever get stuck or need cash and XP for your characters , go to the next mission and when you are about to win or close to it , lose on purpose (quitting doesn’t work) and you will be send to the intermission previous to the fight keeping all the money and XP your characters got (this only applies to characters that already belonged to your team before the mission , any characters that just joined your team in that fight will get nothing , you only keep the money)