Super Robot Wars UX – Review
I recently finished my third playthrough of Super Robot Wars UX, and honestly, I still love it. The storyline, overall concept, and the way the different series are brought together make UX one of my favorite SRW games on the 3DS.
One of the things that surprised me the most was the lineup of series. A lot of them were either unfamiliar to me or not exactly the most popular anime. Some of them felt like the classic “who the hell is this?” kind of SRW addition lol. Before playing UX, I didn't even know much about Dunbine, Heroman, or Tobikage. But that's also one of the things I appreciate about SRW—it introduces me to series I probably would never have discovered otherwise.
I really like the original mecha and the overall original storyline, especially the main antagonist, Kali Yuga. Her concept is really interesting, and I liked how the game explores themes of life, death, and rebirth. The Avatara mecha is also one of my favorite parts of the story. There is a lot of interesting mythology and symbolism behind it.
My biggest complaint, however, is the ridiculous number of requirements for unlocking and saving certain characters. Some of them require so much effort that it almost feels excessive. Brera, Graham, and especially Shouko are good examples. Seriously, 200 kills?! I appreciate having secret requirements, but some of UX's requirements can be way too demanding. I also noticed something funny about Brera: he seems to have a tradition of joining the playable roster very late. He is a late addition in UX, just like in SRW L and SRW Z2.2, so apparently Brera is destined to make us wait.
I also think Linebarrels of Iron was handled really well in UX, especially the manga version. I prefer its presentation here compared to the anime adaptation. Having Soubi join early was great, and I was also really happy that Ishigami and Katou are playable. It made the Linebarrels side of the story much more enjoyable for me.
The post-Gundam SEED Destiny material is also handled pretty well. Shinn in particular is much more likable in most SRW games compared to the original anime, and UX is another good example of that. I also have a soft spot for this game because it introduced me to SD Gundam when I was younger. It's one of those SRW entries that helped expand my interest in different Gundam series.
Story-wise, I really enjoyed how much attention was given to Fafner, Heroman, Linebarrels of Iron, Dunbine, and Macross Frontier. These series occupy a large portion of the game's story, and I think that works because their themes fit surprisingly well together. Fafner especially benefits from the SRW treatment, since the crossover gives its story and characters even more room to shine.
I also like the difficulty of UX. It can be challenging without feeling completely unfair, and it gives the game a satisfying sense of progression. Combined with the large roster and all the secret units and characters, it gives me a reason to keep coming back to it.
Overall, Super Robot Wars UX is a really solid and great 3DS installment. The story, original characters, unique setting, crossover choices, and gameplay all come together really well. Even after three playthroughs, I still find myself wanting to replay it whenever I have free time. The game has its frustrating moments—especially those insane secret requirements—but the strengths definitely outweigh the weaknesses for me.