SUPER ROBOT WARS Y continues the series‘ signature formula as a grid-based tactical combat RPG that brings together pilots and mechs from various anime series to fight against common enemies. Players must think strategically about unit placement and command their forces carefully to achieve victory on the battlefield.

After spending 30 minutes with a preview build of SUPER ROBOT WARS Y on the PlayStation 5, it’s clear that this latest entry in the long-running tactical RPG series is focusing on visual improvements and streamlined presentation. While the demo was quite limited in scope, offering only a single stage to experience, it provided enough glimpses to showcase what fans can expect from this crossover mecha adventure.

The big newcomers are Suletta Mercury’s Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury and Jet Jaguar from Godzilla Singular Point. Both are appearing in a Super Robot Wars game for the first time. Suletta’s Gundam definitely got the better treatment – its attack animations looked really polished and dynamic. The movesets for both mechs reference specific moments from their respective shows, which is typical for the series. Jet Jaguar felt a bit limited with only three attack moves available, but that’s probably just because this was an early demo build.

The new Assist Link system is probably the biggest gameplay addition. This feature lets side characters and supporting pilots from various anime provide backup during battles. Characters like Freyja from Macross Delta can use abilities like “Music is Energy” to boost your main units. It’s a way to include more characters from each franchise without making them full playable units. Though we couldn’t test it thoroughly in the demo, it seems like it’ll add another layer to combat and give screentime to supporting characters from different series. If you combo with a same-color assist link, you’ll get a bonus, though we didn’t manage to test that feature out.

One thing that stood out as missing was transformation abilities. Getter Robo Arc appeared in the demo but didn’t let us transform it at all. Usually in the series, transformable mechs have an extra command option.

The interface definitely looks cleaner and easier to read than previous entries. Combat information is presented more clearly, and menu navigation feels smoother. All attack animations are full cutscenes.

The core gameplay revolves around managing units across a grid-based map, where each mech can perform various actions during their turn. Available commands include the standard move, spirits, assist link, and ground commands. The ground (GRD) command lets you switch between flying, landing, or going underwater depending on the terrain.

Each mech has different weapons with varying attack power, range, and energy costs. Some use ammunition that runs out. Before attacking, you can see accuracy percentages and critical hit chances. The spirits system lets pilots use special skills – some guarantee hits, others provide perfect evasion or damage reduction.

What was missed in the demo was the progression side of things. Super Robot Wars are usually about upgrading your mechs, leveling up pilots, and teaching them new skills over time. The demo only showed one battle stage, so we couldn’t access any base operations or upgrade systems. That’s where a lot of the depth usually comes from – upgraded mechs often unlock new abilities as you invest in them.

One interesting choice for this entry is that you can pick between male and female protagonists, and each comes with their own version of the main robot. The male character gets a blue-gray variant while the female gets a different color scheme. This is different from recent games where protagonist choice didn’t affect which mech you used.

While the 30-minute demo didn’t show much beyond basic combat and some flashy animations, the new additions like the Assist Link system and debut appearances from Witch from Mercury and Godzilla Singular Point feel like the developers are trying to expand the roster and mechanics in meaningful ways.