Shin Super Robot Taisen
The very first installment of the Super Robot Taisen series is quite
different from all of its successors; most notably, the robots are treated as
sentient organisms, and all pilots are absent from the game. As the intro
tells, they live on the planet of super robots, when a mysterious space
creature know as Gil Gil Gan takes control of most the planet’s inhabitants
and launch a destructive war.
The basic interface is like every other SRT game: your robots are placed out
on a map grid with different terrain types. Placing the cursor above a robot
and pushing a button brings up a menu with basic choices for movement, attack,
status and special options. A similar menu is displayed if you move your robot
close to an enemy unit, offering options to attack, use spiritual powers or
negotiate. After all robots have moved, the turn is over, and the game
switches to the enemy phase.
All robots are licensed from two parties only – Sunrise and Dynamic – and when
starting the game you may choose to start with the Gundam team, the Mazinger
team or the Getter Robo team. One robot must be designated as the team leader,
which allows you to upgrade its statistics with a number of points. If the
leader robot is destroyed in battle, the game is over. Unlike later games,
destroyed units are not repaired after a scenario is cleared, but may show up
as an enemy unit later on. This puts a lot more emphasis on the negotiation
command than later games, since a lot more enemy units may in fact turn out to
be friends. Few of them will listen unless you have first brought down their
HP to a minimal amount, though.
Apart from HP, each unit has XP. Experience is gained for each enemy unit that
is destroyed, and a level up adds to all aspects of your robot; speed, force,
armor, HP and SP. SP, or spiritual power, is like MP in conventional RPGs,
allowing a unit-specific set of “spiritual commands” to be executed. These
usually change game variables, such as force of attack, speed of dodging or
health. Health is otherwise regenerated by putting a unit in one of the bases
spread out on each map. When first entering a base, you gain a power-up item.
These are fitted to your robots between scenarios and include new weapons and
shields.
Each battle is displayed as a small animation, but it is all very primitive
compared to later games in the series, even on the Game Boy, with little
movement apart from the bullets and lasers. Preceding each battle you have
initiated yourself, you may choose your weapon. Weapons may be hand-to-hand or
ranged. Ranged weapons are advantageous since your opponent may not fire back
– this is true even of enemy units which possess ranged weapons of their own.
All weapons have also properties for their accuracy and power, which are
altered according to the terrain and whether enemies are at sea, on the ground
or airborne.
Shin Super Robot Taisen