'Relayer' review: A space opera like a cloud of beautiful girls

What is a man's romance? Mecha. What is sci-fi romance? Space Opera. In gaming, we've seen too many epic sci-fi works that set the stage for legendary adventures in outer space. Today, when the original mecha works are gradually declining, the next-generation original mecha SRPG game "Relayer (Successor)", created by the development team of Kadokawa Games' "War of the Gods" and Yunbao Entertainment responsible for the localization, is officially launched, just like the game. The name is general, and it has taken over the banner of inheriting the romantic space opera. So what is the actual quality of this game? Today, I will show you this "long-lost" original mecha work.

Successor | Relayer

Developer: Kadokawa Games

Publisher: Clouded Leopard Entertainment Inc.

Release Date: March 24, 2022

Distribution Platform: PS4 , PS5

Attributes: SRPG, War Chess, Mecha

※ This review is based on the PS5 version

Beautiful universe scenes and beautiful girls

According to the official statement , This game is developed based on the PS5 platform, so it can be said that no effort is spared on the screen. The main battlefields in the game are set on the surface of the universe and various planets. Thanks to the functions of the next-generation platform, we can see very magnificent scenes. The game deliberately chose the color palette of the universe, including the effect color of the engine jets, on the cool color scheme, which is a typical depiction of the romantic universe. Speaking of mecha, although this game belongs to the war chess category, whether it is a battlefield screen or a battle performance, the mecha adopts the real scale, plus the powerful close-up shots in the battle animation, the show of the sparks splashing around, no matter Hand-to-hand combat or long-range raids,There is a very shocking texture from the inside out. However, relatively speaking, the battlefield itself seems relatively stingy. Of course, due to the limitations of the game type, it is understandable that the actual battlefield must be made into a checkerboard anyway, but compared with the vast cosmic space or the interstellar landing point, the sense of disobedience revealed by the too cramped battlefield still seems a little out of place. In addition, the recognizability of the mecha in the game is really not high enough. Even if the game data is fully appreciated, being able to correctly distinguish the difference between each mecha (except for the color) is basically the same as finding fault with everyone. If you are a player who is used to playing the next-door game based on copyrighted IP bodies, it may be very uncomfortable. Perhaps on the battlefield, it is more obvious to distinguish by the driver's avatar.

Since we are talking about drivers, I have to mention that the drivers of "Relayer" are mainly beautiful girls, especially our drivers are basically girls in the plot stages that can be disclosed so far. It will be another big motivation for many male players to play. The main story of the game is expressed in 2D CG and vertical painting. The style of painting is a bit like the frigid style of "Tomorrow's Ark". Although each driver has a certain difference in personality, because most of the occasions are dressed in uniforms. Mainly, so there is also the problem of low recognition. Fortunately, the game provides full voice in the main storyline, which is full of immersion. It's just a pity that the exploration part of the ship in the game (equivalent to the side story) does not provide voice, except for the main line part.

A fairly qualified strategy system

For a war chess game, the strategy part is the most important, and whether this part is done well or not directly determines the quality of the gameplay. The "star-mounted machine" of "Relayer" is divided into four types: melee, sniper, tank, and scout, each of which can affect the battle situation. To put it simply, when a long-range and melee-type body is fighting, because the attack range does not overlap, the unit that launches the attack first can hit the opponent, and the opponent will never attack the first attacking party. Then let's talk about the setting of "dangerous range". Once the player steps into the dangerous range, the enemy will start to organize an attack. Even if you run out of the range, the enemy will continue to chase and fight. Finally, when the enemy attacks,It will give priority to the units within the range that focus on attacking the unit with the least HP. If you don't want to let the residual blood units be beaten to death, you can choose a unit with increased hatred skills (preferably higher defense), or let the unit with the "target" skill set a target on the battlefield to attract The enemy's firepower... Such a strategy system seems to be quite satisfactory at present, but it is still a little monotonous. Of course, our attack methods are quite rich. In addition to basic attacks, there are also attack methods such as joint attacks and even nirvana. Skills will also increase with the growth of the player and the body.

In addition, the level of the game is divided into the main line and the branch line. The simulation battle in the branch line can repeat the levels that the main line has played indefinitely. If you feel that your level is not enough, you can repeat it here. Similar to many war chess games, the corresponding experience points will be obtained when using recovery and auxiliary skills, and the experience value will not be reduced by the increase of the character level, so this is an important means to gain experience and upgrade quickly. It's just that at the beginning of each battle, the SP consumed by skills is not the full value, which will have a great impact on the choice of skills for players in battle. Of course, because it can be brushed, even if it is HARD difficulty, as long as you level up more, it will not be difficult.

Cultivation system, everything should be there

The training part unlocked in the early game mainly includes: the character's skill cloud map (external skill tree), the points obtained by defeating the enemy in the game can be used to learn driving here Various skills and parameters of the player, some of which are optional for the player in the form of "character equipment". The biggest feature here is the existence of a career transfer system. When a character's skill disk of a level is all lit, he can choose the next career branch. The body part can enter the store to buy replaceable weapons and chips. It should be pointed out that some of the operation logic of this part still has certain flaws. For example, the astrolabe of skill learning actually does not need to default to the partial close-up, and then press the button to switch the form of the overall shape. It is enough to enter the whole directly; buy equipment At that time, the so-called strongest equipment recommendation is also very difficult to use, and the switching between trial equipment purchase is very stupid. It is recommended to buy manually after reading the recommendation; when selling items, there is no need to make a two-layer menu.It is enough to directly make a list of weapons and chips in a row and switch with the L and R keys.

It starts with sisters falling in love and killing each other

"Relayer" takes the Milky Way as the stage, and tells the story of human beings who are threatened by the alien life form "successor" who intends to destroy the universe. In order to protect human beings, special awakening The story of the powerful "Star Child" driving the "Star Machine" to confront the successor. The plot of the game involves the three major forces of the villain "Successor", the protagonist "GT Labo (Gravity Technology Development Agency)" and the "United Earth Government Army", as well as the three related military enterprises "ATLAS" , "Amanokawa Shipbuilding" and "Xoth" and the entanglement of these three parties. At the beginning of the game, the protagonist and his sister belong to hostile camps and are in conflict with each other, which can be regarded as sufficient suspense. Overall, the story itself is considered a more royal development. In addition, the length of the game's main line and branch lines totals 80 levels, and the capacity of the script will also be very kind.

A9VG experience summary

As mentioned at the beginning, this game has brought a new wind to the current mecha industry. Although there are some debatable points in the game itself, the advantages of the theme are believed to make many "Radish Chef" players recall the green days of the year. A series of commemorative works from last year has proved that there are still many such players sticking to it, so why not pick up the controller again and integrate into such a romantic sci-fi story? The industry needs such an existence, and this time, Kadokawa did it .

A9VG score: 7.5/10