Girls using highlights parts. This is the basic concept of “Mecha Musume”, and the love for the idea is at the very heart of it. Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto Simulator. The game is a spin-off from the (japan exclusive) Protecting Alice’s Equipment mobile game, bringing its characters and world to consoles.
like the original, Alice Gear Aegis CS is set in the future, centuries after humanity was forced off Earth due to the invasion of Vice, an alien race. The remnants of humanity moved to the stars, inhabiting “Shards”, space-based replicas of Earth life built on floating pieces of what was once the moon. The “actresses”, young women who can channel mysterious energy to power the titular Alice Gear, defend these settlements. A set of powerful weapons used and wielded by each actress in battle, are the only effective weapons against vice. This system of actresses proved so successful that Alien Defense was privatized, with up-and-coming actresses working for various agencies as armed idol units.
Simulator concert change the script in the mobile game alien shooter settings. Instead of fighting vice, the 22 playable actresses of Protecting Alice’s Equipment they point to each other. The framework is the test of new simulation technology and the accompanying tournament to popularize it. For three weeks, friend will fight friend, teammate will fight teammate, and actresses will be (temporary) adversaries in their quest for fame, glory, and big bucks.
It’s actually about the scope of the story. There’s not much central plot in Alice Gear Aegis CS. The story mode plays out like the arcade mode of many fighting games. You choose a character and play a dozen fights with them, watching a few story scenes focused on them or their team before the end. Then you’ll buy new cosmetic gear or accessories with the money you’ve earned from battling and choose a new character to start all over again.
The story path is represented by a grid of hexagons through which players must navigate. Each hex on the map is one of the 21 days of the tournament, with most hexes representing one-on-one combat with another cast member. A few times over the three weeks, you’ll face a team battle featuring your actress and two teammates against a team of three other actresses. In story mode, all teams and alliances are united: Yotsuyu will always fight alongside her friends Sitara and Fumika, and Meika will always be accompanied by her drinking partners Anna and Mari. These team battles represent the bulk of Alice Gear Aegis CS‘ storytelling, as they involve snippets of dialogue and scenes between the character, his teammates, and his opponents.
Each character has a unique story, but none of them are particularly involved. The game is clearly intended to be a sort of fan-service title for gamers familiar with the Core. Protecting Alice’s Equipment mobile game Aside from a few pod profiles and detailed item descriptions, the writing and dialogue are written assuming players know who these characters are and why they are connected to each other.
Unfortunately, most people who play the English version of Alice Gear Aegis CS they are probably discovering the series for the first time. The mobile game is exclusive to Japan, and aside from an anime series slated to premiere in April 2023, there’s hardly any other medium capable of telling the central story or doing the heavy lifting of showcasing the world. and characters to the audience.
It’s a shame, because the characters seem amusing, even particularly original. I am particularly amused by Meika Yorozuba’s antics. When not flying as an actress, Meika is the CEO of one of the companies that makes Alice Gears and often uses her battles to show off new products. The twist is that Meika is the stereotypical “gyaru” archetype, a party girl character who revels in tanned skin, dyed hair, trendy clothes and an almost incomprehensibly thick slang-laden street dialect. .
And Alice Gear Aegis CS Not as well supported by its writing or storytelling, its simple but solid mechanics make for a pleasantly engaging gaming experience. The transition from a microtransaction-based mobile game to a single-player arena fighter has proven to be quite seamless. Alice Gear Aegis CS is reproduced as a simplified version of virtual ignition or the Gundam vs. series. Players can move their characters from side to side and they automatically lock onto a hostile target. They can then fire their weapons, most of which have auto-aim and some level of seeking or tracking movement. They can also use different abilities depending on their equipped Alice Gear. Different sets of equipment have different abilities, ranging from homing lasers to missile barrages to ring-shaped floating traps.
Being based on a 2018-era title aimed at smartphones, the game’s visuals aren’t top of the line, but it runs smoothly even on the older hardware of my Switch launch model. I only noticed performance drops during six-player battle royale fights in handheld mode. At all other times, the game was smooth and responsive. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test the online multiplayer, but Alice Gear Aegis CS Supports casual and ranked matches. Like Free Battles, Multiplayer allows much more freedom in team composition, allowing you to experiment with the best combinations of girls and teams.
There are also a plethora of different gear options for characters to earn. In addition to a common gear set that everyone can use, each character has two unique Alice gear sets. One is a cheaper “low tier” set that anyone can wear but suits their assigned character, and the other is an exclusive high tier set that only they can wear. This is pretty much his best set of gear, which takes the hassle out of having to consider other in-game factors like elemental properties.
Story mode, where you’ll earn most of your coins, will usually drop enough money at once to buy both characters’ exclusive gear sets and get a head start on a set for a new character. However, players who need to unlock everything, especially costumes, must experience the story at least twice with each character. This can get quite repetitive, as even non-character specific accessories have to be purchased for each individual character. This is one aspect where the mobile game-like grind could be toned down.
Even if Alice Gear Aegis CS Simulator Concerto It won’t impress mecha fans with its storytelling, substantial content base, and engaging characters make it a pleasant distraction and showcase for top-tier mecha musume designs.
Alice Gear Aegis CS is available on Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PS5.