Shin Super Robot Wars - A Game Filled With Decisions

[KitsuneRagnell]

Video of this chapter.
Archived version of this chapter.

Last time, the Daiku-Maryu Squad got introduced to Ryusei Date and the SRX Project.


We'll be at Mount Ikoma soon, with Osaka coming into view right after.
Don't go into Osaka proper. Aliens have appeared in Kansai Science City.
Roger that.
Look over there! There's a Mobile Suit fighting the aliens all by itself.
That's the R-2!
You recognize it?
Yeah. It's one of my fellow SRX Team members. I'm impressed, Rai. You're doing extremely well on your own. You know, he loves calling himself a genius pilot.
The SRX Team sure sounds like a group of interesting guys.
Exactly. We're the cream of the crop.
That jab went right over him.
Pick up the pace, Pete.
Roger.




Earth Route Chapter 10: Rai, the Genius Pilot


You're doing great, Rai-Rai.
R-Ryusei!? Where did you come from!?
(Raidiese F. Branstein. OG. CV: Ryotaro Okiayu)
Like I'd let you hog all the glory.
Hmph. You're still annoying as usual.
What was that!?


Deploy the troops, which still means everyone.

Stop it, you two. This isn't the time for bickering.
I guess you're right. Hey, aliens! I, the Great Ryusei, will be your opponent. Prepare to die!
*Sigh* He's like another Koji.

First up, the Ice Man himself.


[R-2]
The base R-2 is decent. It's the bulkiest mech we have on this route so far besides Gaiking, and its I Field helps when fighting some of the OG enemies. Despite having a B rank in Air, it can fly, but you'll want to land it as soon as possible to take advantage of its A rank in ground. Its biggest weakness is that its best attack, the Beam Chakram, only has 4 ammo. Most of the time, you'll want the R-2 to stay in one place and snipe enemies with its rifle.


Nothing really to do but to move everyone east and wipe out the aliens. As long as you keep the R-2 on a building, Rai can fend for himself very easily, at least until he runs out of rifle and chakram ammo. Have Ryusei go reinforce him, while everyone else moves on the northern bank of the river.


Enemy reinforcements spawn on the third enemy phase. These Kyos are extremely agile, so watch out.

There is technically a boss, the battleship Fure, but I won't be covering it since it's impossible to kill. It retreats either when it hits 50% HP or during a plot event on the fifth enemy phase. Speaking of which…


Are you done yet?
(Le Cain. Layzner. CV: Kaneto Shiozawa)
We've just finished.
Good. We're leaving.
[The Fure retreats]
Get back here, you coward!
They're so afraid of me that they turned tail. Hahahahahaha!

Here are the items for the map. Make sure you pick up the Chip and the High-Performance Radar in the top right. That extra range is extremely helpful.



The map ends when all enemies are defeated.


I'm Lieutenant Raidiese F. Branstein of the SRX Team, part of the EDF's Far East Branch.
Mmm. I am Daimonji.
I know.
What were the aliens doing here?
I'm not sure, but it seems like they abducted someone.
They abducted someone? Sakon, find out who and why.
On it.
*Stares*
Is something the matter?
You're normal… I thought you'd be another weirdo like Ryusei.
Don't compare me to Ryusei. He's a disgrace to the entire project.
You're right. He really is normal.
But Ryusei said you loved calling yourself a genius pilot.
I mean… I am a genius pilot. There's no doubting that.
Great. He is a weirdo after all.
Huh? What do you mean?
…
…
Anyway… Find anything yet, Sakon?
Yes. It seems the woman abducted is an archeologist by the name of Dr. Anzai.
What!? Dr. Anzai!?
Do you know her, Pete?
I know of her. I read her books.
I recall you being a bit of an archeology buff.
What kind of person is she?
She's the world authority on super-archeology, and is most well known for her theory that the ancient civilizations of Mu and Atlantis were built by aliens.
Ancient aliens?
It's just an unproven theory.
But if she's been abducted by modern aliens, then this Mu thing might have some merit to it.
Lieutenant Branstein, what will you do now?
Sir, I've been ordered to join the Daiku-Maryu Squad. I look forward to working with you.
I see. Welcome aboard, Lieutenant Branstein.
You can just call me Rai.
Look at you, acting all cool. Ugh. I can't believe we're working together again.
Hmph.
[Some time later]
I like his cool, edgy vibe. Right, Ikue?
Honestly, yeah.
M-Midori…
Is he your kind of guy, Ikue?
I wouldn't call him my type, but I don't hate it.
I wouldn't fall for him if I were you. I don't think he's into women.
So then that would mean… Ryusei, tell him to stay away from my room.
Oh?

[KitsuneRagnell]

Video of this chapter.
Archived version of this chapter.

Last time, the Daiku-Maryu Squad met up with Rai, the self-proclaimed genius pilot.


Doctor, Commander Oka is on the line.
I just got word that Voltes V has been attacked and incapacitated.
Was it BESPA?
No, aliens. The Voltes Team will be returning to Japan.
So then what about Europe?
Mmm. I'm planning to send the Cyber Beast Force from the Far East Branch to Europe as reinforcements.
The Cyber Beast Force? You mean Dancouga? Hey, did you know their Beast Machines have this thing called Aggressive Mode, and…
The Cyber Beast Force… More troublemakers.
…Oh, and their main weapon is called the Dancouhou, which--
Shut up, Ryusei. Adults are talking.
Hey!
Professor Yumi contacted me, saying that he has something he wants to deliver to Mazinger Z. Please stop by the Photon Power Lab before returning to base.
Roger that.


I'm sorry that I'm asking you to do something unreasonable.
Don't worry about it. But I have to ask, what is it?
Behold.
Wow, it's better in person. Koji will be so happy that the Jet Scrander is finished.
Now Mazinger Z will be able to fly.
Indeed.
I'll bring it to him. Is that okay, Dad?
Any objections, Dr. Daimonji?
I'll bring it up with Commander Oka.
Please do.
Let's start loading the Jet Scrander onto the Daiku-Maryu.
Professor, we're under attack!!


Earth Route Chapter 11: The Plan to Defend the Daiku-Maryu


Dammit! I can't believe I got the location wrong. Where the hell did Le Cain go? Hmm? That's the Daiku-Maryu! Hehehehe. My luck must be turning around to run into it here. If I can bring back its corpse as a gift, it'll make up for this blunder and then some. Hehehe.


Doctor! The Daiku-Maryu's power unit was damaged.
How bad is it?
I don't know.
Mmm… Everyone, scramble! Prioritize repairing the damage!


Deploy the troops! We finally get to bench someone, which will be Yamagatake.

And out they come. I'll take care of them one by one.
That's our line, old man!
O-old man!? I hate being called that! How dare you!
Someone got mad. Yet another weirdo…


Listen up, everyone! The Daiku-Maryu is unable to move! Don't let the enemy get close!
Roger that. I got this.


Defeat all enemies without letting the Daiku-Maryu fall. Sounds easy enough, even though it cannot move.


Here's the boss, Old Man Killer's Grotector. It is possible to defeat it with a well-invested Trider (Watta gets Valor at level 10, along with an upgraded Trider Bird Attack), but it retreats at 50% HP. Either way, you'll have to get it off the map in order to beat the chapter. The Grotector can and will deal massive damage to our units, so try to bait out its main cannon in order to exhaust its EN supplies.

I've failed. Retreat!


Enemy reinforcements spawn on the second and fourth enemy phases.

Here are the items on the map.



The map ends when all enemies are defeated.


How bad is the damage?
It'll need repairs, but it's not serious.
I see. I agree with your findings. I'm sorry, Professor, but I need to borrow your facilities until emergency repairs are complete.
It won't be a bother at all. As far as I'm concerned, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Daiku-Maryu Squad. Please, feel free to use whatever you need.
[The screen vibrates]
Whoa! Earthquaaaake!!
It's just a little tremor. Don't make a big fuss over nothing.
Zip it! I hate earthquakes!
I feel bad for you, Sanshiro, having to be around an annoying guy like him.
H-hey! Don't get too close!
Is something wrong?
Something wrong? Aren't you one of them?
"Them"?
Hehehe.
Ryusei, what's going on?
Don't look at me.
????
(TL Note: 1996 was a different time…)

[KitsuneRagnell]

Video of this chapter.
Archived version of this chapter.

Last time, the Daiku-Maryu got disabled while parked in front of the Photon Power Lab.


We've been having a lot of earthquakes lately.
Could it be from an underwater volcano?
It's a bit too unnatural for that. I think it might be man-made.
Man-made? Like someone is building something on the seafloor?
That's just speculation on my part… But these are aliens we're talking about… It's been reported that they've been buzzing around the Ogasawara Islands.
Could they have a base around there?
I think it's very likely.
We need to check it out.
The Daiku-Maryu is still being fixed, so it won't be able to move for a while. Akira, could you please take Ryusei and Rai to investigate?
Roger that. We'll leave immediately.
Just don't overdo it.
Right.
Hey, Akira. That's a tough group you're working with today. I feel bad for you.
This is just part of the job.
Did you say something?
Who, me? Anyway, good luck.
I got this.




Earth Route Chapter 12: The First Survey


Tch! I'm with Rai again? Couldn't it be literally anyone else?
That's my line. What's Dr. Daimonji thinking by putting a simple-minded fool like you on this investigation team?
Calm down, you two… Hmm? It seems we've got company.


Like moths to a flame. Today, I'll get my revenge for your past transgressions.
Heh. What's with that attitude? You talking about yourself?
How insolent!
It seems you have good one-liners every once in a while, Ryusei.
Of course I do… Hey! Don't insult me like that!
Both of you shut up! Seriously…

I forgot to take a picture of the map, but there's not that much to see. The objective of this map is to survive through 4 waves of enemy reinforcements. Very weak enemy reinforcements spawn during the enemy phase when they have 4 or fewer units remaining, but these guys drop pennies so they're not worth farming.

Honestly, this could have been another email.


The only boss of this stage is Jeangall in his Skullrook. It's impossible to defeat him, since when his HP drops below 26,000, he restores full HP. That's also not to mention that the Skullrook's giant drill attack will deal a lot of damage to anyone it hits, and our only units for this stage aren't known for their defense.


Jeangall is also with Beast Knight Namazungo, which I consider a miniboss since it's stronger than the other mooks. If you position Reideen exactly 8 squares north of Namazungo, you can aggro it, but still stay safe from Jeangall.

According to an online guide, if you use cheats to somehow destroy Jeangall, the game bugs out and continues to spawn reinforcements whenever someone does an action.

If you don't want the items on the stage, the best course of action is to camp in the woods on the island the trio spawns on.

Here are the items on the map. There's also a Zolmanium Alloy hidden under Jeangall, so you'd have to lure him away by getting into his range. I didn't bother going for it, since, remember, armor parts are bugged to decrease the unit's armor instead of increasing it.



The map ends when the trio decide they've had enough (during the next player phase after destroying enough enemies).


This is never going to end. Let's retreat for now.
Yeah. We can't overextend ourselves.
What's with the cowardice? We can take 'em.
Our mission is to check out the area, not to wipe out the enemy. We're getting out of here!
Tch. If you say so.
Wahahaha. How'd you like that? Arrogant humans. Have you finally realized the power of the great Jeangall?


How magnificent, General Jeangall. You're the pride of Boazan.
That was nothing. With my strength, it was as easy as twisting a baby's arm.
You didn't defeat them. You merely swatted them away…
Excuse me!? Suhl! Are you trying to spoil my victory!?
N-no. That wasn't my intention. I just think you shouldn't have let them get away…
Well, don't worry about that. I'm having Dankel pursue them.
How smart of you, General Jeangall. You're so resourceful.
Your praise is making me blush. Gahahahaha.
Hmph…
(What a simpleton!)


Roger that. The next target is the Photon Power Lab.
Are you going on another mission?
Huh!?
I guess even you can be surprised sometimes. You know, I've been surprised by you ever since we first met… If you kill me here, you'd be caught. You don't want that, do you? It's the school festival, after all, so you should enjoy yourself. At least until the dance is over…
[Sometime later]
Heero, are you going to kill me since I know too much?
Yeah… I'm leaving now.
Ah, Heero… The dance isn't even over yet. Heero…

[KitsuneRagnell]

Video of this chapter.
Archived version of this chapter.

Last time, Ryusei, Rai, and Akira led an expedition into enemy territory.


President, I just got a call from HQ. We must return to Tokyo immediately.
Mom called? What does she want?
Maybe it's funding for a Trider upgrade?
Mom always saves up for whatever she wants.
Dr. Daimonji, I'm truly sorry, but we need to return to Tokyo for a bit.
Understood.
We'll be right back. See ya later.
Professor, an unidentified mech is approaching us.
Is it an enemy?
I don't know.


Earth Route Chapter 13: Heero and Relena




Huh? It's that Gundam from before!
You've seen that one before?
Yeah, on our way back from Europe.
An unidentified Gundam… Its performance and structure are different from the Gundams I'm used to seeing.
We don't know if it's a friend or foe. Stay on guard.
Doctor, we should be on high alert.
You're right. Sanshiro, prepare to deploy Gaiking.
On it.
Target confirmed. Proceeding with the operation.
Oh no! It's going to attack. Gaiking, deploy!
Put up the barrier!
You've got to be kidding me! Dammit! I'm going out there too!


You're an Earthling, right? Why're you attacking the Photon Power Lab?
I don't need to answer that.
There isn't a way to have you stand down, is there?
I'll kill anyone who gets in my way.


Oh? Gaiking is fighting a Gundam? What did we miss?
We need to hurry.
That Gundam kinda reminds me of the R-1… Or maybe the R-1 reminds me of it?
What are you mumbling about? You're gonna get left behind.


Stop, Heero! You're Heero, aren't you!?
!? Relena… Why are you here?
Heero, you shouldn't be doing something so wrong.
Get out of the way.


Watch out!!
!?




Why did I do that? I'm better off with her dead.
Heero…
Why… Why… WHYYYYY!?
[Heero retreats]
…Heero.
Hey, girl, get out of here quickly!
This way! Hurry!
It looks like we've brought the enemy here.
Seems that way.


Hmm. It's just as Killer reported. The Daiku-Maryu is currently unable to move. This is our chance. Let's end them here.
Sir!


We're back at the Photon Power Lab and the situation's the same as the last time. The Daiku-Maryu is unable to move, and we have to defeat all enemies on the map. There aren't many right now, but more will show up with some rather different spawn conditions.

It's also worth mentioning that you can't deploy Fan Li, Bunta, or Watta, since Watta is currently back home for a bit. Dunno about the other two. You'll only have Sanshiro, Ryusei, Rai, Akira, and Yamatake for this chapter.


Here's the boss, Dankel in his Grotector. Same as before, but now we have to actually fight it. I didn't notice it before this map since this is the first time we have to properly fight one, but Grotectors have innate HP Regen, making them more difficult to take down than I thought.

The enemy reinforcements spawn near the center of the map based on Dankel's HP. A pack of random mooks appears after Dankel's next action when he's between 100-80%, another when he's between 80-60%, and a third when he's below 60% HP. After that third pack spawns, he retreats with the following line.

Today just isn't going my way.

It is possible to skip reinforcement phases if you deal enough damage in a single turn, and it is possible to defeat Dankel if you've invested in your units enough.

Here are the items on the map:



The map ends when all enemies are defeated.


What's your name?
I'm Relena Darlian.
Darlian? Are you related to Vice Foreign Minister Darlian?
Yes. I'm his daughter.
You seem to know that Gundam's pilot.
His name is Heero Yuy, a classmate of mine.
Why was he here?
I don't know.
The next time you see him, tell him that this isn't the time for humans to fight each other.
Okay. I'll tell him.
Doctor, the repairs to the Daiku-Maryu are complete. We can launch when you're ready.
Good. Let's return to base. Professor, that Gundam might attack again. Please be very careful.
Understood.
Relena, what will you do now?
Please don't worry about me. I can go home by myself.