“Super Robot Wars A” (スーパーロボット大戦A) is a strategic role-playing game released by Banpresto on September 21, 2001, for the GBA platform. As the first main entry in the “Mobile Suit” series on the GBA, the “A” in its title represents both the GBA console and symbolizes the beginning of the series on the GBA platform.
The game inherits the series’ characteristic cross-work collaboration, gathering mechs and characters from various classic robot animations, allowing players to experience a dream battle that transcends the boundaries of different works.
Story Background
The game is set in the Universal Century 0XXX, where the Earth Sphere has experienced a year-long war and the Lizard War, leading to a brief period of peace. However, when the Ham aliens, who have lost their home planet, request to migrate peacefully to Earth, an assassination incident involving the peace faction leads to a breakdown in negotiations, and both sides enter a state of war.
Meanwhile, the Moon Empire Giganos declares independence and declares war on the Earth Federation government, while the Martian colonization city is attacked by mysterious enemies, and the lurking Hundred Demon Empire on Earth begins a new round of invasion. The Earth Federation government can only deploy the 13th Independent Force of the Federation Army – “Lond Bell” to respond to the crisis, gradually discovering visitors from the “world that is infinitely close yet infinitely far away” hidden behind the chaos of war.
Participating Works Lineup
“Super Robot Wars A” includes over 24 robot animation works, with the following being the main participating works list:
| Work Type | Work Name |
|---|---|
| Mobile Suit Gundam Series | “Mobile Suit Gundam”, “Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory”, “Mobile Suit Z Gundam”, “Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam”, “Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack”, “Mobile Fighter G Gundam”, “New Mobile Report Gundam W”, etc. |
| Classic Super Robot Series | “Mazinger Z”, “Great Mazinger”, “UFO Robot Grendizer”, “Getter Robo”, “Shin Getter Robo (original manga version)”, etc. |
| First Participating Works | “Mecha Chronicle: Dragon Knight”, “Super Electromagnetic Robot: Polygus V”, “Fighting General Daimos”, etc. |
The game includes works such as “Mobile Battleship” and “Mecha Chronicle: Dragon Knight” for the first time, enriching the storyline.
Game System and Features
Battle System
“Super Robot Wars A” inherits the classic tactical battle system of the series and introduces several new elements:
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Support System: Under specific conditions, players can perform support attacks or defenses with allies.
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Counterattack System: Melee pilots can counterattack enemy attacks with a certain probability, classified as a 100% heavy attack technique.
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Combination Attack: Memorize ally performance before battle to enhance attack effects with the power of two.
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Barrier Defense: At the start of battle, there is a certain durability defense/attack value that can be replenished through battleship supplies.
Difficulty and Balance
The game exhibits the following characteristics in terms of difficulty:
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Balance between Real and Super Types: Real-type units have insufficient output and armor in the early game, but show significant advantages later; Super-type units have relatively weak armor and high EN consumption.
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High Enemy Strength: Enemy units generally have high HP, such as the boss in the ninth stage of the cosmic route with HP reaching nine thousand, and GP-02A’s HP approaching twenty thousand.
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BOSS Likes to Retreat: Boss-level units often retreat under specific conditions, increasing the challenge of the levels.
Hidden Elements and Collectibles
“Super Robot Wars A” contains rich hidden elements, with the following being some representative content:
Mech Acquisition
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Full Armor Gundam: At the end of Episode 8, Amuro must shoot down more enemies than Sayla and choose the cosmic route.
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Respect Gundam: Requires completing multiple conditional tasks, including choosing specific routes and meeting shoot-down requirements.
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Karabini MK-II: After defeating Gremi in Episode 28, trigger battle dialogue with Kamille and Puru.
Character Joining
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Feng·Muramasa: In Episodes 16 and 18, use Kamille to talk to and shoot him down.
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Invincible Eastern: Joins in Episode 29 after meeting multiple conditions.
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Puru: After Puru joins, shoot down Puru with Puru.
Subsequent Developments and Remake
On June 19, 2008, Banpresto released a remake titled “Super Robot Wars A Portable” on the PSP platform. The remake made several improvements based on the original:
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Graphics Enhancement: The battle graphics have been completely revamped, with visual effects approaching PS2 levels.
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Voice Addition: Character voices have been added to battle scenes, enhancing the immersive experience.
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System Optimization: The “Trust Level” system has been removed and replaced with the “Support System”, and new “Skill Parts” and “ACE” abilities have been added.
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Difficulty Adjustment: Weapon hit rates have decreased, requiring higher strategic demands.
Critical Review
As the pioneering work of the “Mobile Suit” series on the GBA platform, “Super Robot Wars A” is clearly experimental, with both its shortcomings and strengths being prominent. The game’s graphics remain in the transitional phase from the GB era to the GBA era, and the inability to turn off battle animations is a test of players’ patience. The selection of participating works is conservative, resembling a newcomer afraid of making mistakes, with almost all being familiar faces from the 80s and 90s, which is called “parent-child interaction” but is actually a cover for a lack of creativity.
The balance of game difficulty is a disaster, with Super-type armor being as thin as paper, Real-type output being pitiful in the early game, while enemy HP has inflated to an outrageous level. The design of BOSS frequently retreating, rather than increasing challenge, reflects the developers’ lack of confidence in level design. Although the system has added mechanisms like counterattacks and support, the rough numerical design makes these features unable to compensate for the core experience’s flaws.
Ironically, this highly experimental work’s original protagonists, Axel and Lamia, later became the pillars of the “Mobile Suit OG” series—this seems to suggest that the greatest value of this work lies not in the game itself, but in providing material for future works. Perhaps the 33 points given by Famitsu (out of 40) is the most objective evaluation: it accomplished the mission of being the first “Mobile Suit” on the GBA, but it merely completed the mission.
Game Screenshots
Game Resources (Japanese Original Version)
0111 – Super Robot Wars A Super Robot Taisen A(JP)(Banpresto)(64Mb)
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File Name: 0111 - Super Robot Wars A Super Robot Taisen A(JP)(Banpresto)(64Mb).zip
File Size: 4348089 bytes (4.15 MB)
MD5: 0823D9567EDE20F74B167B05CEEA5DC2
SHA1: 29BB1DF8121E56F389CBDE4250EFAF8B84F9F2DF
CRC32: E7AAC4ECGame Resources (<span>Chinese Translation</span>)
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