Alice Gear Aegis CS: Concerto of Simulatrix (Switch)

Geoffrey Wright | March 23, 2023 | Review | No Comments

Alice Gear Aegis originally released for mobile devices in Japan back in 2018, with the mecha action title now receiving a worldwide release several years later for consoles. Has it made the transition from Mobile successfully? Lets take a look.

As an actress with an aptitude for wielding the special Alice Gear used to combat Vice, you now train under the AEGiS corporation which has been charged with defence against this threat. With the introduction of a combat simulation by AEGIS to help train, a sport of sorts has emerged which sees the various users of this special combat armour fighting against each other in a new tournament to decide which operator is the best!

The story plays out like a typical adventure novel, only instead of having 2D sprites as is often found in these kinda games, this game takes the in-game models (minus their gear) and uses those. Having more expressive versions of the same model helps keep the jump between combat & story more cohesive. A campaign map lasting 21 days is where this all takes place, and surprisingly each character in the roster has their own story to play. You’ll certainly get your monies worth playing through the 20+ roster and unlocking all the available gear, with multiplayer also an option for taking your favourites online to battle friends.

Given the type of game this is, the more confined areas of engagement probably help with the good presentation and performance. Sure the environments can occasionally be lacking in detail, but its good enough and is masked somewhat by the anime style. Characters and weaponry/gear is where you’ll find most of the work seemingly gone to – special effects for the attacks during battles can also fill the screen with colour once the fights get going. The particle effects are especially noteworthy.

All this does at least mean good performance, even on the go. Portable is pretty solid, doesn’t seem to drop any frames, and looks great on the smaller screen. Given the solid performance already, docking doesn’t need iron things out as is usually the case. It does look surprisingly clean on my TV tho, a little soft but devoid of the jaggies that plague a fair few Switch games, so its a win really whichever way you play your Switch.

With the game having a tournament focus, it ends up playing out like an arena brawler of sorts, your team versus another. 3V3 is what’s touted, but in reality its just 1V1 as you can freely switch out to the other characters at any time during the fight (worth doing often to regenerate health). You get a few abilities to make use of, but most combat will boil down to ranged weapon fire or close quarters melee. Each character has their own weaponry to start with which takes some getting used to, variety can vary wildly just within a 3 person team. Defence is handled by a simple dash to dodge fire or a shield to soak it up, the shield will eventually break so isn’t infinite. When it all comes together the fights can be quick paced (perfect for portable play) and intense, watching for your enemy attacks is key as not taking notice of it will see you lose a lot of health quickly.

As noted previously the game does also take place on a campaign map. You do have to plan a route beforehand as some days can have several options but you can only go to an adjacent spot. The tiles can have different rewards too, some can just be simple 1V1 bouts, but others can give you upgrades and cosmetics, as well as send you on a different path. Unlocked weapons and gear can be purchased from the shop using earned credits, alongside cosmetics, with you also able to change up the equipped weapon to something else you’re more comfortable with. There’s certainly enough customisation and unlocks to get through if the game keeps you entertained

Coming to a conclusion for Alice Gear Aegis was probably the toughest in a while for me. There’s a decent campaign to play, hefty roster of characters, fast paced 1V1 bouts, plenty of unlocks, great performance on Switch, and multiplayer to boot. To be honest though the game is more suited to portable play, likely due to mobile roots, as it felt better to play a few shorter sessions around work each day than a longer session docked where the constant 1V1 can get tiresome. There is still a good game to be had here regardless of how you intend to play, so is certainly worth a look if you need something meaty to play in short bursts.