Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix Review – Waifus and Nothing Else

Let’s be clear from the start; we all know why we’re here. Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix is a gacha game turned console title, which we’ve been burned by before; I’m looking at you, Azur Lane Crosswave. So, we’re here for one thing, cute anime girls fighting it out in mechs. Lucky for you, that’s precisely what you get, but at the cost of a highly repetitive and dull gameplay loop.

Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix shows its full hand from the start. You have access to every mode with all characters on full display, save for three characters that unlock after the first time you beat the game. Don’t worry, though; that only takes about 30 minutes. Blasting into story mode will allow you to choose one of the many available characters known as “actresses” from the series. Each character has some sense of a story arch, but it’s the same layout, no matter who you choose.

There’s this threat, but oh, who cares? We’re here for the waifus, so let’s get to the goods. Well, before that, I just want to say that the voice acting and short story performances between these characters are well done. Each character is expressive and charming as they interact with each other. At times, there are six characters on screen, which is an overwhelming amount of cute, so if you have an attachment to these characters, you may get more joy out of these exchanges. Still, your guess is as good as mine as to what is happening here.

When it comes to the story mode, you’ll be placed on a game board that represents each day. Each of the hexagonal shapes represents an event or item, but more often than not, it’s a battle. The game lets you know who you’re going to be up against, but it doesn’t matter because you’ll likely not have too much difficulty getting back to the game board.

Battles take place in an arena. There are a few different themes, some with obstacles, which surprised me. Players will dash around utilizing an arsenal of weapons to take down their opponent. A few skills are available, but there is some strategy in terms of timing and navigation to avoid damage. A block mechanic also acts as a shield to gain some HP back.

However, each match can be cheesed through by taking advantage of the melee attacks. You will get through almost every fight by simply putting pressure on the AI opponent. A few times, I simply mashed all the buttons on the controller and won. I felt like I was cheating or not playing correctly. All I knew as that the second there was some distance between the enemy and me, I’d get my ass kicked. So, I did what I had to do.

There are different battle modes where players will have three characters in a party during a match. You’re able to switch between characters who have their own pool of HP. However, you can’t switch during combos, which is a missed opportunity considering extending attacks while cycling through your crew would be awesome. Further, each character has a special that causes massive damage, and they all look cool.

So, you get through 21 days of in-game time, and the credits roll to little fanfare. After your first time through, the three characters unlock, and you can buy costumes. This is where the gacha roots really shine. After completing one story, you’ll likely have around 40k through 50k of credits. Each character has their own gear and weapons. However, everything needs to be purchased individually for each character.

This means that if you buy a weapon or a costume for a character, only that character can access it. While these items are about 3k to 5k credits each, there are a lot of playable characters in this game. The amount of times this game expects you to replay the story mode for credits is insane. I can give a pass to the costumes, though, since they are unique for each character, so I quickly focused on the bathing suits and moved on. I will say that they were not wearing their purchased costumes during cutscenes which was disappointing.

Other modes include an only mode where you can fight against another player or get into a battle royale type fight with a group of other players. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an online match, but I assume it’ll be that way unless you and your friends schedule some time to jump in.

On the visual side of things, Alice Gear Aegis CS has some great animations. The speed of the characters is on full display, and they control nicely, regardless of the repetitive combat maneuvers. Further, the depth of the customization system is impressive, but the stat bonuses for some of the gear can be tough to understand. Lastly, the PlayStation version does contain some altered costumes, which are available on Switch. I can only say the only drawback is that the Switch performance is questionable during battles with a lot going on.

We all know why you’re playing Alice Gear Aegis CS Concerto of Simulatrix, and I’m there with you. The mecha anime girl appeal is the main drawing point, which will entertain you for about an hour before you realize that you’ve let your feelings for these anime girls woo you into making such a bad buying decision. The lack of playable content ultimately brings this waifu mech to the ground, but some of you will likely stay fast with the ship like any good captain would.