2017 was one of many all-time nice years for video video games, with main tentpole video games like Tremendous Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Persona 5 dominating GOTY conversations. So when you missed out on among the hidden gems of that yr, I wouldn’t blame you. Battle Chef Brigade is a kind of treasured video games that may have gotten misplaced within the shuffle, and Trinket Studios’ match-three/brawler/cooking recreation nonetheless holds up in 2025. Nonetheless, the studio didn’t simply attempt to make lighting strike twice with its newest mission that’s out now on PC, PS5, and Swap. Battle Swimsuit Aces is a a lot totally different recreation than its predecessor, however it’s no much less trendy, endearing, and compelling.
I wish to depend on some straightforward lexicon to explain Battle Swimsuit Aces, however I worry calling it a deckbuilder may provide the mistaken impression. The sport’s strategic battles are performed with a deck of playing cards, every representing a distinct member of its mech-piloting crew, however these conflicts are much less about getting mired within the mechanical complexities of particular person playing cards than they’re fixing a puzzle with a randomized set of instruments. Every card pulls from a distinct set of coloured energies that replenish every flip to unleash assaults on the opposing group, and so they all have totally different assault patterns on the sport’s 5v5 subject. So card placement on the board is simply as vital as your deck composition, and will be the distinction between gaining the higher hand in a match or being outplayed.
Firepower isn’t sufficient to win each time, although, and that’s the place secondary results and synergy come into play. Every pilot has further perks, corresponding to how Felix, the carefree white-haired hottie whom I’ve been lusting after my entire playthrough, is ready to unleash a extra highly effective assault after his teammates destroy a sure variety of enemy models. Yan’s mech is ready to pierce by enemies, that means it will probably fireplace a beam by an opposing card whereas additionally immediately hitting their ship, which has similarities to attacking your foe’s Life Factors immediately in a recreation of Yu-Gi-Oh. In case you can destroy an enemy ship, you robotically win a duel. You don’t want a piercing capability to do it, as leaving any of the 5 areas on the sector empty leaves you and your enemies weak to a direct assault. So, having models that may assault a number of areas or actually reap the benefits of a gap is a fairly dependable technique, however most of the time, your foes could have extra cannon fodder to place between your crew and their ship.
At first, I didn’t fairly see the depth of Battle Swimsuit Aces till I began taking part in round within the simulations on my ship that might give me just a few playing cards and problem me with one thing like profitable the battle it arrange in a single flip. These usually required me to reap the benefits of passive perks so as to set off a sequence of assaults that relied on exact positioning and an order of operations to activate. I may learn the cardboard descriptions, corresponding to the reason of Daciana’s passive capability to proc a free assault each time one among her allies destroyed an enemy, however seeing the playing cards in motion is what made the sport click on for me. These performs are why I’m extra inclined to explain Battle Swimsuit Aces as a turn-based technique recreation somewhat than a deck builder, since you solely have a handful of models, and the sport doesn’t make you create decks of dozens of playing cards with a ton of trivia to memorize. When you see a number of these characters taking part in off one another on the sector, these bespoke mechanics naturally weave themselves into your methods with out the sport changing into too overwhelming.
Within the 5 or so hours I’ve put into Battle Swimsuit Aces thus far, the sport has fairly gently eased me into its entire deal, and the straightforward however satisfying card battles are just one slice of it. These playing cards have names and faces, and the crew you’ll recruit into your deck is a giant purpose the sport is so breezy. Battle Swimsuit Aces stars Heathcliff, the captain of a starcraft referred to as the USS Zephyr. In his spaceflight adventures, he and his crew meet a number of different mech pilots who’re all usually recreation to affix their trigger as they examine historic cosmic secrets and techniques. Recruiting these characters will get you a brand new card on your deck, however it additionally places one other misfit in your ship. They chat with you, but additionally with one another, so there’s a continuing sense of camaraderie and neighborhood between the group. To date, everybody’s fairly likable, and I’m to see their relationships develop not solely with me because the participant, however with one another, as effectively.
These relationships are elevated by Battle Swimsuit Aces’ unbelievable character artwork and best-in-class voice performing. The anime-inspired artwork model appears straight out of basic mech anime like Gundam and Evangelion, although its chipper tone helps differentiate it from the latter. Everyone seems to be sizzling and sporting a plug swimsuit, so there’s one thing for everybody right here. The sport is filled with memorable performances from some gifted voice performing veterans, and I’ve actually loved listening to their interactions between duels, which assist give the entire thing an genuine basic anime really feel.
Battle Swimsuit Aces has loads to supply with out ever getting too within the weeds that it turns into overwhelming. Very similar to Battle Chef Brigade, it manages to hit the candy spot between tactical and approachable with out ever veering too far into one or the opposite. Its talent expression is huge, its characters are straightforward to like, and it marries either side of its world in a manner that retains me taking part in for only one extra match. I’m wanting ahead to seeing the place the USS Zephyr’s crew takes me as our journey by area continues.
