Super Robot Wars V is the most recent entry in the long-running tactical RPG series. It is currently available on PS4 and PS Vita. For players not familiar with the series, Super Robot Wars V is an excellent starting point to get to know the series, which has been around since 1991. Here are four reasons why this is the case:

An English version is available

Super Robot Wars V is the first series entry to be fully translated into English - excluding the Original Generation spinoffs, which only feature original characters (not hailing from anime shows). Obviously, this opens up the game to a lot of newcomers and to those who have been staying away from the main series because of the language barrier.

The English texts mean that players will be able to understand the story. This is important for newcomers because it will show them one of the things that makes the Super Robot Wars series special: interactions between characters from different shows. In Super Robot Wars V, the developer did an excellent job balancing all the dialogues. Not an easy thing to do in a game with more than 100 playable and non-playable characters.

The English version, which is only available in Region 3 (Asia), also makes all the menus, options, and commands a LOT easier to navigate. Before this, veterans had to consult with websites like Akurasu.net for help on understanding the Japanese menus, skills, attributes, commands, and parts. Not everyone has the patience to regularly open up a browser to double-check things. So the English version really helps in making the series as beginner-friendly as possible to newcomers.

Series roster is relatively small

Veterans might scoff at Super Robot Wars V for featuring a "small" number of series, especially after the Super Robot Wars Z series spoiled everyone with ridiculously large rosters. But for new players, the relatively small roster in Super Robot Wars V is actually beneficial. No, seriously.

It prevents them from getting overwhelmed with the sheer number of units. They can easily identify the main characters in each featured show, who are typically the heavy-hitters and most powerful. Story-wise, the modest roster makes it a bit easier for players to keep track of everyone who pops up during conversations.

Fans of the Gundam series will definitely love Super Robot Wars V. The series is well-represented in this game, with Gundam 00, Gundam SEED Destiny, and a healthy number of Universal Century entries such as ZZ Gundam, Gundam Unicorn, Crossbone Gundam, and Hathaway's Flash included on the roster. Players can actually go through the game two or three times using only different sets of Gundam units.

Another reason why the modest roster is favorable to newcomers: less dialogue to read. More featured shows mean more characters to feed with dialogues, which can translate into excessively long conversations in-between stages. The highlight in the Super Robot Wars series is seeing mechas from different shows in action. So it helps that the modest roster count makes intermissions faster to go through.

New gameplay mechanic is easy to grasp

Super Robot Wars V introduces yet another new gameplay mechanic. It comes in the form of the Tactical (TAC) Points System. Throughout the game, players earn TAC Points by defeating enemies and by fulfilling specific actions during stages such as having a specific character attack a certain boss unit. TAC Points are counted as global points. Meaning, pilots don't earn them individually - they are shared by everyone.

Using TAC Points, players can unlock skills on the skill tree, which is also shared by all pilots. Once unlocked, skills can then be individually purchased by each pilot using the shared TAC Points. TAC Points can also be used to buy overpowered mech parts and special bonuses. The TAC Points System is very straightforward and works similar to skill trees in RPGs. This allows new players to easily grasp the system.

Difficulty is basically non-existent

The gameplay of the Super Robot Wars series centers on strategy and tactics. It requires players to be well prepared before each stage and make adjustments on-the-fly when situations call for it. But most of the games simply range from easy to medium in terms of difficulty, with only a select few capable of providing a real challenge, which includes Super Robot Wars F Final and Super Robot Wars A Portable.

The last few games have been a walk in the park, with most of the challenges centered on simply clearing stages or defeating a specific enemy in a specified number of turns. This trend continues in Super Robot Wars V. In fact, it is seen by many as perhaps the easiest game in the entire series, which is really saying something. Players can easily breeze through the game using less than 10 units. Heck, some of the latter stages can be cleared using just two or three units.

This lack of difficulty in Super Robot Wars V is nothing but good news for series newcomers, especially those who are also new to the tactical RPG genre. It allows newbies to go through the game without experiencing heavy doses of frustration. The game even has a Beginner Mode, which provides players with extra resources to help them easily customize pilots and units.

In Normal Mode, newbies can opt to stay in Easy Mode by ignoring SR Points entirely. This makes the game ridiculously easy, with less powerful supporting units capable of wreaking havoc on the battlefield with minimal upgrades. Once new players get the hand of the entire gameplay, they can try beating the game in Hard Mode by consistently shooting for SR Points.

But even in the hardest difficulty, Super Robot Wars V poses little challenge. Especially with the abundance of overpowered parts available, such as the Hyper Generator, which completely refills all EN at the start of every Ally Phase, and the Spiral Effector, which boosts weapon damage AND grants all weapons with Barrier Pierce and Ignore Size attributes, further boosting the total damage.

Ready to dive into the world of Super Robot Wars? Grab Super Robot Wars V now while there are still Day One editions, which contain bonuses, available in the market!

(Screenshots via ZengarZanvolt / YouTube)