WarTech - Senko no Ronde (2007) Xbox 360 | Game Review

Senko no Ronde (WarTech) is undoubtedly one of the more refreshing games on Xbox 360. But, unfortunately, the title is far from being free of flaws.

First of all, let's notice the menus' composition that proposes you launch into the solo adventure by playing one of the many characters, trying the Time Attack mode, looking at the unlocked artworks. But, of course, the main interest lies in the game's single-player mode, which will be a pleasant appetizer before launching into fierce duels against other shoot them up to fans.

The single-player adventure takes you through seven levels, each of which is made up of a single enemy that you must defeat to advance to the next level. After a certain point, you will finally be able to fight something other than a duelist by attacking a real flying fortress, rather formidable at first sight. Still, once you have memorized the technique, you will be easily defeated. So much for the basics. Now let's move on to the gameplay itself, which consists of three main elements. First of all, there are hand-to-hand fights that are only accessible once you have gotten close enough to your opponent and generally allow you to remove a good part of your enemy's life bar. Then there are the different types of ranged shooting that range from simple strafing to sending rockets and the creation of small ships that will come and assist you or teleportation. So many different ways to play that usually go hand in hand with a single character. Of course, the player can also take advantage of good defence by creating a shield that will protect him or her or by doing a dash on the side to avoid the enemy's blow. Finally, it is possible to activate the B.O.S.S. mode, which will turn you into a real flying fortress while you take away a good part of your opponent's energy with missiles and explosive pellets. A particularly addictive game mode since, for once, the advantage is in your hands. Of course, the opponent can also switch to this mode whenever he wants, which is why it's essential to measure your effort and take advantage of this battle mode by switching it on at the right moment.

A rather lovely cocktail of genres that has the merit of bringing a little variety to our game library, even if the whole thing quickly turns out to be limited. Apart from these famous duels, there is nothing to be found, not even another more classic game mode where you could face dozens of enemies in linear levels or a more original mode to use your aerial balancing skills. It is a somewhat mixed report for a game full of good ideas that hardly manages to practice. Apart from this lack of depth, G.Rev's game is criticized for its sluggish fights, its minimal lifespan for the average player (completed in barely 20 minutes with one character). However, it is still a decent fighting game.

The technical weaknesses of Wartech are noticeable in many points. First of all, there are the sketchy models, especially the robots, which are made up of only a few hundred polygons and the scenery, which is far from reaching the highest levels of detail. However, despite this lack of depth, G.Rev's title even allows itself a few rare slowdowns during large-scale battles, which is a shame for a technically lagging game!

Suppose the graphics are already relatively disappointing. Then, it's hard to immerse yourself in the futuristic universe of this Senko no Ronde, which has very few arguments in its favour.

In the end, Wartech: Senko no Ronde is not the surprise we were all expecting. If the concept is rather catchy and the good ideas are numerous, we will regret the limited life span of the game and its simplistic graphics. It's a pity because there was potential, and the mix of genres was a rather innovative idea.