If you like giant robots (I’m told everyone does) and fighting games you’ll want to keep an eye on Iron Saga VS. As a spinoff of the mobile game Iron Saga, the game combines its own original robots alongside guest appearances by super robot royalty like Mazinger Z and Dancouga into a 1v1 fighting game experience.
I got to try the game out at EVO Japan this year, and to my surprise the game was less hyper-anime-nonsense than I expected. Instead, the game plays more like a Street Fighter game- being a bit slower in pace and relying heavily on knowing the tools given to you.
That’s not to say the game doesn’t have sick combos- but instead you can get a sense that the game is at its best when you realize the breadth of tools it gives you. Something as simple as changing up the strength of your attacks to vary your approach is very strong in this game- and similarly guessing wrong on your opponent’s is equally sure to put you in a pickle.
Kick Your Arsenal In Iron Saga Vs
One of the biggest ways Iron Saga VS does this is with the ability to select one of two Arsenal moves for your character. These can have a pretty big effect on your gameplan- I played the Iron Saga character Kaguya, who was the rushdown mixup equivalent for the game. For her, her Arsenal was between two options- a special move as well as the ability to change her jump timing by hovering in the air.
It’s not just the one button though- the Arsenal Button will also change which specials you have associated with it. It’s a really fun mechanic that helps players more cleanly define their playstyles. As someone who loves a good mix, the hover was a great addition to Kaguya’s kit- though its alternative adds another damaging move into players arsenals as well.
Combine that with the game’s focus on different strengths for each moves and you get a pretty fun, fundamentals-heavy game with a great assortment of guest characters. Having played the Iron Saga mobile game, there’s a lot of guest characters I’d love to see find their way here- god knows if we got the fighting game debut of Gurren Lagann in Iron Saga VS I’d pierce the heavens myself.
It’s the kind of game I hope gets a passionate following- because if there’s one thing I know about super robot fans is they’d love the idea of being able to pit their favorite machines against each other.
I should point out that the game’s doing a good job of keeping characters feeling unique- just last weekend they announced Getter Robo, who sports three whole forms to knowledge-check your opponents with. Meanwhile, characters like Great Mazinger have a separate sword bar, being able to set it down for different situations.
The Joy Of Giant Robot Fighting
All in all, I really hope Iron Saga VS succeeds at what its aiming for. While none of it is massively revolutionary, its gameplay seems targeted at the same kinds of people its roster is- older fans with a love for nostalgia. While a lot of its designs can be compared to classic Street Fighter games it also leverages its mecha branding to do some interestingly cool stuff.
Iron Saga VS is set to release some time in 2024 on Steam, and will even feature rollback netcode for all those netplay brackets it’ll inevitably attract. It really gives off the vibe of a game that’s going to have a smaller, more passionate fanbase- and I can’t think of a more fitting way to launch a super robot fighting game.
