Alice Gear Aegis CS: Concerto of Simulatrix – PS5 Review

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Welcome to the long-named anime-styled arena fighting game Alice Gear Aegis CS: Concerto of Simulatrix. Created by Pyramid and published by PQube. Released on March 16th of this year and currently available to play on PlayStation and Switch for £24.99 with an additional costume pack for £7.99.

Let the show begin!

I thought I would take another go with a visual novel-styled game, and Alice Gear was what I picked. The synopsis looked good and said, “Vice has taken your world and only you can take it back! As an actress with an aptitude for wielding this special gear, you train under AEGiS”. Wielding highly advanced weaponry seemed interesting, and this game’s selection looked good. I’m hoping that you build bonds with your team to fight the oncoming Vice enemies.

Gameplay

In the beginning, players get told about Alice Gear’s story. It explains that after escaping The Vice and having three years of peace. Players are to take the role of captain of the I.A.A. (Informal. Actress. Alliance). Once the intro has ended, you will meet three girls; Fumika, Sitara, and Yotsuyu. Who, in their own way, will tell you that the CS system is a simulated battle tournament. Players can select from one of the twenty-two Actress available and playthrough each story.

A grid of characters with various hair colours and on the right is a preview of the current character selected.
A list of the available Actress in the game.

Players get shown the bio of the Actress, which lists their interests and hobbies before proceeding with their story. How each story plays out is similar to the Tekken franchise, players see the individual stories throughout the game. Yotsuyu wants to get stronger so as not to fall behind and become a burden on her teammates. Rin is a sporty, go-lucky girl who prefers fierce competition and loves food. Each Actress goes through four cutscenes, one at the start and end and three before each battle.

A girl with blue hair. Wearing a buttoned shirt with blue strip going down and glasses. Right side is the bio to the character listing like/dislikes and blood type.
Get to know your character.

The Battle Hex

Each character has a unique Battle Hex grid players can select a tile and fight through. There are symbols scattered which have various meanings. Flame, lightning bolt, snowflake, and gravity symbols show that the enemy will use the respected element. Chests will hold cosmetic outfits for the currently played actress. If players already have the cosmetic, it will be converted automatically into gold. Landing on the orange and blue tile with three people on it will trigger a story fight. Black spiralled tiles will warp players to the area that a purple arrow is pointing to, with blue dots showing what tiles have yet to be visited.

A hexagonal grid with various symbols, some are ticked and one is highlighted blue
The battle hex comes in different shapes.

What gear is available?

Actresses have unique gear and weapons they can equip. Some are only useable on a specific character. Equipment comes in four types; T-Gear, L-Gear, Firearms, and Clash. T-Gear and L-Gear are high-tech battle armaments that give actress support attacks during combat. They can fire beams of energy or give add moment for dodging enemy projectiles. Clash weapons are melee weapons players will use at a close range (which will be a lot).

A list of weapons with one highlighted in blue, on the right is a text box showing the weapon type. element and stats.
Different weapons for various play styles.

The choices for melee have different stats, with hammers being the slowest but offering more damage to a sword and shield that provides quicker attacks and additional defence. When using firearms, players can charge them up to deal devastating damage or to get the edge in battle. Charging up a Rocket Launcher will shoot three projectiles & SMG will fire a giant bullet. There is no ammo in the game. Instead, guns will have to recharge for a few seconds. Actresses can use three skill modules that amplify specific gear, and others will help strengthen the player’s shield.

Players can change the colour of their gear to fit the Actress’s aesthetic or create their own. Equipment belonging to a specific character in the story cannot change colour. All actresses are customizable with various outfits and accessories. Cosmetics, skill mods, and gear can be purchased at the store when selecting the customization menu.

Three girls suited with high tech weaponry posing in a ruined building.
Actresses take the stage!

What’s the combat?

Fights come in either teams of three or one on one. In team battles, only one Actress is out at a time but can switch to another character when needed, similar to other fighting games like Marvel Vs Capcom. If a fighter passes out, the next one will spawn a couple second later. Players fly around a circular arena that occasionally has debris scattered around for cover. The match ends when one team’s fighters are all defeated or the timer hits zero.

wrecked building below. two fighters one is being targetted, several portraits with health bars are shown.
fight amongst ruined cities.

All gear has a cooldown apart from melee weapons. Players can use a shield to stop themselves from being stunned and ower damage. A boost gauge lets players dodge oncoming attacks and boss towards the enemy. After striking or taking damage, three bars will start to fill, called SP. One bar will allow an ally to come in and provide a support attack. Using two bars make the Actress perform a devasting combo attack, and using all three launches the Actress’s ultimate move.

Mid combat the enemy has put up their shield to defend themselves. the hud around displays the health and a timer can be seen above.
Can’t defend forever.

Graphics & Audio

The anime style is simple but good. All actresses look great, and the animation for cutscene models runs smoothly. Environments are empty and plain at times. There’s very little detail in most of the arenas. There were very few that stood out. The best one was set at night in the city, with a stone garden and cherry blossoms in the background. Besides that, most were plain colours, with some having minor details like trees dotted around. One such level was a bunch of blue hexagons and nothing else, which got tiring on the eyes after a while.

an empty field of grass with a couple large rocks scattered. a ruined building are in the background. Fighter can be seen in the distant with low health.
Not a lot in terms of environmental decoration.

All voices are in Japanese no option for an English voiceover is available. The cast does a great job of expressing the emotions of the characters. Nothing stands out with Alice Gear’s music.

Longevity

Each Actress’s story can take roughly forty-five minutes with cutscenes and thirty without. You can replay the same character to clear any tiles you missed on the Battle Hex. There is an online mode for versing other players, but this had no life when I tried it.

Three Actresses standing side by side. A text box is below displaying the dialogue of a character.
3-D models are used in cutscenes.

Final Thoughts

Alice Gear Aegis CS: Concerto of Simulatrix looks and plays like it would be better suited to be a mobile game. There is nothing for players to unlock through progression. The gold earned is only for outfits in the game. The weapons aren’t upgradable in Aegis. The game’s synopsis led me to believe I would be repelling the vice threat, not repeating a tournament with different characters like Tekken. Levelling is pointless as it doesn’t affect stats, and players don’t get anything worthwhile. After finishing one character, I felt like I had experienced all the game had to offer.

The combat is fun, but not something players could do for hours on end with no good rewards. I give Alice Gear Aegis CS: Concerto of Simulatrix the Thumb Culture Bronze Award.

Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.

 

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