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Review: LBX: Little Battlers eXperience

The latest from Level-5, LBX: Little Battlers eXperience, is a robust little RPG based off yet another anime about kids and their collectibles. This time around, the objects of our affection are robots; machines that, as the title suggests, are set upon one another for entertainment and sport.

The LBX are available-at-retail, Gundam-like robots that take Robot Wars to another level altogether. You play as Van Yamato, a child who stumbles upon a top-secret LBX, and therefore, a twisted plot in which he’s tasked to save the world. Or something. In any case, gameplay is accompanied by some colourful cutscenes that match the overall style of the 3DS title.

RPG(-like) elements include traversing around the city of Tokio, building your party and skills with random encounters and mini-dungeons. You’re also able to tackle specific side-quests and, of course, challenge other LBX owners to fights with their robotic pals.

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Battles make up a majority of gameplay, and are weird and wonderful as all hell. Taking place in a fortified cardboard box, battles can be 1v1 or 3v3. There are also ‘best of 5’ matches requiring you to take three victories away for the big win. Combat is in real-time and quite frenzied, with weapons like machine guns and swords making things all the more chaotic.

In combat, the Tension Gauge is key. You’re required to manage it at all times; though it replenishes, any movement of value – including attacks, dashes or jumps – will cause its meter to go down. Though battles are fast-paced and flashy, you really need to avoid button-mashing or you’ll end up on the losing side of a match. Strategy is important; knowing when to strike and when to defend can be make-or-break at times. Truly, such depth in combat wasn’t something I was expecting from a child-focused title.

While no online multiplayer is offered up, the game does support local, ranked matches… but of course, that requires a local install base wherever you happen to be. Which, at the time of writing, there really was not.

LBX also features a bunch of customisation options, centring ‘round your robot collection. Upgradable items include weapons, parts and accessories. Certain items will affect the attributes of your robot, so again, strategy needs to be applied to create a combination that suits your methods.

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Despite offering up a game far less shallow than I had expected, LBX isn’t without its faults. After jumping, your robot does a bit of a timeout move when landing, opening itself up to all manner of abuse. Moreover, I encountered a lot of issues when trying to move and fire a gun; I opted wherever possible to go the ol’ school Resident Evil tank shoot instead. Finally, menu UI is a bit clunky; you’re going to find yourself in post-match menus for ages, healing and re-stocking your team after each battle.

All up, LBX: Little Battlers eXperience is a great little title for those of you who enjoy bite-sized RPG titles meant to be played on the go. Obviously, fans of the franchise will appreciate this offering more than most, but there’s still enough to warrant a purchase if you’re looking for something in the vein of Pokémon – or even Inazuma Eleven. But, you know, with robots and stuff.

LBX is available in Australia tomorrow, Saturday 5 September, on 3DS.

LBX: Little Battlers eXperience was reviewed using a promotional code on 3DS, as provided by the publisher.

 

Review: LBX: Little Battlers eXperience
6.5 out of 10

The good

  • Colourful and charming.
  • Combat is actually quite deep, fast-paced and strategic.

The bad

  • Clumsy UI.
  • Wonky jump and run-and-gun mechanics.

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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.