Well, last time was the heartrending tune Beyond Memories. A song that plays when the protagonist team is reeling from a terrible loss. So I say that this time we turn things on their head. No matter what losses they may face, heroes have to see things through to the end. And what can help more with that than something that gets into your blood and sends it scorching in your veins?

Day 19: Music that brings out your hot-blooded spirit – Back Alley Space Boy (Dai-Guard) (Super Robot Wars Z2.2)

You know a song is good when you find yourself doing something in time with the rhythm. Tapping fingers, bobbing heads, humming, whatever suits your fancy. And there are many that get you pumped up for a fight. You hear it and you feel that no eldritch amalgamation of negative emotions can hope to stand against you. (Even when Potential L9 and HP Regen L say otherwise, but that’s neither here nor there.)

Well, today’s pick is one that will get your blood pumping no matter what you’re doing, whether that’s defending the innocent from monsters in a giant mech or filling out insurance and damage claims. I’m talking about Back Alley Space Boy from Dai-Guard, and while it technically debuted in the first Z2 game, I already used that earlier, so it’s Z2.2 Saisei-hen (World Regeneration Chapter) for this entry.

Dai-Guard’s titular robot was designed in response to an attack by a monster called a Heterodyne. However, in the years that followed that attack, no further sightings of Heterodyne occurred. As a result, Dai-Guard has been relegated to being the mascot of the company that built it, the 21st Century Defense Security Corporation.

However, the Heterodynes eventually do return, so Dai-Guard is “commandeered” by a CDSC salaryman, Agaki Shunsuke, and with the help of fellow employees Ibuki Momoi and Keiichiro Aoyama, they manage to defeat the monster. Thus begins the threesome’s goal of defeating the Heterodyne’s while dealing with the mountain of paperwork that come from both that and their day jobs.

At first you might think that Dai-Guard looks like a “run-of-the-mill Super Robot”. But when you see it in action, you realize…that it’s a highly obtuse Real Robot. It needs scaffolding and wires to be assembled, it’s version of the Super Robot Rocket Punch is to tear off it’s own arm and throw it, and it’s drill arm attachment throws the mech completely off balance.

I’ll admit, I didn’t think too much of Dai-Guard when I first saw it. But then I heard this theme, and I was floored. I wondered, why so rockin’ a song for such a seemingly un-notable mech? So I did some research, and it turns out that what Dai-Guard lacks in any kind of otherworldly power, it makes up for…WITH GUTS!!!

Dai-Guard has a lot going against it, but no matter what, it’s pilots manage to make the best out of any bad situation and come out on top. Dai-Guard is an underdog Real Robot who manages to cut it as a venerable Super Robot. And let me tell you, I tend to have a soft spot for underdogs. And this theme…oh, man this theme. I tend to catch myself shadowboxing after listening to it long enough. Dai-Guard is high on my list of series that I want to see in a new Super Robot Wars game, and I hope that if it wasn’t on yours, it is now.

Well, we’ve covered sadness, energizing…what’s next? Well, I might have talked about a couple of songs that make you realize you’re up against a truly great threat, but how about one specifically picked to instill fear and dread in you? Sound good? Well, that’s what we’re looking at regardless. And I’ll drop a hint to say that it’s actually a song that isn’t from a mecha anime, manga, or anything like that. See just what I have in store next time.

All right, everyone say it with me…

WITH GUTS!!!

Our last entry was a song from a game that I would have put in a list of “Bad Video Games with Really Great Soundtracks”. Maybe not on the level of Sonic 06, but then again, what is? And this time, the song of choice is one that’s well made and does a good job of setting the mood for when it’s played. And that’s twisting a knife in your gut and bringing a tear to your eye.

I should also mention that this entry will contain SPOILERS!!! for a key moment in Super Robot Wars Original Generation 2. So if you haven’t beaten that game yet, you may want to skip this one. Otherwise, you probably already know what I’m talking about.

Day 18: Music that pulls at your heartstrings – Beyond Memories (SRW Original Generation 2)

The goal of many a video game music track is to aid in further investing the player’s emotions in the story. And there are many tracks that do the job to extreme efficacy. I won’t lie, I can usually hold my own in emotional scenes, but there are plenty of times where I felt my heart sink and my eyes tear up. There was even once where I outright cried, at the end of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The raw emotions of the scene combined with the powerful vocals of Why just…broke me.

And Super Robot Wars has what I would call a close second. A very close second, mind you. While the audio quality of OG2 isn’t as good as it’s prequel due to more songs being put in the same amount of memory, that doesn’t detract from the pieces themselves. And Beyond Memories is a song that will give you an emotional wring-out whenever it plays.

Two moments in the story stand out to me, at the climax of Operation Plantagenet and the end of the battle within the Earth Cradle. Those who know the story know what I mean. But of the two, I’d say the emotional knife got twisted a bit further was the former incident.

Operation Plantagenet was a joint operation between the Earth Federation Forces and the remnants of the Divine Crusaders, the Neo DC. Formerly enemies, the two armies arrived at an armistice to fight against a common foe, aliens who call themselves the Inspectors. The goal of this operation was to drive the Inspectors out of their last stronghold on Earth and back into space. And in spite of a coup that took place in the Earth’s government and the military, the crews of the Hagane and Hiryu Custom managed to liberate an important research lab as part of the operation.

But in the final phase of the operation, things go completely sideways. A combination of traitors from within the Neo DC and surprise reinforcements from a rouge force that allied themselves with the aliens inflict critical damage on our heroes, with the Hagane taking a shot directly to her bridge and propulsion systems. Her Captain, Daitetsu Minase, has no other choice than to call a retreat, but with enemies everywhere, it doesn’t look like all of the mech pilots will make it.

Then mysterious creatures known as the Einst appear and attack the Inspectors and their allies. Adding to this, the Neo DC commander rams his ship into the commanding alien mechs, sacrificing himself just long enough for the Hagane, Hiryu Custom, and all of the mech pilots to escape.

After they’re clear from the battlefield, the Hagane’s XO, Tetsuya Onodera, asks Daitetsu what his next orders are…but there aren’t any, nor will there ever be. Despite rallying his crew and the mech pilots in the critical moment of the fight, Captain Daitetsu’s wounds from when the Hagane was attacked were fatal. While the ship was speeding away to safety, he succumbed to them and passed.

Operation Plantagenet technically succeeded in it’s original goal, to drive the Inspectors back into outer space. But that came at the cost of many lives, including one of the bravest men in the entire OG series.

Captain Daitetsu was an excellent commander who truly cared for every man and woman serving under him. And the fact that he survived the previous game’s events left me completely unprepared for what happened. Combine that with Beyond Memories playing in the aftermath of the battle and during his funeral, and…jeez.

And I’ll be ending things on that note. After this, I think our next entry needs to be something that gets your blood pumping. See you there.

Live your way out…aye-aye, Captain…

Y’know, I bet I could’ve filled all 30 of the days in this challenge with songs that would fit yesterday’s criteria. That being a music track that has been AWOL for far too long. And out of all of them, G Gundam’s Flying in the Sky was my personal choice. And today, we’ve got a category that’s a bit of a downer.

Day 17: Track from a game you don’t like – Awakening of Flame (Masoukishin III)

We’ve all played games that have disappointed on the gameplay front. Some of those are so bad that we would never play them again without some sort of bribery. Or unless you have a weird attachment to that game because it’s so bad. (Not that I would know anything about that…)

But even the worst of games can have redeeming qualities. And I’ve most often noticed that, at least for the games I’ve played, that would be a jammin’ soundtrack. And yes, I don’t like every game I’ve played in Super Robot Wars. In fact, I probably wouldn’t play the game I picked for today’s entry again unless it was to record gameplay or gather data for a translation or guide.

My full reasons for disliking the third game in the Masoukishin sub-series, I’ll save for a proper review. But yeah, while not a good game, the added several new tracks for many of the playable cast. And it’s in this game that the other three Masoukishin unlock their ability to increase their power by entering Possession. Every Masoukishin also has a new battle theme for when they’re in Possession. And while they’re all good pieces, my standout favorite is the one used for Granveil, Awakening of Flame.

Lured into a trap and confronting a large force of enemies, Granveil’s Herald Huang Yang Long decides that the only chance he has is to activate Granveil’s Possession. Alas, he is unable to fully enter Possession and is left completely vulnerable. However, one of his allies arrives in time to shield him from an enemy’s attack.

With some words of encouragement, Yang Long is able to pull though and fully activate Possession. And Awakening of Flame is the mot juste for this event. Granveil gets a wicked new look, and then Yang Long proceeds to trash the enemy with his new attack Seiden Hikaze Seiunken. Go look up a video of Granveil’s Possession event. It’s like the song was composed to fit both the event and to be used later as BGM. (That’s Background Music, FYI.)

Hmm, with the focus being on the music instead of the gameplay, that wasn’t really a downer at all, was it? Well, I can guarantee that the next entry, while good, WILL in fact be a downer. And that’s a good thing, because it’s supposed to evoke that emotion when the player hears it in a game. Have a box of tissues on stand-by, and I’ll see you then.

Our last music piece was from a handheld title, the criminally underused Daybreak’s Bell from Mobile Suit Gundam 00. And we’re launching into the second half of the challenge with the idea of ‘criminally underused’ in mind.

Day 16: Track that you want to hear a new remix of – Flying in the Sky (Mobile Fighter G Gundam) (Super Robot Wars R)

Whether due to licensing issues, infrequent series appearances, or some other third thing, certain songs just don’t appear as often as we wish. And believe me, I have no shortage of options to pick from. Heck, any of the licensed track that have appeared in previous entries could have fit here. But to me, there’s no track that I’d like to see in the spotlight again more than Flying in the Sky. It’s the first opening theme to Mobile Fighter G Gundam, and the last time it appeared in SRW was in Super Robot Wars R on the GBA.

Of all the Gundam series, G Gundam is the one that straddles the line between Super and Real robots the most. G Gundam taking place in an alternate Earth where much of humanity is now living in space colonies, with each colony representing one of the countries on the Earth. In order to avoid going to war with one another, these colonies instead hold a Gundam Fight tournament every four years. The country who’s fighter is the last one standing gets to rule over the others until the next tournament.

However, these fights use the Earth itself as the ring, and this has lead to widespread destruction all around the planet. Dr. Raizo Kasshu, a scientist who lives in the Neo Japan space colony, creates a Mobile Fighter known as the Ultimate Gundam. Using regenerative nanomachines, he hopes to use it to restore the Earth’s ecosystem.

Unfortunately, the Ultimate Gundam is stolen and Dr. Kasshu is imprisoner on false charges. Domon Kasshu, the younger son of Raizo, then becomes Neo Japan’s Gundam Fighter for the 13th Gundam Fight. His goal is not only to win the fight, but to track down the Ultimate Gundam and recover it from the person who stole it; none other than his own elder brother Kyoji Kasshu.

Now, G Gundam isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The first spin-off Gundam series, it has none of the overtones and themes of the original Gundam series. It’s far more akin to Dragon Ball Z, having elaborate energy attacks, borderline-stereotyped mech designs (Neo Holland’s Gundam literally looks like a windmill) and a heaping helping of yelling.

But to be perfectly honest, I love it! It was my first Gundam series, and it still remains my favorite! What G Gundam does right, it does really well. The action is great, the characters are deep, and while there’s no massive war going on, the stakes are still high enough to reel you in to the story.

After a six-year hiatus, G Gundam made a return in Super Robot Wars T, complete with a new arrangement of it’s second OP, Trust You Forever. And I’ll say up front, I do really like that song, and the T version of it is musical gold. But…potentially hot take here…I like Flying in the Sky better. There I said it, and I’ll stand by my opinion.

I think I just jive with the allegro tempo that Flying in the Sky has over Trust You Forever’s more andante speed. And don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy listening to R’s chiptune mix of this track. But man, if G Gundam appears in SRW again, I would be over the moon to hear a modern take on Flying in the Sky.

So, which of G Gundam’s OPs do you prefer? Like them both the same? Have any musical hot takes of your own? Any time you want to share your thoughts, leave a comment. That’s what the comment section is there for. And be sure to join me next time, where I pick a song from a game that I actually don’t enjoy playing.

LOOK, THE EAST IS BURNING RED!!!

Halfway through the challenge already? Time sure does fly when you’re listening to some good music. Music like our last pick, Getter Robo’s OP as heard way back in the 8-bit days of the NES. And also music like today’s pick, a track from a handheld-exclusive title.

Day 15: Track from a handheld game – Daybreak’s Bell (Mobile Suit Gundam 00) (Super Robot Wars Z2 – Hakai-Hen)

I could go into a long-winded rant about the differences between home and handheld video game music, but I’ve already done that somewhat back on Day 14. Sometimes, yes, sound quality did suffer when console games were ported to handheld systems. Final Fantasy 6’s Dancing Mad and Sonic the Hedgehog’s entire soundtrack just don’t sound right on the GBA.

Yet at the same time, that’s the same console on which we got Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, Fire Emblem, Golden Sun and so much more. Bottom line; sometimes the less powerful hardware does get in the way, but it doesn’t outright prevent good music from being made.

Anyway, I’m not here to lecture you. I’m here to rant about a song that’s from one of Super Robot Wars’ handheld exclusive titles. And this is somewhat easier than it would be for other series. Until recently each SRW game has appeared on only one console. Sometimes you would get re-releases or compilation games, but those usually go farther than simple ports. Today’s music piece, Daybreak’s Bell, is from Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and is heard in the second game in the Z sub-series, Hakai-Hen (World Destruction Chapter) on the PSP.

Gundam 00 takes place in a world where the energy resources are tightly controlled by three multinational power blocs. As a result, the minor countries around the world are in a constant state of warfare and poverty. All this changes when a paramilitary organization called Celestial Being reveals themselves to the world, claiming their goal to be the total eradication of war.

To that end, Celestial Being primarily uses high-powered humanoid weapons called Gundams to intervene in any ongoing armed conflicts. However, their use of armed conflict to end armed conflict strikes even those within the organization as contradictory and morally questionable.

Daybreak’s Bell is the OP for the first part of the first season of 00, and it also plays during the final couple of episodes. While it might seem rather low-key at first, as it breaks into the chorus, the powerful undertones become that much more pronounced. Like many other OPs, it does a great job of setting the stage for the anime that you’re about to watch. It’s you and your allies against the world; go out there and get the job done.

It’s a real shame that the first season of 00 has only been covered in one game in the entire SRW series, ’cause they do this song perfect justice, replacing the vocals with an electric guitar, and adding what I believe are strings to the overall composition. Hopefully whenever we get another sub-series of games, 00’s first season will be given another chance to headline.

And on the topic of songs that I want to hear again in SRW, that’s exactly what we’ll be highlighting in the next episode. A song that hasn’t been used in a long time that I want to see a modern edition of. See you then!

My wish is over their airspace…

Our twelfth foray into the many, many music tracks of Super Robot Wars was our first entry that was from a licensed property. And one that has so far only appeared once in the SRW series. That particular music track was HEROMAN’s OP, Roulette, as heard in SRW UX. And we’re once again returning to the original music tracks with our thirteenth foray.

Day 13: Orchestral Version of a Main Theme – Rocks (Ver. OG) (SRW Original Generation Gaiden)

My first encounter with the idea of using an orchestral composition of the main theme of a video game for the final boss encounter was all the way back in 2008 with Sonic Unleashed. And while nowadays you’ll find the main themes themselves being used for final bosses in Super Robot Wars, back on the PS2 it was the same modus operandi.

Depending on the sub-series, these songs would be titled Version Alpha, Version Z, or Version OG. If you remember, our entry for Day 7 was indeed the Ver. Alpha of GONG, Alpha 3’s main theme. The thing is, when SRW Original Generations, the compilation/remake of OG1 and OG2, there actually wasn’t a Ver. OG of that game’s main theme, Rocks.

Instead, we had remixes of Alpha Gaiden’s OP, Advance’s Main Theme, Compact 2’s Main Theme, Impact’s OP and ED, and even the OP for a three-episode Super Robot Wars OVA. Yeah, that’s a lot of orchestral power packed into the final boss of OG1 and the last few stages of OG2. But we didn’t have to wait too long, because the following game, OG Gaiden, also had Rocks as it’s main theme. And in the last stage of that game, we were finally treated to the Ver. OGs of Rocks.

Now, in my unprofessional opinion, any time a song with lyrics is given an instrumental remix, it is essential that the vocals get replaced with some sort of instrument. Otherwise, I find that nine times out of ten the resulting song just feels weak. Luckily, every single Ver. Alpha/Z/OG covers this extremely well. Go take a listen to any of them.

Well, in the next entry, we’ll be getting back into licensed music with a track that’s been around since the early days of the series. In fact, we’re looking at the way that it sounded way back then. Look forward to a classic 8/16-bit tune, next time.

Well, they do say that every ending heralds a new beginning. Although this isn’t so much a beginning as it is a continuation…unless you count every individual post as it’s own beginning…drat, now I lost my point.

Oh, yeah, last time we listened to the ending theme that arguably takes the longest to hear in-game than any other, SRW 30’s with love. This time, we’re taking a look at what could be considered a hidden gem of a track, considering that it’s only appeared once in all of Super Robot Wars. Even more so if you consider that the anime series that it’s from has only appeared once.

Day 12: Song from a series that’s only appeared once in SRW – Roulette (HEROMAN) (Super Robot Wars UX)

Back in June of 2021, Super Robot Wars set the Guinness World Record for “most intellectual property licenses used in a role-playing video game series”. 274 series at the time, with more only having been added with updates to the mobile game DD. So it should come as no surprise that some of these series have appeared once and only once in the series. The oldest one is without a doubt the manga Gundam Sentinel. Four of the mechs appeared in SRW 4, and didn’t even make the cut for F or F Final.

The game with the largest amount of solo appearances is the now-defunct mobile game X-Omega, with it’s updates and limited-time events allowing for constant additions. And because of that I decided to be a little lenient with this entry. If a series appeared in two SRW games, with one of those games being X-Omega and/or DD, then it would still be eligible. However, my choice of Roulette is from the anime HEROMAN, which has only appeared in the 3DS title Super Robot Wars UX.

Staring off as a manga written by famous comic book writer Stan Lee, HEROMAN tells the story of Joey Carter Jones, an orphaned boy who lives with his sister and grandmother, and working at a restaurant to help make ends meet. While trying to fix a broken and discarded toy that he calls Heroman, an alien race called the Skrugg arrive on earth with the intention of stripping it of all it’s natural resources. However, the arrival of the Skrugg fleet causes a bolt of lightning to strike Heroman, transforming the toy into a giant robot. Now equipped with a gauntlet that allows him to communicate with Heroman, Joey and his friends resolve to drive back the Skrugg invasion and save the Earth.

Roulette is the opening theme of the Heroman anime, which was produced by Bones, the creators of other mecha anime like RahXephon. Cheery, upbeat and energetic, it has a fitting aura of something you’d hear in a Saturday-morning cartoon. And while I find the UX version to be a bit too slow on the tempo, it’s still a pretty decent arrangement. Probably one of the best songs that UX has, since the soundfont on that game is…rather lackluster compared to the other 3DS game BX.

But that’s a whole ‘nother episode. Bottom line, Roulette is great, UX’s version is pretty good, and I hpe that HEROMAN will someday appear in another SRW game. ‘Course, that would disqualify it from this spot in the future, but I’d consider that a small price to pay.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say for this time ’round. Next time, we’re…going back into SRW Original music. I know, I know, we just left that area, but hear me out. The next song is going to be an orchestrated version of a JAM Project OP. So yeah, it’s gonna be good. See you then!

Having covered the embodiment of discord with the 2nd OG version of Despair, originally the final boss theme in Super Robot Wars D, the only thing left in gameplay chronology is the ending theme.

Day 11: Ending Theme – with love (Super Robot Wars 30)

As the final piece of music that the player hears, the composition of the track(s) used in the final cutscene and credits is very important. And there are as many ways to go about this as there are games that have them. Some make standalone tracks, some reuse the game’s main theme, some compose a song that uses parts from multiple other songs from that game. Upbeat songs are used for triumphant/happy endings, sorrowful ones for pyrrhic endings, ominous ones for cliffhangers, the list goes on and on.

When it comes to Super Robot Wars games that have an instrumental main theme, there’s no real hard and fast rule to what the ending theme is. But if JAM Project did the OP, then JAM Project also did the ED. And while their OPs are made to get your blood boiling and your spirit soaring, their endings are more like ballads, far softer and slower.

Now, my first pick for this slot would have been the ending theme to the first OG game, Steel Soul for You. But while it does a great job of conveying the feeling of “war’s over, time for our heroes to rest before their next job”, I already used OG for a previous entry. So instead I’m choosing the JAM Project song ‘with love’, used for the credits of the latest game as of this writing, Super Robot Wars 30.

My reason for choosing this song has less to do with the song itself as when I first heard it. It’s a good ED, melodious and adagio, just like JAM Projects other EDs. But SRW 30 is by far the longest game in the series yet. Add in three DLC packs and six post-game stages, and it took me, I kid you not, about twelve months to reach the end of the post-game stages. Given, that was with breaks here and there to prevent burnout, but I still technically didn’t finish all of the Onboard Missions.

So when I heard this song the first time at the end of the main game, I listened and enjoyed it like any SRW game. But when the credits rolled again after the final post-game stage, hearing this song all over again drove home the feeling of “yes, the fighting’s over, and our heroes can finally lay down their arms.” And for me, it was a signal for the end of my One-Year War.

And while this entry is at an end, the challenge continues. Up until now the selections have been SRW originals, but next time, we’ll finally be diving into a song from an anime series. As for the category, well, I’ll just say that it’s one that only a crossover series as prolific as Super Robot Wars could have. See you next time.

With this, we’re one third of the way through the challenge! And it’s also the thematic follow-up to our last entry, the Major Boss theme The Arrow of Destiny, specifically when it was used in Alpha Gaiden. Now it’s time to kick things up a notch with a Final Boss theme.

Also, SPOILER WARNING for Super Robot Wars D and 2nd Super Robot Wars OG.

Day 10: Final Boss Theme – Despair (Perfectio’s Theme) (2nd Super Robot Wars OG)

The final boss. The grand finale that the player has been working up to since the start of the game. It’s also typically the greatest challenge that the game has, barring optional superbosses and other optional challenges. And like with all the previous entries, having a dramatic song playing in the background can help elevate the final confrontation that much more.

While there’s a large pool of choices for this slot, the answer for me was easy. While he’s not the final boss in 2nd OG, I just had to pick that game’s remix of Despair, the song that plays when confronting the ultimate enemy of Super Robot Wars D, Perfectio, the King of Ruin.

A being made of negative emotions that exists in a separate dimension, he desires to produce and consume the despair of other intelligent beings. To that end, he sends out his servants, the Melior Esse, to amass enough negative energy to allow him to travel to whatever dimension he’s attacking. And it just so happens that Joshua’s father, Felio Radcliffe, is responsible for making contact with this being of chaos and ruin.

After possessing the body of Felio to use as a temporary vessel, Perfectio sends a portion of his power into Joshua’s dimension, which becomes the twisted and eldritch machine Fatum. It’s appearance is heralded by the aforementioned track Despair, and while the original chiptune version is no slouch, the 2nd OG version kicks things up to 11.

A brief into on an organ leads into…honestly, I’m not entirely sure. It sounds like someone’s hammering on a drumkit, playing on an organ, and conducting some sort of choir, then adding a layer of distortion to the choir’s voices. Once in a while we hear a brief solo on the organ, but then everything starts back up again. It’s disharmonious, feels like no attempt at music composition was made…and it’s a perfect audio backdrop for fighting against Perfectio and the Fatum.

Alright, that’s it for this time. And while our next entry isn’t the end of the challenge, it is a song that plays once the final boss is defeated and the game is beaten. Whether it plays during the final cutscene or credits, we’re checking out an ending theme. See you later!