Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Super Erecto Taisen: S・EX blends classic turn-based strategy with RPG progression in a way that feels both familiar and fresh. You command a small party led by the hero, Fukai Rei, navigating a grid-based battlefield against waves of demonic foes. Each stage is marked on an overworld map, letting you choose your own path through the game’s content, which gives a welcome sense of freedom in tackling challenges at your own pace.

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Combat occurs in discrete rounds, where positioning and timing are paramount. Moving your characters into adjacent tiles allows you to initiate attacks, while enemies in range will prompt you to choose between aggressive counter-strikes or a more cautious defensive stance. This simple yet compelling risk-and-reward system encourages experimentation: do you press the attack, or hunker down and trade blows more safely?

Between battles, experience points and money earned from victorious encounters can be used to strengthen your party. Equipment shops offer a modest but meaningful selection of weapons, armor, and accessories tailored specifically for each angelic fighter. Resource management becomes increasingly satisfying as you balance leveling up, keeping gold reserves for emergency supplies, and customizing your characters to handle tougher demons.

The inclusion of animated combat sequences at the bottom of the screen adds personality to each attack, showcasing the distinctive magical abilities and signature moves of your angel warriors. These vignettes may be brief, but they lend the encounters a dynamic flair, breaking up the tactical map view and rewarding successful hits with visual flair.

Graphics

The visual style of Super Erecto Taisen: S・EX leans heavily into anime-inspired character designs, with detailed sprite art that brings each angel and demon to life. The heroes’ outfits and winged silhouettes are lovingly rendered, capturing the ethereal charm of the banished celestial fighters. Enemy demons range from quaint imps to towering monstrosities, each with a palette that contrasts well against the vibrant backgrounds.

Battlefields are presented from a top-down perspective, featuring varied terrain—from quiet villages to ominous forests overrun by darkness. Ground textures and environmental details, while not hyper-detailed, are colorful and clear, ensuring that grid lines and movement ranges remain easily readable. The interface overlays are clean, with health bars, action menus, and turn indicators arranged intuitively around the edges of the screen.

Attack animations, though small in scale, are fluid and expressive. Spells shimmer with magical glows, and close-up frames highlight each heroine’s signature pose. While the game doesn’t push the hardware to its limits, its consistent art direction and charming aesthetic help maintain player interest through dozens of battles.

Story

What begins as a quaint beauty contest in a serene Japanese town quickly escalates into an otherworldly crisis when a hulking demon crashes the festivities. Our protagonist, Fukai Rei, is initially a passive observer, content simply to admire the contest’s contestants—until chaos erupts. This playful setup sets the stage for a narrative that balances lighthearted fan service with genuine stakes as malevolent forces invade the town.

Salvation arrives in the form of angel-like warriors, each exiled from Earth for centuries. These celestial heroines converge under the reluctant leadership of Rei, revealing that the demonic incursion is merely the first strike in a broader plan to plunge the world into darkness. As you progress, new angel companions join your party, each bearing her own backstory and special abilities, weaving a modest yet impactful tapestry of alliances and personal growth.

The plot advances through a series of missions that gradually peel back the layers of the demon king’s ambitions. Cutscenes and dialogue exchanges pepper the journey with character moments, occasionally veering into humorous or suggestive territory without ever feeling obscene. For fans who appreciate a blend of action and mild ecchi elements, the story maintains a playful tone while still offering a clear narrative goal: reunite the angels and drive back the darkness.

Overall Experience

Super Erecto Taisen: S・EX delivers a satisfying slice of turn-based strategy wrapped in anime aesthetics and light erotic overtones. Its flexible stage selection keeps progression feeling non-linear, allowing both newcomers and series veterans to tailor the challenge to their tastes. Veterans of tactical RPGs will appreciate the balance between accessible mechanics and strategic depth, while newcomers will find the user interface approachable.

The game’s pacing can occasionally dip during longer stretches of item shopping or repetitive enemy encounters, but the ability to replay stages or skip ahead to tougher zones helps mitigate any sense of grind. Character interactions, whether in battle or in story segments, serve to reinforce party cohesion and keep the experience engaging even during quieter moments.

For players seeking a strategy title that combines tactical battlefield decision-making, an eclectic cast of angelic fighters, and an offbeat storyline initiated by a beauty contest gone wrong, Super Erecto Taisen: S・EX hits the mark. While it isn’t without minor flaws—graphics are more charming than cutting-edge, and some battles may feel formulaic—the overall package offers a memorable journey that will appeal to both strategy enthusiasts and fans of anime-style RPGs.

Retro Replay Score

null/10