2nd Super Robot Wars

Lore & Background

You must stop Bian Zoldark and the Divine Crusaders all while fighting the familiar foes from various robot anime that make up DC's ranks like Char Aznable from Mobile Suit Gundam and Baron Ashura from Mazinger Z.

Reader's Guide

Certain enemy characters can be induced to defect to the player's side, though unlike the first game, not every one can be induced to defect. An ingame shop exists that allows the player to use money (earned by destroying enemy robots) to buy upgrades for the robots, a concept that would be revisited in Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden and Super Robot Wars Z.

Did You Know?

• A remake of the 2nd Super Robot Wars was ported to Game Boy on June 30, 1995, but it was not part of the "Classic" canon to the timeline.
• 2nd Super Robot Wars was ported to Sony PlayStation on June 10, 1999, as part of the Super Robot Wars Complete Box then separately on December 2, 1999.
• It was released for Game Boy Advance as an exclusive Famicom Mini game, available only as a raffle prize with the purchase of Super Robot Wars GC.
• The PSX version was digitally released on January 26, 2011 on the PlayStation Network.
• On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Game Boy version of the game (entitled 2nd Super Robot Wars G) a 28 out of 40.

Franchise Identity & Publisher

The Super Robot Wars franchise, known in its Japanese home market as Super Robot Taisen, is a collection of video game titles developed under the banner of Banpresto. This publisher has been the central creative force behind the series, shaping its identity across multiple entries. The franchise encompasses a diverse catalog of games, though the majority follow a particular gameplay structure. Banpresto's involvement goes beyond mere production; the company has taken an active hand in designing key narrative elements within the games, including the final bosses that players encounter. This level of creative control distinguishes the franchise's approach to storytelling and character design, ensuring a cohesive experience across titles. The franchise has maintained a dedicated online presence, with both a primary official website and a special 20th anniversary site that was archived to preserve its content for future reference.

Genre Composition & Structural Range

While the Super Robot Wars franchise is predominantly associated with tactical role-playing gameplay, the catalog extends well beyond that single format. The majority of titles in the series adhere to the tactical RPG structure, where players command units across strategic battlefields. However, Banpresto has also released several entries that explore entirely different genre territories, broadening the franchise's appeal and experimental range. The official index organizes these titles by their respective genres, with each category ordered chronologically by initial release date. This structural choice highlights both the franchise's consistency in its core identity and its willingness to venture into unfamiliar creative territory. The division between tactical role-playing games and other genres serves as a useful framework for understanding the breadth of Banpresto's output within the Super Robot Taisen umbrella, revealing a publisher comfortable stretching its brand across multiple interactive experiences.

Boss Design & Creative Control

A notable aspect of the Super Robot Wars franchise is the degree of creative control Banpresto exercises over its narrative elements, particularly the final bosses that anchor each game's climax. Across the vast majority of titles in the series, these culminating antagonists were directly created by Banpresto itself, reflecting the publisher's hands-on approach to story design. However, three exceptions stand out: the original games in the franchise, Neo Super Robot Wars, and Super Robot Wars Compact each featured final bosses that were not directly created by Banpresto. This distinction is significant because it marks these titles as unique within an otherwise uniformly controlled creative space. The fact that only these specific entries deviate from the norm underscores how carefully Banpresto managed its narrative identity, reserving external boss designs for select entries in the lineup while maintaining internal authorship for the rest.

Cataloguing & Digital Preservation

The Super Robot Wars franchise maintains a structured index that serves as a comprehensive reference for its extensive catalog. This index is organized by video game genre, with titles within each category arranged by their initial release date, providing a clear chronological and thematic framework for understanding the series' evolution. The franchise's digital legacy is further preserved through its web presence, including a primary official website and a dedicated 20th anniversary site. The latter was archived in August 2011 through the Wayback Machine, ensuring that this milestone content remains accessible even as the original site may have changed or gone offline. This archival effort reflects the franchise's longevity and the community's desire to maintain a record of its history. Together, the structured index and preserved web content form a layered documentation of Banpresto's sustained commitment to the Super Robot Taisen brand across multiple decades of video game development.