Counter: Side is an RPG with anime aesthetics and a gacha system, where you’ll have to save a futuristic world from the clutches of half organic, half mechanical monsters. Luckily, you’ll have a large range of characters that you can gradually unlock as you win battles and advance in the story.

The combat system, unlike in other similar RPGs, is not fully automatic. You will have to deploy your units on the battlefield as the energy bar fills up. This way, you can create combos and synergies between your most powerful characters’ attacks, which will be very important as you progress through the game.

Something else to keep in mind with the combat system is that Counter: Side has an exciting PvP mode where you can go up against other players online. In this game mode, your group of heroes will have to fight against those of other players. So you’ll need to learn to master the tempos and synergies of your characters, otherwise, you won’t last long fighting online.

As usual in these gacha system and anime aesthetics-focused RPGs, one of the key aspects of Counter: Side is the large number of characters (female, in particular) that you can add to your group. But it’s not just the quantity, but also the quality. Each of the game’s heroines is perfectly animated in 2D, with very fluid movements and an excellent finish. What’s more, you’ll also be able to acquire different types of skins for many of the characters.

Counter: Side is a very entertaining RPG with hints of strategy that, although it stands out most for its visuals, also has an exciting atmosphere and an interesting and detailed story mode. If you add to this dozens of characters to unlock and a good combat system, the result is a well-rounded free-to-play RPG.

Reviewed by Andrés López
Translated by Sarah Odebralski