Video Game Review: Azur Lane: Crosswave

Azur Lane: Crosswave

Idea Factory

Action, Shooter

PlayStation 4

Azur Lane is currently one of the most popular gacha games out right now. For those who aren’t familiar with it, it’s a 2D bullet-hell style gacha game in which players control famous battleships and submarines throughout history. The thing is, those ships are depicted as cute anime girls, adding fanservice and eccentric personalities to the game’s naval warfare. The mobile sensation has made millions of dollars, led to an anime adaptation, and now has its first major console release in Azur Lane: Crosswave.

Azur Lane: Crosswave takes the popular mobile game and fully realizes it as a 3D action game. The player can control their ships in a 3D space, gliding across the water as they shoot waves of enemies while dodging bullets. In between battles players will upgrade their ships, watch them chat, and enjoy the simple but quirky story. All of this stays incredibly faithful to the mobile game but removes the gacha, which can be the selling or breaking point for characters.

The gameplay loop of Azur Lane: Crosswave is simple but enjoyable. A few ships are taken into battle and the player will control one while the others are controlled by AI. Players can change characters to play as on the fly, adding depth and variety to the battles. The action has some variety to it, but most missions play out the same. The ships are dropped into the ocean, fight some generic enemies, then take on a boss. Players will spam primary attacks while firing specials that are spaced out by cooldowns. If you’ve played Azur Lane, all of this will already be familiar to you. Azur Lane: Crosswave is exactly what you would imagine a 3D Azur Lane game to be. It’s a casual affair that is great for those who want Shoot-em-up action without the high difficulty and precision needed in bullet hell games

With over 30 different playable characters from five different factions, there are plenty of characters to choose from. The lack of gacha makes acquiring characters feel natural. To unlock a character, a player simply needs to acquire a certain amount of in-game currency. If players are really only interested in getting a few specific waifus, they will be able to earn them easily. For completionists, Azur Lane: Crosswave will be a bit of a grind. The missions don’t reward a lot of currency and it can take some time to unlock a character. Still, the many modes and characters make that grind just a bit easier if players are interested in experimenting with the customization and cast.

With so many characters and weapons to choose from, it’s unfortunate that the gameplay loop can become stale. Players will need to use all of those characters or find themselves getting tired of the battles. Quite a few of the characters play similarly, so unlocking a new character doesn’t guarantee a fresh new take on the battle. The same goes for customizable equipment. Even if the player is constantly mixing it, they might still get bored of the little variety offered in battle. The story mode is longer than you would expect, allowing the gameplay to quickly wear out its welcome. There are a few extra modes, including character scenarios and challenges to break things up and stretch Azur Lane: Crosswave‘s value.

The combat looks nice thanks to some solid anime-style graphics. The water effects are decent, but its the character models that steal the show. The characters’ 3D models look fantastic. The stages don’t vary much in appearance, so don’t expect to get your breath stolen by tons of locales. The bullets flying everywhere look nice, and the bright colors make the game easy enough to play. While some would describe the environments as bland, they do a good job of keeping the player’s focus on the gameplay.

Outside of the graphics during gameplay, most of Azur Lane: Crosswave‘s presentation is a lot like a high-end mobile game. The story mode is mostly progressed through static images with text at the bottom. Still, all of the dialogue is fully voiced, adding some life to the game. There are catchy tunes throughout in addition to some fun sound effects. The few cutscenes look great, further showcasing the 3D models. Fans of the franchise will be delighted at how much care was put into Azur Lane: Crosswave, even if it would be nice to have a few more cutscenes.

Those who are familiar with Azur Lane know what they will be getting into as far as character design goes. The characters all come from the original game, bringing along their cute designs and excessive fanservice. There are tons of curvy women, and even more gratuitous angles. Those who are turned off by fanservice in anime will find that there isn’t much for them in the designs. Still, if you are into the designs, you’ll be delighted by the excellent 2D art and 3D renderings. There are tons of ways to enjoy the character models as well, including a bonding system and photo mode.

Fans of Azur Lane will likely find tons to enjoy in Azur Lane: Crosswave. It’s full of fanservice and is clearly a love letter to the mobile game. While it isn’t too difficult and there isn’t a lot of variety in the gameplay loop, the amount of customization and experimentation adds a surprising amount of depth. If you aren’t a fan of the original because of the gacha mechanics, you will find that this is a pretty faithful Azur Lane game. Overall, this is a solid title for those who want a game with cute boats.