With its large cast of characters, multiple connecting storylines and polished visuals, Counter:Side is a roleplaying game that feels like experiencing a sci-fi action anime brought to life on your phone.
Counter:Side does hit all of the stereotypical JRPG beats like friendship and bravery against all odds, and doesn’t really offer anything novel in terms of plot or characters. However, I have (almost) nothing but positive things to say about this title from South Korean publisher, Nexon, who you may recognize as the company who brought us Maplestory. They packed this game with so many fun features that it strikes the perfect balance for players who want entertaining gameplay, but also enjoy having a narrative to go along with it.
Classic RPG story of heroism and relationship building
In this foray into the gacha genre, you take the role of a Counter. Counters wield watches that imbue the user with magical abilities and strength. You are first employed on an airship dubbed the Coffin, where you are a mercenary paid to annihilate creatures that threaten the world and its people.
On the way, you collect a colorful cast of characters. Each character has their own skills, motives and backstory. When not in battle, you often play the game from the POV of the Coffin Company’s CEO. The friendship mechanic in this game enters in the form of giving your employee’s appraisals, and offering them raises, which increases their loyalty to you. As you defeat enemies, you unlock more of the game’s narrative. Yoo Mina, who has a mysterious past and a standoffish attitude to match, becomes the central character.
The characters in Counter:Side are relatively archetypical for the genre, but I thought the interactions between them were fun and entertaining, and I was given ample opportunity to learn more about the characters and explore their routes and stories. Similarly, the story in Counter:Side is nothing groundbreaking, but it did keep me engaged and eager to see what happens next. It’s not a heavy or in-depth story, but there’s just enough action, drama, suspense and plot twists to keep you immersed. I was drawn in by the interesting characters and the beautiful graphics right away.
Fast-paced, strategic (but light-weight) action
The battling is fun, but in Normal Mode, it is a relatively quick and easy jaunt through missions. Granted, I did some leveling up on the side, but I didn’t do it for grindings sake. I did it merely for fun, which speaks to how enjoyable and fast-paced the battles can be.
Each character has a role assigned to them: striker, ranger, defender, sniper, support, tower, or siege, all of which are specialized for different purposes in battle. You strategically form a team, and deploy each member throughout the battle in intervals, deciding when it’s best for them to join the fray. Each team also has an airship, which has additional skills you can use, for example, shooting missiles or creating barricades.
I enjoyed the battle system, and I found the cinematics of the characters in battle to be fun to watch. But people who want a very challenging strategy game may want to test their hand in the PvP options, or may have to wait to unlock Hard Mode after you complete the mainline quests. There are unlockable Challenge missions that can be unlocked earlier than that, which are designed to test you, but overall, I suspect the game is somewhat less about extremely tactically challenging battles and more about the fun of character collecting, light storytelling, and a cinematically satisfying experience. But if you want to challenge yourself, there are additional ways to do that as well.
Stunning visuals, pretty characters
I’ve praised it multiple times already because it’s really a highlight of the game: if you appreciate aesthetics and presentation in your gaming, this is a mobile game for you. The graphics are crisp and clean and better quality than many games on my Nintendo Switch, and the game features a beautiful full anime-style ending video to conclude the Episodes.
The character designs don’t make any particularly unique contributions to the genre, but they are very nice to look at. My favorite character designs are Sylvia: a messy, disheveled pink-haired hacker from abroad. Another standout was Carmen: a beautiful healer who uses music to aid her allies. I cannot forget my MVP: Chulsoo Kim, a balding, older man who was hired onto the company expecting to do office work, but whom you can send into the field to battle anyway. I love that for him.
Another thing I want to take the time to praise about this game is the interface. In a world of chaotic, cramped menus that feel like they’re scrambling to fit all the buttons on a small screen, I found Counter:Side’s interface so refreshingly easy-to-use, and well-organized. I really appreciated its uncomplicated simplicity. The drop-down menu in the top right corner allows you to quickly and easily glide from one task to another. No more having to back space constantly to get out of one menu and into another!
The down:side
If all of this sounds enjoyable to you, my only warning about Counter:Side is a technical one: I was disconnected from the server a handful of times, which would kick me from the scene I was watching, or the battle I was in. Thankfully, there is a replay option, so you can watch scenes you missed due to server kicks. It was a small inconvenience, but one that I do feel bears warning for potential players.
The only other downsides to the title were similarly negligible for me, and did not hamper my experience. You get the odd typo or grammatical oddity here and there due to mistranslation, but it’s not common. That, and some of the dialogue and scenes (particularly involving the female characters in this game) are fan-servicey or just plain cheesy. But these are pretty typical cons of the genre that are to be expected. There was really nothing egregious enough to distract me from the fun this game has to offer.
In-App Purchases? In This Economy?
In case IAPs are a concern of yours, then the answer is no, not really. I have a strict rule of limiting in-app purchases for myself. This is so that I don’t go broke collecting Waifu’s, which is a real danger in this economy. For Counter:Side I didn’t break my no spending real money rule, but this is not from lack of interest. It’s because I was able to do almost everything I wanted without having to spend money to enjoy this game. If you like to Collect ‘Em All quickly, you may have to spend money to recruit characters. However, if you’re okay with relying on luck, chance, and patience, then you can fully enjoy this game for free.
There is a real abundance of ways to have fun, and earn resources in the title, without spending real money. I loved some of the side missions in the game, like establishing branches in other parts of the world’s map. Dispatching characters to run side business and do timed gathering missions earns you items. (And, you get to see an adorable little chibi version of the character completing these tasks, as a bonus.) And that’s only the start: you can decorate dorms, build and customize the airships, and more. I haven’t spent money yet, but I wouldn’t mind doing so: I think this excellent game deserves the support.
