Hiso Kihei Serd (aka Hiso Kihei X-Serd) is an SRPG game by Masaya. The game is similar to other robot/mech games by Masaya/NSC, such as Vixen 357 on Sega Mega Drive. At the end of the 24th century, humanity recovered from a devastative World War and humans started to colonize the galaxy. In 2384, unknown invaders attack the Jupiter base and finally reach Earth. Although the Earth Federation has prepared a counter offensive, the chances of success are very slim. But the Asian Federation has a secret weapon, the SERD Squadron, and its mission is to find and destroy the invader’s bases and drive them out of Earth. Hiso Kihei Serd is a turn based war game at its core and in any given mission the player must deploy and control a number of Serd giant robots on an overhead map – each mech comes with its own characteristics, some are fast and have long-range attacks whereas others are bulkier, slower but use more powerful weaponry. When a fight between two opponents is triggered, the screen switches to an animated sequence. Each Serd gains experience in battle which may be used to enhance its attack and evasive capabilities. However, should one of the Serd be destroyed during a given mission, it is gone for good but more (up to seven) can be acquired as the game progresses. Hiso Kihei Serd consists of ten missions and is single player only. A password system also allows the player to save his progress (although the backup RAM can also be used). It is important to remember that some units possess a special ability, many of which can easily turn the tide of the battle. Using them wisely is a key to quick victory in later stages. Overall, this is an enjoyable game, and a prequel to Vixen 357. One can easily notice the similarities between these 2 games, and it’s easy to pick up one if you’ve ever played the other one at some point.