I’m not much of a science fiction fan. It takes a lot to get me invested in tales of space-faring or mech action. For that reason, Battle Suit Aces wasn’t really on my radar. This game, follow up to the excellent Battle Chef Brigade, is all about guiding a group of mech pilots through space, as they discover and master special Relic Suits, and plunder within a dangerous galaxy. After playing through the game’s LudoNarraCon 2025 demo, I’m now more than on board. I’ve been thoroughly convinced.
Battle Suit Aces has the goods.
The first thing that challenged my assumptions about this game is that it ties its many battles into an overarching, deep narrative following individual mech pilots aboard a travelling spaceship. Like Battle Chef Brigade, the game is brought to life in a lovely, illustrated art style that closely resembles a modern cartoon or anime. I found myself constantly thinking about Voltron: Legendary Defender while I played.
Not only does this art style lend the game a real sense of personality, it also makes its primary heroes far more endearing. Felix and Heathcliff, for example, are strong, well-designed and quirky characters that anchor the overarching story, and give you plenty of reasons to care – and not just because of their chiselled jaws and soft eyes. On introduction, you immediately want to see them succeed, and to guide them to victory wherever possible. They humanise the game’s otherworldly tale.
After a brief cutscene establishing power dynamics and and the early beginnings of the game’s space-faring plot, the demo reveals Battle Suit Aces‘ other key draw: moreish, well designed card battles with snappy, frantic action.
Read: LudoNarraCon 2025: 5 great demos to check out
These card battles bring to mind the best parts of MTG Arena, in approach. You debut in battle with a team of cards, and must work within your energy requirements to unleash an array of devastating attacks that will sink your enemy’s ambitions. But this is not a simple point-and-shoot battle.
Rather, you must balance your energy needs with other card synergies, and consistent deck turnover. One character might have a three damage attack, but if you play another card first, you may activate their Ally Score Kill effect for an extra two damage.
While you can go off as you please, the best attacks are carefully planned, as synergies bounce off each other to buff damage and ensure attacks can destroy enemies, as well as penetrate through their defences to hit their base command (usually a ship, sometimes a creature).
Each turn, your energy will also build up, adding opportunities. You may not be able to attack with blue energy in one turn, but if you save up, you could unleash a devastating attack with good synergy on the next turn. It’s all about watching, waiting, and attacking well.
When you’re not diving into these excellent, cleanly-designed battles, you can also work on upgrading your pilots by crafting handy items, or you can work on friendships in little dialogue snippets that reveal more about each character, and their goals.
This game is as much about pleasing your crew as it is about dogfighting in space, with a welcome balance allowing you to pursue deep friendships and stronger combat at once. I didn’t think I’d be so enamoured with both aspects, but Battle Suit Aces does well to ensure its multiple parts function together, and that every slice of the story feeds back into the incoming battles.
Whether you’re into sci-fi or not, this game should be on your radar. After playing through the entire demo during LudoNarraCon 2025, I’m more than ready for the rest of what this adventure has to offer. Particularly if Felix is involved.
A demo for Battle Suit Aces is now available, as part of LudoNarraCon 2025. The game doesn’t currently have a release date, but you can now wishlist it on Steam.
