Game Details
| Size | 1.3 GB |
| Region | Japan |
| Genre | Action |
| Format | 7z / ISO |
| Year | June 16, 2011 |
| Console | PSP |
Danball Senki (2011)—localized in the West as LBX: Little Battlers Experience—is a standout Action RPG from Level-5 (Inazuma Eleven, Professor Layton). It launched a massive cross-media franchise including anime, manga, and real-world plastic models (Gunpla-style).
The Plot / Premise: Cardboard War-Machines
Set in the year 2050, the world has been revolutionized by “Fortified Cardboard,” a material capable of absorbing 80% of any impact. This allowed for the creation of LBX—tiny, high-powered plastic robots that were previously too dangerous to play with.
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The Protagonist: You play as Van Yamano, a middle school student who loves LBX but is forbidden from owning one by his mother.
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The Catalyst: A mysterious woman entrusts Van with a briefcase containing a high-spec LBX named AX-00. Inside the robot is a “Platinum Capsule” containing a secret that could save or destroy the world.
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The Conflict: Van and his friends are sucked into a global conspiracy involving a shadowy organization called the “New Dawn Man” (Innovators) who want the technology inside Van’s robot for world domination.
The highlight of the game is the incredibly deep Customization System:
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Modular Parts: You can swap the Head, Body, Left Arm, Right Arm, and Legs. There are hundreds of parts from different “brands,” each with varying weight, defense, and elemental resistances.
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Core Skeleton: Beyond the exterior, you manage the “Core Box” (the robot’s internal organs). You must manually fit Motors, Batteries, CPUs, and Memory Chips into a grid-like space to optimize power usage and AI behavior.
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Combat Styles: You can equip two weapon loadouts and switch mid-battle. Options include Swords, Polearms, Sniper Rifles, Twin Handguns, and Shields.
The Versions: Which one to play?
There are three main releases on the PSP, each acting as an “expansion” of the previous:
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Danball Senki (Original): The base game.
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Danball Senki Boost: An “Ultra” version that adds new LBX, 10 more playable characters, and “Episode 0” (a prologue to the sequel).
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Danball Senki W (Double): The direct sequel featuring two protagonists (Van and Hiro) and dual-wielding mechanics.
Short Review: Gunpla Battles Come to Life
The Good
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Anime-Quality Presentation: The game is filled with high-quality animated cutscenes by OLM (the studio behind Pokémon) and has a vibrant, polished look.
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Tactical Combat: It’s not just a button-masher. You have a “Tension Gauge” that depletes as you attack; if it hits zero, your damage output tanks, forcing you to manage your aggression.
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Scale: The “Diorama” battlefields (like a desk, a park, or a volcano) make the tiny robots feel huge and powerful.
The Bad
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The Grind: To get the best “MG” (Master Grade) parts, you often have to grind through Ranking Battles, which can become repetitive.
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Language Barrier: The customization menus are very text-heavy. Without knowing Japanese (or using a translation app), fitting the internal Core parts can be a guessing game.
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Difficulty Spikes: Some boss LBXs have “one-shot” special moves that can feel unfair if you haven’t optimized your elemental defenses.
Screenshots
