Unless you’ve been living under a rock with a bad internet signal for the past few decades, you’ve probably heard of Gundam. The iconic mecha franchise has found a home in the hearts and minds of many a nerd for decades in no small part due to the massive multimedia empire that it created. From the many anime series to the video games to the incredibly profitable “gunpla” figures, the Gundam franchise has many ways for fans to enjoy it.
The Gundam Breaker video game series combines both the fun of a third-person action video game with the fun of collecting gunpla model kits and creating many of the franchises ionic mechanical warriors by allowing players to customize their own Gundam unit and pilot it against hordes of mechanical menaces to collect more parts to put into their unit.
Gundam Breaker 4 will finally bring this series to current gen consoles later this month. I was lucky enough to play the limited time open beta and give you a quick preview for what’s to come alongside my general thoughts. So far, Gundam Breaker 4 is shaping up to be an enjoyable experience for fans of the franchise, and it might even spark interest in the series for potential newcomers.
Gundam Breaker 4’s combat has an incredibly solid foundation. Jumping, walking, boosting, and flying towards or away from enemies all have the appropriate amount of weight to sell the illusion that you’re piloting an actual mech suit, but they never feel so clunky or slow that it dulls the experience. As hectic as firefights can look at times, I never found myself in a position where it felt like the game was taking easy shots at me. Part of me wishes that certain aspects of the melee combat were as smooth.
Gundam Breaker 4 introduces a new feature to combat: dual-wielding melee and ranged weapons. You can equip a melee and ranged weapon in each hand and swap between them in the middle of fights. Simply use the corresponding shoulder button to use the ranged weapons, and the square and triangle buttons for the left and right melee weapons respectively. While I had no problem dual-wielding ranged weapons, I found trying to combo my left and right-hand weapons to be clunky. While the game does give you combo moves to transition between using them, I found them to be slow and clunky, and the effect was worsened by using a different type of weapon in each hand. While not enough to completely tank the combat feel, it did make the game feel like a mindless button mash after extended play sessions, not helped by enemy Gundam units that felt too weak to post a challenge.
The actual customization of your Gundam unit, however, provides a lot of depth that I felt the combat lacked. While playing, you will occasionally be able to break off certain parts of enemy Gundam units (hence the name) and use them to customize your own units. You want to make a slow tank that deals and takes punishment in equal measure? You want an agile force of nature that weaves in and out of danger? Any Gundam you want, you can build in Gundam Breaker 4’s garage. Beyond influencing the look and stats of your Gundam unit, each part can also grant you unique abilities to use in combat. These can range from a special combo you can perform with a melee weapon, homing missiles, an auto turret, or a unibeam-style laser blast. I found that this power system gave the gear system a lot more complexity beyond the standard “make number I like go up” mindset.
Finally, I want to talk about Gundam Breaker 4’s unique photo mode: diorama mode. With diorama mode, you can pose your Gundam unit in unique and customizable environments. From fighting in a destroyed urban environment to creating the perfect movie poster pose, I found that there was a lot of freedom in how you could craft the perfect representation of your perfect Gundam unit.
Gundam Breaker 4 will release on August 29th for Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Despite the flaws I found in the portion of the game I played, I am confident that the full game will be a package well worth the price. With customization as good as it is, Gundam Breaker 4 might be a Gundam fan’s best bet if they want to feel what it’s like to step into the mecha of their dreams.
For more information, visit www.bandainamcoent.com and follow Facebook, X-Twitter and Twitch.
Related: Reviews by Josh Freeman
I love games and love talking about games. Some of my favorites include action games (both 2D and 3D), metroidvanias, roguelikes, shooters, and Indies.
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