Gundam Breaker 4 Review – Do You Want to Build a Gundam?

As a seasoned veteran of countless mech combat games, I must admit that Gundam Breaker 4 left me feeling rather underwhelmed. Having spent countless hours building and customizing my very own mechanical warriors, I was eagerly anticipating an exhilarating battle experience that would leave me breathless and triumphant. Sadly, the shallow AI of the enemies and repetitive mission structure fell short of my expectations.

When you think of Gundam, several things come to mind, starting with giant robots fighting other giant robots. Long-time fans will know of its deconstruction of the mecha genre and how some of the best entries in the franchise offer hard-hitting depictions of war, morality, and the price of progress. It also provides some incredible human drama, whether you’re wrapped up in the complexities and intergalactic conflict of the original Gundam series, intrigued by the manipulations of Celestial Being in Gundam 00 or unraveling the mysteries of The Witch from Mercury.

Apart from the anime, the Gundam franchise also has a different fan base focused on model building, known as Gunpla. These are model kits that enthusiasts can construct to create their own Gundam characters. The complexity and size of these models depend on their grade. Furthermore, they can be customized with painting, modification, and even combining parts from various kits (Kitbashing). The passion for Gunpla is so intense that there’s a Builders World Cup Tournament where the most skilled compete. There’s also an anime series, Gundam Build Fighter, which uses this hobby in its storylines.

In summary, the portrayal is quite commonplace, featuring dialogue that’s functional at its best but can be skipped over if not engaging.

Fundamentally, Gundam Breaker 4 revolves around the concept of building and customizing Gunpla (Gundam plastic models). As the first significant sequel in the series since 2016’s Gundam Breaker 3, it caters to every Gunpla enthusiast’s desires by offering an extensive variety of parts, with over 250 base kits available for customization. You can personalize these models further with decals, weathering effects, resizing options, and more. However, as an action-adventure game with hack-and-slash elements, it may not fully meet expectations in terms of gameplay.

The story focuses on a new Gundam online title (that sounds suspiciously akin to a Metaverse game) entering beta. It’s attracted many players, from the casuals to the try-hard competitive types. The protagonist is a relative newcomer who starts with an RX-78, and it’s not long before another player, Tao arrives to teach you the basics. I appreciated having the option to exclaim, “How dare you” when Tao called me a beginner but I had to suffer his company regardless.

1. You meet characters such as Lin, a proficient player with aspirations of greatness who can sometimes appear uneasy with strangers; Mr., a person always on the move, offering assistance to novices like Tao but sporting an afro; and Sheena, who is excessively courteous when playing.

Generally speaking, the characters are quite ordinary, with dialogue that’s functional but not particularly engaging or compelling. The story doesn’t develop or grow, and certain elements – such as a power called Spartan Rage, which seems familiar to Super Saiyan or Awaken abilities – come across as overused and lacking in depth or impact.

Gundam Breaker 4 Review – Do You Want to Build a Gundam?

“Though the giants can feel damage-spongey, taking on a massive Unicorn Gundam and watching it activate the NT-D to go all out is appealing.”

Perhaps the most intriguing concept is that players can use different avatars and that maybe no one is who they say. Surely, that won’t serve as a major plot twist later. The overall vibe is gathering together with your in-game friends, taking on missions, and battling rival clans to work your way up the ladder, at least initially. I do wish my character had more opportunities to voice their opinion, even if it was to make more sassy remarks. It feels like a good chunk of the story is playing out through other people, and I’m simply standing by the wayside (while also doing all the work, mind you).

In essence, the fundamental progression of gameplay in Gundam Breaker 4 is quite straightforward. You’ll find yourself at a desk, where you can embark on a story mission with three levels of difficulty and the option to choose your partner. As you opt for higher difficulties, you’ll need more advanced parts for your Gundam. The missions themselves are rather basic, often involving little more than defeating waves of enemies before moving onto the next area, and culminating in a boss battle. Occasionally, you may encounter unique missions that require you to defend a specific point instead of destroying a particular Gundam (which causes lesser enemies to vanish). In these instances, your task is to eliminate every enemy attacking as opposed to focusing on a single target.

In these battles with the boss characters, you may encounter fights against standard-sized Gundams as well as colossal ones boasting vast health bars, multiple weak points, shields that need to be breached before continuing to deplete their health, and spectacular attacks. While some of the giant bosses can seem invincible, the thrill of engaging with a titanic Unicorn Gundam and witnessing it activate NT-D for an all-out assault is exhilarating. Admittedly, certain colossal bosses share similar movesets, but that’s just part of playing a Bandai Namco-developed Gundam game. The reward of locating and disabling specific parts to expand your arsenal certainly makes it worthwhile.

As I advance in this game, I find myself unlocking both quests and bounties. The quests present me with straightforward battles against enemy Gundams, often without any elaborate storyline scenes. On the other hand, the bounties challenge me to confront my rivals directly, earning currency each time I defeat them. What sets this apart is the ability to choose up to three adversaries for a fight, making each encounter engaging based on their unique builds. Moreover, I was delighted by the menu detailing the various kit parts used to construct these opponents, enabling players like me to effortlessly replicate their configurations.

Gundam Breaker 4 Review – Do You Want to Build a Gundam?

The main issue lies in the limited complexity of the battles. This shortcoming is exacerbated by the questionable mission design and the poor artificial intelligence exhibited by many opponents, often resulting in them repeatedly stunning you with their double-edged weapons.

Despite the missions being somewhat monotonous and predictable, there’s a possibility that the action could make up for it. Sadly, this isn’t always true, but things aren’t entirely hopeless. Personalizing your Gundam involves installing distinct weapons and components that grant various OP Skills. These abilities vary widely – from executing a slashing combo with your beam saber to grabbing miniature Gundams with your claw shield and smashing them into the ground, for instance. Each weapon also has unique characteristics – the whip is effective against groups of enemies but can also reel one in closer, as demonstrated by one example.

Additionally, you possess Extra Skills similar to Repair and Trans-Am, the latter significantly boosting your attributes. In the beginning, I wasn’t particularly thrilled about the parts system from a statistical perspective, just choosing the highest levels to fulfill the prerequisites. However, the abilities and weapon types offer variety. For instance, when you send an enemy flying with a beam saber, then follow up with repeated stabs using a dagger, only to shower them with Gatling guns and missiles, it can be quite gratifying. Moreover, the combo system encourages longer combos, providing various buffs and enhancing item drop rates.

The problem is that there otherwise isn’t too much depth to the combat, which isn’t helped by the mission structure or the shoddy AI of most enemies (when they’re not stunlocking you forever with double-bladed weapons). They seem to lack much awareness for dodging your long-range shots, except by accident, and become vulnerable super-quick.

Absolutely, it’s enticing to envision acquiring superpowers and outmatching opponents with a robust setup, but I’d prefer if they offered some resistance. Seeing a renowned Gundam appear to confront my team loses its charm when their actions are as foreseeable and shallow as the rest.

Gundam Breaker 4 Review – Do You Want to Build a Gundam?

“This alternative is significantly less costly compared to purchasing model kits that can run into hundreds of dollars. However, whether the minor inconveniences are bearable is a different question altogether.”

In simpler terms, your teammates may struggle at times, colliding with scenery or failing to assist, even by diverting attention. Their movements can feel unnatural at times because jumping and boosting share the same key, which requires holding it down while moving, but pressing and holding when stationary for a higher jump. It’s not terribly difficult, but it does take practice, particularly for those high jumps to reach the massive Gundam’s head.

In terms of appearance and sound, it’s not particularly spectacular. The graphics aren’t exceptionally detailed, but they get the job done. Performance-wise, it’s decent as well. The voice acting is adequate, though it doesn’t add much depth to the characters.

If you’re searching for top-notch mech combat games, Gundam Breaker 4 might just be the one you’re after. Although the fighting isn’t poor quality and there’s plenty of content for those who enjoy it, it’s marred by repetitive tasks, unimpressive AI, and only moderate complexity. The narrative has some intriguing aspects, but it doesn’t do a great job at keeping you hooked.

Despite its quirks, customizing your own Gundam with numerous options and showcasing it through in-game photos (with room for background improvement) or dioramas is quite captivating. In fact, it’s a more budget-friendly alternative compared to investing hundreds of dollars on actual model kits. Whether the appeal outweighs the annoyances is something you might need to decide for yourself.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

2024-08-29 16:11

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