This preview includes interview quotes that have been edited for clarity.
To say that Mobile Suit Gundam is a pop culture phenomenon would be an understatement. The Japanese mecha media franchise has grown to become a household name since the debut of Yoshiyuki Tomino’s original 1979 anime series, and is beloved by fans around the world with over 50 TV series and films. Then there is the multimillion-dollar Gunpla industry – perhaps the most recognisable type of plastic model kit.
But while the franchise might be known for its toys and shows, things get a little more complicated when it comes to Gundam video games.
Like its other media counterparts, there has been no shortage of Gundam games over the years – over 250, in fact. Unlike its shows and Gunpla though, reception of these games has been far more mixed, especially in recent years. That’s not to say that there haven’t been any great Gundam games – the Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs franchise, for example, was a big hit in arcades – but in terms of modern console releases, most recent entries, like the Gundam Breaker franchise, tend to focus on fan service, like collecting different mobile suit parts, rather than actual gameplay innovations.
Gundam Rogue Orbit marks a bold step forward for developer Bandai Namco Studios, as it brings a number of firsts. Rather than being based on any existing anime or manga series like other games, it is set in a brand-new universe and timeline within the wider Gundam saga, and instead of fighting other mobile suits, it has players fighting against an alien threat. And after an hour-long preview of an early build of the game, it’s obvious that the upcoming game is set to offer not just the expected fan service, but also a healthy amount of gameplay depth.
The preview session was split into two missions, each lasting around 10 minutes each. The first sees players taking on the standard mission formula of facing groups of smaller fodder foes along a set path before battling a bigger boss enemy, while the second comprised a single boss encounter with a massive, dragon-like foe.
On the surface, Gundam Rogue Orbit might seem like another massively popular mecha game, 2023’s Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, but in practice, there’s a notable difference. While the latter presented a high skill ceiling and difficulty, this upcoming Gundam game is a much more accessible title for action game genre fans.
One of the biggest differences Gundam fans would notice upon booting a mission is that, unlike past games or the wider anime franchise, which sees Mobile Suits duking it out using all manner of rifles, cannons, and beam sabres, Gundam Rogue Orbit puts a heavy emphasis on its melee combat, with ranged weaponry largely taking a backseat.
According to game director Yoshiyuki Serizawa, who spoke to Geek Culture and other members of Southeast Asian media during an accompanying interview, this decision was made to leverage the team’s expertise.
“One of our strengths in working with the action game genre is in this kind of battle style,” explains Serizawa, referencing past titles from the studio, including 2023’s Tales of Arise and 2026’s Code Vein 2.
“And it was only one of the ways to really gain the trust of our fans to try the game, as close combat was the best way to express Gundam in the game.”
While the missions themselves were short, the most interesting aspect of the preview was that it gave us the opportunity to try these two missions using three unique Assemblies (gear loadouts) – Assault Sword, Whip Sword, and Sword Lance – each bringing their own unique skills and gameplay styles.
The Assault Sword Assembly provided the most balanced playstyle, armed with a giant two-handed greatsword and a grappling hook to quickly close the gap between enemies. Apart from performing the standard light and heavy attacks, each Assembly also brings unique abilities to the table, with the Assault Sword able to do a quick forward strike, as well as a wide arcing slash that leaves behind a trail of damage-dealing energy.
Each Assembly also offers a unique gameplay style, with the Assault Sword focused on charged attacks by holding down the attack key. While this makes strikes slower, the aforementioned grapple ability, which is also unique to the Assault Sword, helps to make up for the reduced speed with extra mobility, making it a beginner-friendly loadout capable of acquiring targets quickly and dealing serious damage.
The Whip Sword, on the other hand, offered a completely different style altogether. As its name suggests, this kit featured a sword that is able to extend into a whip, allowing for wide-hitting strikes that are built for crowd control. Similarly, its two special abilities are also designed for group encounters, with the only downside of using whip mode being that it rapidly drains the mobile suits’ energy capacities, which are used for dodging or hovering, and if a player isn’t careful, depleting it will cause an overheat, leaving them vulnerable for a set amount of time.
Finally, there was the Sword Lance, which offered the most interesting of the three gameplay styles. This kit is built around attack combos, and every time a player performs a strong attack, be it via combo enders or sidestep attacks (a strong attack after dodging), it builds up a special ability gauge, and once filled, players can unleash a Beam Phalanx, an attack that sends out projectiles which track nearby enemies. This way, the Sword Lance was the most mobile of the bunch, dodging around enemies in a fight and unleashing damage at both close and medium range.
Another notable aspect of gameplay was movement, which felt weightier and more grounded than past Gundam titles, or even titles like Armored Core. Again, finding the right balance between mobility and the feeling of piloting a giant mech suit was something the team focused on getting right during development.
“Gundam games are all about high-speed action, but we also needed to consider the weight that comes with piloting a giant Mobile Suit,” explains Serizawa. “Of course, if we made it too slow, it won’t be much of a high-speed action game, but we still wanted players to really feel the weight of the Mobile Suit moving as they play, which is why we went for a more tactical feel to speed and action.”
Playing as a Gundam, you would expect to be literally the biggest player in the room, but that’s not the case in Gundam Rogue Orbit. Now faced with an apocalyptic threat, players will be going up against much larger foes this time around, with the second mission in the preview pitting players against Drake, a giant dragon-like creature.
Despite its size, this foe was surprisingly mobile too, thanks to its wings, allowing it to soar high above the battlefield to rain down projectiles on the player. To counter this, the game features a “break” system, but unlike the one seen in the Gundam Breaker franchise, players will be breaking off an enemy’s limbs not to collect them for parts, but to change the flow of battle.
The preview’s boss had three “break” points, two in its wings and one on its tail, with players able to manoeuvre around the foe to land strikes against that particular limb. Deal enough damage, and these limbs will break off, not only dealing massive stagger damage that can leave the foe vulnerable, but also outright disabling some of its abilities, such as flight, at least until the limbs regenerate, allowing players to gain the upper hand.
Another way players can gain an extra edge is with AP-Units and their ultimate Over-Rise ability. The former are essentially additional tools players can bring into a mission to complement their playstyle, with the preview giving us a set loadout for each Assembly comprising a set of drones that can be sent out to hunt nearby foes and a deployable shield to absorb projectiles.
Over-Rise, on the other hand, is an ultimate state players can enter once they deal enough damage to foes, powering up their speed and attack power and allowing them to use special abilities without cooldown for a set amount of time. Additionally, in Over-Rise mode, players can also unleash an ultimate attack, the AP-Unit Burst, which performs a devastating blow depending on which AP Unit they have equipped.
While we were only able to try out two missions and three Assemblies, Gundam Rogue Orbit will feature more in-depth customisation on launch, allowing players to customise their Mobile Suits with different parts, and from a quick teaser video shown during the preview event, these can range from original designs to those that seem inspired by iconic Gundam across the franchise such as the RX-78, Unicorn, or the Sazabi. While this will surely excite every Gundam game player’s inner collector, the more interesting aspect here is, no doubt, the different Assemblies on offer, and hopefully the game will feature more complex weapon kits in the full release to cater to multiple playstyles.
At the core of it all, however, lies a strong focus on Gundam Rogue Orbit’s single-player campaign experience, which marks quite a shift from the usual affair seen in other franchise titles, which often focus on multiplayer combat or retelling the anime franchise’s storyline from different angles. While the team was tight-lipped on the game’s plot due to spoilers, it’s apparent that they are pushing for a more fleshed-out narrative this time around.
“There are three aspects to the game – Mobile Suits, the war, and the human drama,” explains Serizawa. “We want players to feel as though they are getting into an 18-meter-tall mech, that experience of getting into the catapult and blasting off into space, but this time we also want to tell a very human story.”
“Normally in Gundam, it’s humans fighting against humans, countries against countries in their Mobile Suits, but now they are going against an apocalyptic threat, so we want players to feel the experience of becoming an ace pilot, and what it means to have the freedom of the entire world in their hands.”
Gundam Rogue Orbit will launch on 5 March 2027 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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