Gundam Breaker 4
- Game mechanics – 84%
- History – 62%
- Music – 68%
- Graphics – 78%
Summary
Gundam Breaker 4 is more than just another game based on an anime franchise, it’s geared towards Gunpla modelling and those who may not have the space to fit boxes of Model Kits anymore. The premise is entertaining without needing to be deep and it makes a good effort to give you the tools to create your perfect Mobile Suit, something you may not be able to do in the real world.
- Genre: Action
- Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch
- Release: 08/28/2024
- Publisher: Bandai Namco
- Developer: CRAFTS & MEISTER Co., Ltd
Even if we don’t want to, there are games that you can click on right away. It can be an RPG, something about sports, airplanes, fighting or maybe robot combat. All things considered, if you are good at Armored Core, you will know how to play it. Gundam Breaker 4…Maybe with 3, 2 and 1 too, but very specifically with 4.
But why touch on the subject so suddenly? Gundam Breaker 4? What’s so special about this game that is from a very specific niche, which is Gunplas assembly? Well, when you are a fan of an anime series and it has a spinoff that is very far from its lore, you think it will be a cheesy, poor or unnecessary product, but after playing it you understand better what its objective and benefit is for the fans.
You see, Gundam Breaker 4 It alone addresses a few issues I have… Playing with Gunplas in an environment where I know they won’t fall apart just by moving them one step, putting them in positions in a diorama to take pictures, combining them to create other designs. All of those things that I can’t do in real life I can do in this game, and with a very cheesy story in between and just “good” gameplay.
Maybe I’m being too positive about a product that looks mediocre at first glance and whose graphics are locked in 2 or 3 generations ago, but somehow I found the charm. There’s a reason the Gundam assembly theme even has its own series and competitive scene. Yes, that’s how big this Bandai toy franchise is, when you put one together, you look at it and marvel, you’re already buying paints, markers and so on… Then you put boxes together and it becomes a vicious circle.
Gundam Breaker 4 point by point
Here you can afford to play with Gunplas
Collecting Gunplas is a complex hobby because it requires time to assemble and space to place the figures. You even need a place for so many boxes that you won’t throw away because they look too big. Let’s say you stop buying because it gives you a guilty conscience and you understand that it doesn’t make sense to keep accumulating.
Well, if you’re in that limbo, Gundam Breaker 4 comes to calm those cravings… Or maybe make them worse. You see, this game is hard to explain because it is a world outside of everything you know about Mobile Suits. This is a product that celebrates collecting and assembling figures and then what is the combination of pieces. This means that you can freely customize all those Gunplas.
At first you think they’re going to look ugly, and you end up recreating the Mobile Suits you already know. You make the MKII, the Nu Gundam, and others. You can even put the arms of the Zakus on them. I mean, you can create things that Amuro Ray and Char Aznable would question you about. Now, take all that to a battlefield, and the situation changes completely.
The idea of facing other Gunplas on a battlefield doesn’t sound bad at all. It’s entertaining and fans will love it. But how does it work in practice? Well, that’s a different story and we don’t live on good intentions when we’re talking about video games.
Explaining the concept of Gundam Breaker 4 is certainly complicated
Okay, the scenario of Gundam Breaker 4 It puts you in the role of a new character, an individual who is getting into the Gunpla theme and starts with an RX-78 – you know, the traditional one -. From there the game begins, you start fighting other figures that don’t look as customized yet and you are reminded of the anime series that you have surely already seen.
From there, a guy starts giving you a tour of the missions, explaining that you can collect pieces from other Mobile Suits, that the point is to edit and improve the stats of your Gunpla and then you go to other duels. The game system is very clear, you have close attacks with a beam saber and also at a distance with your Bulcan or rifles.
As you progress, you get the idea that you have to learn to dodge, apply special moves and take advantage of every resource at your disposal. The fun part is that with each battle you get very specific pieces and you start editing the Mobile Suit. It’s a kind of repetitive circle where you modify your robot, then you launch into the mission, defeat your enemies, get items and that repeats itself.
It seems like a kind of vicious circle, but as you progress and face other enemies and the story develops, you realize that behind so much Gunpla, you have a fulfilling experience, without being pretentious and perfectly thought out for those players who are fans of the concept created by Yoshiyuki Tomino.
Your free space to be creative
I think the main joke of Gundam Breaker 4 You have the freedom to create things you wouldn’t dare to do in real life because those High Grade figures aren’t cheap. You’re not building LEGOs, but you can get creative with paint and so on. That makes the game purposeful and fun as you go about finding that perfect Mobile Suit just the way you want it.
Playing with your figure’s stats is an exercise that can be daunting and overwhelming, especially since you’re messing with the helmet, torso, arms, legs, and also weapons. Considering that you’ll need a shield and swords, the game gives you enough tools to find a playstyle.
As I told you a few paragraphs before, you feel that the great thing about the experience is having your Gunpla even, but Gundam Breaker 4 It is designed to let your imagination run wild and find that perfect model. This may not seem like enough of an argument to play, but deep down it is.
The story of the game itself is far from perfect, it’s even predictable. The combat mechanics are average, especially if we compare it to Armored Core, which is also a robot game. You’re playing with plastic models, but with steel pieces in scenarios that look like they’re made of cardboard but have physics. In short, it’s an experience that you shouldn’t take seriously and that you get stuck with it. The joke is that you play it and enjoy it for what it is.
Gundam Breaker 4 is not a graphic marvel, but it holds its own
After a few hours of multiplayer, and also after playing the campaign and doing missions, you realize that you have fallen into the clutches of a game that is, in appearance, very basic. Which is not a bad thing. Without being some kind of Stockholm syndrome, you are faced with a very simple game where the only thing that is very careful are the Gunplas.
The stages do look cardboardy and lack any outstanding detail, the effects can be a bit poor, but yes, the sounds are those of the anime, so we are doing well there. The combat is not perfect, but it is not poorly executed either. Let’s say that there will be times when the experience will be truncated when the Mobile Suits are not in a good position to fight.
I think this is one of those games wh
ose value lies primarily in the robots and nothing else. Gundam Breaker 4 It’s more about how the Mobile Suits look and your ability to edit them and let your imagination run wild. In that department, the game fully fulfills its task and you will enjoy it a lot.
Once you get your hands on the dioramas and all the customization stuff, you realize that the game does enough to keep you going and investing time, especially if you’re a big fan of this modeling theme. Gundam Breaker 4 It may be a good entry point for those new to the series, but don’t expect RTX and deep detail everywhere.
Should you buy Gundam Breaker 4?
The truth is that Gundam Breaker 4 It’s a nice surprise. I must add that I’m a fan of this franchise, so I fell for it softly. Could I recommend it to someone who doesn’t know this anime? Not really. This is a product perfectly designed for modeling lovers and nothing more. I must add that I haven’t touched the previous titles, so I also got to know a product that has already gone through several adjustments since its first release a little over a decade ago.
Gundam Breaker 4 is more than just another game based on an anime franchise, it’s geared towards Gunpla modelling and for those who may no longer have the space to accommodate boxes of Model Kits. The premise is entertaining without needing to be deep and makes a good effort to give you the tools to create your perfect Mobile Suit, something you may not be able to do in the real world.
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We played Gundam Breaker 4 on PC with a code provided by a Bandai Namco representative in our region.
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