Bro, do you even Gunpla?
I am a relative newbie to the Gunpla scene but I am a long time Gundam fan. The only Gundam Breaker game that I have played before this fourth entry was the ‘New’ Gundam Breaker game which was supposed to be a reboot of the series, I guess. Longtime fans of the series have expressed that it is the worst entry but as someone that was just looking for some Gundam action it was passable. Gundam Breaker 4 is a veritable smorgasbord of content, and if you are a Gunpla lover this is one Gundam game that you aren’t going to want to miss.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: PC (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
The story mode of Gundam Breaker 4 takes place in the virtual world of GBBBB, giving off a ‘game within a game’ type vibe like the Sword Art Online games. In the game world the ‘game’ itself is still in testing and players will enter the world as a new player and quickly befriend Tao who is using a new to the series Gundam SD suit. Soon after the duo befriend a girl named Rin and the new friends form their own clan. As the story progresses other characters will join up and become rivals all the while the trio contend with odd glitches and mysterious going-ons within the beta test of the GBBBB. It works to push players from battle to battle, but this story isn’t great at all. That being said, Gundam Breaker 4 is saved by its stellar combat and abundance of unlockables.
Players are able to build the Gundam of their dreams with the large assortment of parts available in GB4. Aside from choosing chest, arms, legs, heads and back parts players can equip an assortment of weapons to ensure that their mobile suit is lethal like no other. Players will have the option to install two ranged weapons such as rifles and other guns, and two melee weapons like the beam saber or axe. Different weapons are rated to make it easier to remove parts off enemy mobile suits, the assortment on display here is where Gundam Breaker shines he brightest. The sheer amount of customization is insane, players can even paint and add weathering effects to their suits.
Gameplay in Gundam Breaker 4 is a hack-and-slash affair that as much fun as I had in the onset, sadly I must say it gets repetitive kind of quickly. During missions’ players will have to destroy this, or guard that; you know basic stuff. The combat is at least pretty fun, players will have to execute combos on enemies and the longer the chain can be kept up – the better the rewards, which gives new options for Gunpla builds. In addition to the melee and ranged weapons, pilots will have additional parts that imbue their suits with special skills that are fueled by the EX gauge. There are hundreds of parts that players will have to choose from as I said even the deformed Gundam SD models can be kit bashed with the normal models; fans will be able to make the Gundam of their very dreams.
As a Gundam fan I went into Gundam Breaker 4 really wanting to love it, and while I enjoyed parts of the game; ultimately it didn’t hit the spot for me. The story felt that it may have been aimed at a younger audience and the combat, as great as stomping around in a mobile suit is; it just became very repetitive. What Gundam Breaker 4 does extremely well though is offer an almost endless number of parts and suits to chase, build and customize. There is even a diorama that players can unlock where they can set up their own scenes featuring any suits they may have built. This is a game that clearly knows its audience, and if you are a gunplay fan then this is THE Gundam video game for you.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
