I admit that a team-based competitive shooter isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions a game-based game. Gundam mobile suit. And yet, Bandai Namco has managed to make that connection with Gundam Evolution. In adapting the iconic mechanical franchise to the tenets of “hero shooter”, the company opened a new path for Gundam brand. Judging by about 12 hours with the game’s closed Network Playtest, that could be a very worthwhile route to take.
Back when Bandai Namco started advertising Gundam Evolution With clips from the early beta tests, many fans joked that it looked like a Gundam-reception theme Overwatch. It turns out that, in many ways, is true. There is no creative debt Gundam EvolutionBlizzard’s development team is a multiplayer shooter. The good news is that it has continued for good reason. Gundam Evolution sports a set of strong fundamentals. Even within the confines of a limited game test, it delivers a much smoother, more polished, immersive experience than many others. Gundam-branded titles. I love titles like Gundam Versus and Gundam Battle CampaignTheir own idiosyncrasies can turn players looking for a more casual experience away. Gundam Evolution completely familiar, thus making it easier for you to choose.
Gundam Evolution is a free to play game with two teams of six players playing against each other in round robin matches. Each player chooses from a list of playable Mobile Suits (MS) drawn from Mobile Suit Gundam multiverse. Twelve are included at launch, with two more unlockable via game or microtransactions. Each mobile suit is actually a separate character, with a distinct weapon and set of abilities. Unlike other human-scale hero shooters, every MS in the game can use its thrusters to accelerate, hover for a short amount of time, or “quickly step” in any direction. . This makes combat more vertical. It also poses a particular challenge to melee MSs like Exia and Barbatos. However, players skilled in those machines could actually clean up.
Although the information in the game does not assign each MS to a class, each MS description specifies a preferred play style and role in a team. For example, the GM Sniper II is slow, clumsy, and crumpled like paper in fire, but it can take down even the toughest enemies at unopposed range and revive downed teammates from a safe distance. Meanwhile, the RX-78-2 Gundam is a mid-range tank that can advance within range by walking behind its shield and stunning enemies with its thrown Hyper Hammer weapon. My personal favorite, Sazabi, is the giant around shaping team strategies. It is bigger than every other MS in Gundam Evolution and has the slowest default speed. However, it has a large amount of health and can defend itself against flames. At close range, it can melt its target with its beam gun and throw its beam gun to stun enemies. However, it does have a nice trick, which is that it gives a free buff to a nearby ally… or its throw trap. As a result, the often slow Sazabi can “super-jump” by accelerating towards its airborne propellers, covering great distances and traveling at remarkable speeds.
With each MS has a unique play style and characteristics, the key to success in Gundam Evolution is to select characters with complementary abilities and to work together as a team to accomplish objectives. Even the tough Sazabi won’t last long alone, especially not against a nimble Exia or Barbatos’ gorgeous mace. Almost every unit has some ability that can work to support the team. GMs and Pale Riders can throw down healing devices, while the flying Methuss can heal directly through a repair cable or protect an area with a deployable turret. Dom Trooper can deny entire area with mines and rocket launchers, and strengthen allies with its armor gun.
Finding the right team composition for the situation is critical to accomplishing goals. In Network Playtest, these objectives are of three types: Scoring, Domination, and Destruction. Point Capture challenges the Attacker team to two points before time runs out. Domination gives both teams one of three points to contend with, swapping between them at fixed intervals. Demolition is a bomb style factory. Attackers try to plant a “megacharge” on either point, while Defenders try to stop them. Matches are often intense and can go both ways, especially in the early days when people are still learning their favorite MS and figuring out new tricks with abilities and ingredients their team.
Encouraging mastery is the progressive structure of the game. Gundam Evolution is a free and self-supporting game through microtransactions. The demo includes a special 20-level battle pass, which unlocks cosmetics and entrance tickets as the player levels up. The loot box system is very similar to that found in games like Overwatch and Apex Legends. Various cosmetic and customization items can be unlocked by opening loot boxes, with different drop rates based on rarity. Cosmetics come in a wide range from fairly mundane things like profile icons and aerosols to Mobile Suit skins. The MS skins can be pretty casual, like adding a green stripe as an accent, or wild, like the neon green glow on the Gundam Exia. It is also possible to unlock some items manually, by earning “green” in-game currency called “Capital”. Some of the funds given to trial participants were used to unlock Exia and Marasai for immediate use. A green “premium” currency is also earned by getting duplicate items from loot boxes, which can be used to unlock certain outfits.
That said, the limits of trial play were still apparent in my brief time with Gundam Evolution. Despite using the recommended area for my geolocation, I encountered some mid-game dropouts. At this point, the game also applies a rather harsh punishment. It kept me from entering a new match for several minutes. I have also received error messages over and over again saying my account has been suspended, only reinstated if I restart the game.
Another potential problem is readability. Where the original title like Overwatch and Fortress Team 2 deliberately constructed their characters to be easily recognizable, Gundam Evolution constrained by the actual designs of the MS units it uses. And some of those units look quite similar. Even though it’s a Gundam fans, I can tell you I’ve died more than once, mistaking Pale Rider for a GM Sniper or thinking the RX-78-2 was a GM. Perhaps choosing a better or more unique interface would help players see who they were fighting with in sight.
All in all, with the right support and polishing, Gundam Evolution It feels like it has what it takes to develop a lasting presence in the norm of competitive shooters. I give this one, looking forward to squeeze in a few more matches after debut.
Gundam Evolution launching on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S in 2022. The online play test runs from April 8, 2022 to April 12, 2022 for select participants.
