The franchise Gundam turned 45 years old last April 7th and what better way to celebrate it than a new installment of Gundam Breaker. This is the fourth (4) numbered game in the franchise Gundam Breakerbut it is the sixth to be released. The last game in this franchise was New Gundam Breaker (Review) in 2018. However, far from living up to the iconic PS3 and PS Vita releases, New Gundam Breaker was a disappointment for fans of the franchise. So in our review of Gundam Breaker 4we will tell you if this new release is worth playing.
But before we start with our review of Gundam Breaker 4we remind you that the franchise created by Yoshiyuki Tomino not only earns money thanks to the anime. It is also very profitable with its line of plastic model figures, which are produced by Bandai for Japan and in recent years have begun to be distributed in our region. These models are known as Gunpla (ガンプラ), an acronym for “Gundam Plastic Model.” Although this term refers more to the activity of building the models, than to the figures themselves.
Gunpla is so popular in Japan and among its fans around the world that since 2013 it began to consolidate itself as anime franchise and manga. In addition, in that same year the first Gundam Breaker for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, which was well received by fans and critics in Japan. Now, Gundam Breaker 4 arrives to continue that legacy being the first numbered title in the franchise to have a global release.
The story of Gundam Breaker 4 pleases fans of the franchise
The story of Gundam Breaker 4 takes place six years after the events of the third installment. Now, the Gunpla battle simulator has evolved and players do not have to go to an arcade to play. Gunpla Battle Blaze: Beyond Borders (GBBBB) is a home system, with which players can enter Gunpla battles from their own home. We assume the role of a player who has just entered to test the game’s beta. Upon our arrival we will meet several characters—friends, rivals, and antagonists—and we will begin to participate in a series of Gunpla battles that help us understand GBBBB. As we advance, our character begins to attract the attention of formidable adversaries and along with the progress of the story we see the return of characters from the previous installment of the game and the ‘anime’ Gundam Breaker Battlogue.
Fortunately, it is not entirely necessary to know the history of previous games to understand the history of this one. Gundam Breaker 4. However, although it is far from the chaos of history that we saw in New Gundam Breakerthe narrative is not the game’s strongest point. The story of Gundam Breaker 4 It is superficial at times, with conflicts that are resolved in a simple way and subplots that are forgotten. Additionally, the absence of a customizable avatar reduces immersion. This is because our player is represented by his Gunpla, which leads to dramatic moments that are overshadowed by how comical our Gundam looks when reacting with human gestures.
Gundam Breaker 4 It is a satisfactory evolution of the original formula
Before we get into the gameplay of Gundam Breaker 4 We want to make it clear that this is a game for a more casual audience. So —despite having improved greatly compared to the previous installment— the gameplay of Gundam Breaker 4 It’s fun, dynamic, but it hardly comes close to the depth and complexity of games like Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme vs. Maxiboost On (Review). On this occasion, Crafts & Meister —responsible for the development of the game— have focused the player experience on Gundam Breaker 4 two fundamental pillars. The first is the deep customization of our Gunpla. Meanwhile, the second pillar is —as we said before— a dynamic and satisfying combat system.
The path to building the perfect Gunpla
Personalization is at the heart of Gundam Breaker 4. The game features over 250 base kits and the ability to customize 11 different parts of the Gunpla. In Gundam Breaker 4 We can mix and match pieces from different Mobile Suits—from anime and manga series, or original models that are only sold as Gunpla—from both arms and legs, to heads and a wide variety of weapons, to create a unique Mobile Suit that can reflect our play style and tastes.
Each part has a direct impact on our Gunpla’s stats and abilities. This allows us to create builds specialized in melee combat, ranged attacks, or a balanced combination. In this sense, Gundam Breaker 4 stands out even more. Since, one of the most interesting novelties is the possibility of customizing both arms independently. Thanks to this we can equip different weapons and shields on each arm, opening up a range of unique strategies and combos.
Almost infinite possibilities
The parts we collect through the different missions or confrontations of Gundam Breaker 4 They have different levels of rarity, which influence their power and the number of slots available for permanent bonuses or EX and OP skills. As you progress through the game, you can unlock “synthesis” which is a mechanic to “evolve” parts and increase their rarity to unlock even more customization options.
The synthesis system allows us to combine—or fuse—parts to transfer or inherit traits and abilities between them. This way we have full control over the characteristics of our Gunpla. With synthesis we can enhance specific attributes, such as speed, attack power or resistance, of the parts, in order to further adapt our Gunpla to the style of play we are looking for. In addition to this we have the Photo, Gallery and Diorama modes. The latter allows us to create elaborate scenes with our Gunpla, adjusting poses, backgrounds, special effects and much more.
A dynamic, intuitive and highly addictive combat
Now that we are clear about all the tools and possibilities that Gundam Breaker 4 gives us the chance to create our Gunpla, it’s time to take it to the battlefield. The combat in Gundam Breaker 4 It’s fast, fluid, action-packed and very easy to understand. The new dual-wield system allows us to equip two melee weapons and two ranged weapons at the same time.. With this in mind we can already imagine that the possibilities of creating devastating combos are quite wide.
In addition to the weapons we have equipped on our arms, in Gundam Breaker 4 We have a series of skills linked to parts and pieces that are attached to our Gunpla. These are the EX and OP skills. The EX are powerful special skills that are charged during battle, of these we can only have a maximum of four active for use in battle. Unlike the EX, we can equip our Gunpla with a total of eight skills that offer utilities such as combat improvements or additional weapons.
Worth it or not Gundam Breaker 4
The structure of Gundam Breaker 4 is based on completing missions. Missions vary, from total elimination of enemies (although most of the time it is enough to eliminate the main target) to defending strategic points. However, missions do become repetitive.
Fortunately, the thrill of collecting parts from defeated enemies, the chance to obtain rare pieces, and the confrontations with giant enemies (GP)—along with the story development—keep the player interested.
Review made with a digital copy of Gundam Breaker 4 for Steam provided by Bandai Namco Latin America. The game is also available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch..
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