Do you love giant robots with superpowers fighting at breakneck speeds shooting out futuristic weaponry in all directions? Did you potentially grow up watching shows such as Mobile Suit Gundam or Gundam Wing or even Gundam SEED? Do you think you have the reflexes of a cat on steroids that recently had too much caffeine? If you answered yes, then you are probably in the target market for Gundam Versus
A series dating back over a decade, Gundam Versus is the newest product in a line of insanely popular arcade games kept only in Japan. Years of begging have finally paid off, as Gundam Versus marks the first Western release of the series, coming exclusively to the PlayStation 4. It’s a relatively simple and clean concept: Mobile Suits from almost every Gundam series (sorry, G Gundam, you were too good for this world) have come together to duke it out in a 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 arena. Each team has a set amount of Battle Points, and once those are gone, you lose. On the surface, this is what Gundam Versus is all about, but let’s look a bit deeper.
Being a long-standing franchise has its benefits, as Gundam Versus ships with 106 Mobile suits ready for use. That’s basically 106 unique characters to choose from in a fighting arena, right out of the box. With those characters, you can also unlock and utilize 203 different strikers, or support units that come in and perform a singular attack of some kind. What I’m saying is, there are a lot of Mobile Suits (the Gundam term for mechs, giant robot humanoid vehicle things) in this game, and the developers expect you to play every one of them. Along with the unique arsenal of each Mobile Suit, each comes with its own unlock tree that provides new strikers and cosmetic goodies for your profile.
Along with all these machines, Gundam Versus has a few different ways you can enjoy the gameplay. Trial Battle is a set number of courses against the AI that leads up to a couple boss battles for experience and currency. This is mostly a way to learn the ins and outs of your Gundam without having to get pummeled by other players. In Ultimate Battle, you and a friend or computer face down 15 to 50 waves of enemies, stopping every five rounds to upgrade your chosen Mobile Suit. The best mode for cooperative play, the game likes to layer in some variety as the difficulty increases, making for some fun moments. In my time solo, I got to play a giant boss armor and stomp on 5 tiny Gundams, smiling the whole way through. After those modes, though, Gundam Versus emphasizes the Multiplayer battles with Ranked, Casual, and Custom match modes.
Gundam Versus is tough as hell, simply put. Each Gundam comes with six different attack buttons, and directional input at the time of attack can change the output entirely. Along with those attacks, you also get a boost gauge, meaning these fights go fast. Staying true to its arcade roots, these matches are meant to last a couple of minutes before you’re thrown back to the main screen to choose again. To someone coming from the outside, this can all be really daunting at first. The learning curve is steep, and there are some people who may have multiple years of experience more than you. And did I mention there are 106 different playable units? Good luck learning those movesets. There’s so much strategy and mechanical prowess to learn for each character, that it almost feels like maybe having everything right away is hindering more than helping.
On the bright side, you never really feel cheated in Gundam Versus. Everything is working how it should, and I could point out almost every mistake I made within a match. Perhaps I should have dashed when I boost jumped, or maybe that wasn’t a great time to dive in and slash with my sword. Regardless what it was, I always go into my next match trying to improve on some aspect of my gameplay. That’s really the driving force of this game, though. Past all the cosmetic unlocks, the staying power of Gundam Versus lies in its insistence that you can improve. You’ll want to keep playing matches because you can physically feel yourself playing better with your chosen Gundam.
That’s not to say this game is perfect. The menus can be a bit tedious, and there’s literally no story to be found here. Also, there’s a noticeable benefit to owning a Fight Stick since some of the button combinations are tough to pull off using a standard controller. Plus, if you don’t love at least one Gundam series, I could see it being really tough to pick a starting point in Unit Selection. Last, the gameplay does not sway from that original formula. No matter what, you will be in a box, and you will be shooting at a number of enemies, and that’s that. If that’s not for you, move on.
All things considered, Gundam Versus makes a solid first impression to the series. Coupled with the wonderful variety of playable characters, the 2v2 gameplay is a unique experience every round, and I can’t wait to struggle through the Ranked matches.
Review copy purchased
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