The Gundam franchise, despite the multitude of different stories set across its universe, has remained largely consistent throughout. This consistency is applicable to both its quality and its themes. Gundam has always been a story about the tragedies of war, and how it drives wedges between every member of the human race throughout history. So, when Bandai Namco announced the new game, Gundam Rogue Orbit, which pits its characters against aliens, many were concerned that it was straying too far from the series’ core. I was able to try it out for myself, and even if that core may be stretched, the game itself is incredibly fun so far.
In Gundam Rogue Orbit, you take control of RE-X in an ongoing battle against a new alien threat known as the Apocalypse. The backstory of this new threat is unknown, but all that matters is that you are the last line of defense against this mysterious enemy. The demo I played featured two missions that highlighted the gameplay mechanics and a bit of the story. It is also worth noting that the developers spoke frequently about the difficulty in making sure the premise of Rogue Orbit was appealing to both fans and newcomers. Bandai Namco is more than aware of the aforementioned critiques, which makes me wonder if there is more to this alien threat than meets the eye.
Story details aside, the main focus of this demo was the gameplay mechanics. Based on the brief snippet shown at Summer Game Fest, I expected the game to control similarly to the likes of Armored Core. While there are plenty of similarities, Rogue Orbit does a lot that feels very different compared to From Software’s own fast-paced mech-focused action game. For starters, combat is far more melee-focused. There are projectile options, but you will be doing a lot of up close and personal fighting against the members of this alien race.
There are plenty of customization options for those looking to live out their Gunpla dreams while also wanting to optimize their playstyle. Here, we only had the choice between three weapons: an Assault Sword, a Whip Sword, and a Lance. The Assault Sword is a good all-rounder weapon that excels in high damage at medium to close range. The Whip Sword can switch back and forth between a whip and sword form, the former of which works best at range and against multiple opponents. The Lance weapon focuses more on dodging and countering, and seems to work well against single opponents. Of the three, I found myself preferring the Assault Sword due to its utility.
Regardless of what you pick, you will need to keep your wits about you as you fight off members of the enemy faction. While the difficulty may not be as brutal as Armored Core, there are still plenty of challenges that can pop up if an army of aliens swarm around you. In some missions, though, you will have allies fight alongside you to help even things out a little bit. In terms of the moment-to-moment combat, it feels fantastic. It focuses a lot on dodging and flying through the air, but the emphasis on melee combat feels thrilling thanks to just how satisfying the controls are.
This was particularly apparent in the boss level I played through. Once you master your toolkit of abilities and weapons, you can use them to target weaknesses on a bosses body. The feeling of going after a giant monster’s legs and wings as the Gundam’s AI chimes in saying that “left leg damaged” or “right wing severed” is a thrill that I haven’t experienced in quite some time. Even if I only had just over 30 minutes to enjoy Rogue Orbit, it was more than enough to hook me onto its gameplay mechanics.
All in all, I think Gundam Rogue Orbit has a lot of potential. While it is clearly meant to be an entry point for new fans of the series due to its narrative, the promising gameplay loop will likely appeal to everyone regardless of their interest level in the series. I eagerly await the next bit of news about Rogue Orbit‘s story and gameplay in the lead-up to its launch in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
