System: SwitchRelease date: Might 21, 2025Developer: Bandai NamcoPublisher: Bandai Namco
One third-party title launched in 2012 completely for the PlayStation Vita in Japanese markets was Cell Go well with Gundam Seed Battle Future, a collaborative effort between Artdink and Bandai Namco based mostly on the Gundam IP. A fast historical past lesson for the uninitiated – Cell Go well with Gundam, Kido Senshi Gundam in Japan, was a tv anime sequence that aired between 1979 and 1980 on Japanese TV, adopted by a string of re-edited anime movies launched theatrically within the early Nineteen Eighties. The premise of the unique sequence set sooner or later yr 0079 was a couple of younger man named Amuro Ray, who’s a mechanic tasked with piloting the primary large robotic combating swimsuit, dubbed RX-78-2 Gundam, for its creators, the Earth Federation in opposition to the principality that mentioned federation is in struggle with, Zeon. Cell Go well with Gundam: Seed is the ninth TV anime sequence of the franchise, launched within the early 2000s, adopted carefully by Cell Go well with Gundam: Seed Future in 2004 and a sequel movie launched in theatres as not too long ago as 2024. The plot of SEED additionally focuses on break up factions, this time inside mankind itself, set in one more future yr, humanity has change into two species: Naturals, your regular on a regular basis human, and Coordinators, genetically enhanced human beings who’ve left earth and shaped its personal colonies as a consequence of worry of prosecution from Naturals. This in-fighting solely escalates when a 3rd faction, known as Crops and their militia Zaft, get entangled within the struggle.
Cell Go well with Gundam Seed Battle Future Remastered, which is now on Nintendo Swap and in English for the primary time, is a mission-structure based mostly motion mech-fighter in a vein just like SEGA’s Digital-On arcade video games, the place you enter battlegrounds defending the faction of your selecting as your avatar character you create, or one of many anime sequence characters you unlock via finishing story missions. The sport is split up into a number of mission classes, however your major methodology of unlocking Gundams to play as or completely different pilots to make use of is thru Story Missions, which recount occasions from the anime and its sequel SEED Future, in addition to unique additional missions unique to the sport. There are over 100 Gundams to unlock, and the characters are largely voiced by their unique TV voice actors, which does assist give it a real feeling of belonging inside the subseries. You even have Free Missions, which permits you replay any mission with out restrictions or being held to anybody faction. While you create your avatar, you’ll be able to select to make them a Pure or a Coordinator, which makes them appropriate to completely different Gundams relying on which you play as. You select both to aspect with Earth or its wartime rival Zaft, and head into battle. The UI has been revised for this re-release, and for my cash, it has solely change into extra convoluted and unwieldy.
Regardless of its sturdy content material, my general expertise with Gundam SEED Battle Future Remastered was underwhelming. I discovered the gameplay loop to be fairly repetitive, the sport’s interface to be troublesome to navigate and the mission-based construction to be very irritating. On my latter grievance, this isn’t a difficulty I’ve completely with this title – it’s one thing that tends to plague plenty of video games that have been designed for handheld use when remastered or ported to consoles. Luigi’s Mansion 2 is one other instance, the place it feels just like the circulate of the sport is continually being interrupted as a result of the missions finish at such a fast price. That’s after all as a result of these missions have been designed with taking part in on the go in spurts, on the bus or on lunch breaks in thoughts, so it isn’t a gripe I maintain simply with Gundam. This concern is widespread amongst remastered handheld titles, the place bite-sized design doesn’t at all times translate easily to console play.
My different two complaints are what significantly marred my time taking part in Gundam Seed Battle Future, significantly the bottom gameplay. You select a pilot, choose a Gundam swimsuit, and infrequently alongside your additionally player-created accomplice pilot, who I lovingly named Deadmeat in reference to the comedy movie Scorching Photographs, head into battle. Missions fluctuate between just a few goals, akin to fending off a specific risk, defeating a particular opponent, or destroying a horde of enemy mechas. You’re ranked on missions, by the best way, in a way just like Satan Might Cry. My greatest rank on a mission was SS, so I’m not sure if the elusive SSS rank exists inside the sport’s confines or not, however your rank appears to be based mostly on pace during which the target is achieved, and what number of instances your Gundam has been redeployed. In missions, ought to your pilot lose all their well being, their mech is redeployed and your rank takes a success. What number of redeploys, which function identically to lives, you get depends on stats. I’ll get again to that in a second.
On the bottom Gundam you management, you may have three strategies of assault, your eye lasers are mapped to Y, your sword mapped to X and your sub-weapon gun mapped to A. These weapons change relying on the Gundam. Zaft’s base Gundam has a missile barrage mapped to Y, for instance. The B button is used for leaping into the air, boosting ahead or descending, based mostly on the route you’re holding the management stick. I dislike that there’s a limiter on my floor motion, in that my Gundam slows down for a interval and has to recharge after boosting ahead. In comparison with Digital-On, which is extra movement-heavy and explosive with fight, Gundam Seed is extra tactical. You may concern instructions to your accomplice pilot to melee assault, shoot from distance and extra with the – button, which does give the sport a special taste I recognize, and the completely different particular talents that Gundams and Pilots have do change up the circulate a bit of bit. Most missions are beneath 10 minutes, and that sense of urgency is a optimistic of the mission based mostly construction the sport makes use of. Then, you’re booted again to the UI. Right here’s my drawback with it:
The UI begins off effectively, a Story Missions possibility, a Free Missions display and System & Information immediate, alongside some participant stats on the right-hand aspect. Easy, clear and efficient. Likewise, you select Story missions, and each mission is lined up chronologically with rankings alongside it. Good! My grievance comes within the subsequent lot, if you find yourself prompted to edit your Participant and Companion pilot’s stats. For each, you’ll be able to Choose Go well with, Choose Pilot and Go well with/Pilot SP Assault. Right here, you’ll be able to select Gundams to struggle in and tune up, rearrange which pilots you’re taking part in as, change their talents, and which you’d like to enter battle with. Tuning Gundam stats was one thing I discovered to be an egregious chore. While you need to buff sure statistics, like HP or Thruster output, it’s a must to sacrifice different stats to realize such. I wouldn’t thoughts this an excessive amount of if the sport wasn’t rewarding me with TP and GP factors for finishing missions, which really feel like they need to be put in the direction of no matter stats I select, like within the Mario & Luigi video games. I at all times really feel like I’m getting weaker once I need to enhance my Gundam, and it takes away from that feeling of energy I really feel like I ought to have piloting an enormous robotic with a gun and a sword. These stats are additionally Gundam-specific, to every of the over 100 unlockable fits, in addition to their sub-weapons and melee weapons.
To discuss issues I loved concerning the sport, I feel the visuals look actually first rate for a remaster of a PS Vita sport from inside its launch yr, the voice performing is basically good, and the music and SFX design are all prime notch. You do viscerally really feel such as you’re going into wartime fight, and that anime aptitude does add a singular component that does make you smile whilst you play. The sport can also be commendable for simply what number of choices can be found to the participant: dozens of pilots and an abundance of large robots that every one get unlocked at a reasonably fast tempo as you full missions, and it is extremely satisfying to see your archest of mechas and comrades develop as you play. Contemplating this was locked as a Japan-exclusive to an unpopular handheld for thus lengthy, it’s good to see it attain western territories and abroad followers of the Gundam Seed and Future franchise are certain to have enjoyable taking part in as or teaming up with their favourite sequence characters. There is no such thing as a English dub for this sport (English textual content is supported), so followers of Max Mittelman’s tackle Kira Yamato could also be dissatisfied, however for a title like this, having an English launch in any respect is incredible.
Cell Go well with Gundam Seed Battle Future Remastered is a fan-focused revival full of content material, but it surely’s weighed down by dated mission construction, clunky UI, and shallow fight. Hardcore Gundam Seed followers will doubtless take pleasure in piloting iconic fits with genuine voice work, however newcomers could discover restricted attraction. At $40, it’s price ready for a sale except nostalgia is asking.
Cell Go well with Gundam Seed Battle Future Remastered copy supplied by the writer for the needs of this assessment.
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