By: RJ (@rga_02)
- Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn
- Developer - Omega Force
- Publisher - Bandai Namco
- PlayStation 3
- Rating - T
Char is one person my cousin aspires to be. I mean, who doesn’t want to grow up to ride a mech around space and drop an asteroid on a planet? I know I did…..sans the dropping the asteroid part. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn helps me fulfill my long lived dream of riding a mech in space. Combine that with the tried and true formula of Temco Koei’s Musou franchise, and you have a match made in heaven.
Like all Musuo games prior, you plow through wave after wave of enemies while trying to complete your given objective. In most cases, it’s usually “capture the enemies’ zone” or “PURSUE LU BU CHAR”. While it may seem very repetitive at first (especially for first time musou players) there is a incredible amount of depth to all battles. During and after you win battles, you earn new weapons, abilities, parts, etc. all to help you maximize and diversify the experiences you have during battle. While it is extremely aggravating that you have to grind for this nonsense, in the end it’s worth it to see your perfect little Gundam.
Content wise, the game is divided into two parts. Official Mode and Ultimate Mode. Official Mode is the meat and bones of the game. It’s about 25 hours long (or about 4 if you skip all the cut scenes) covering the Gundam series from the original to Gundam SEED Destiny. Official mode is a short recap of the series represented that’s probably akin to something one would write out sparknotes. Ultimate Mode expands on Official Mode by offering “what if” scenarios and other Gundam series such as Wing into the foray. Players who are not heavily invested in the Gundam franchise will probably feel more comfortable playing Ultimate Mode as it is, for a lack of a better word, fan fiction tier.
The Gundams and character portraits are well designed, but that’s where it ends in the art direction department. Like in true Musou fashion, everything else is bland. The fields set on Earth are devoid of anything of eye catching and the fields set in space have nothing climactic at all. The soundtrack of the game is also devoid of any inspiration. While there is a track or two that fits the mood and atmosphere wonderfully, most of the time, it’s just generic music that you could probably find in some C-Tier anime. I was hoping for some sounds that would of have engulfed me into the “I’M IN A GUNDAM IN SPACE” mood, but sadly it just made me turn off the soundtrack while I was playing the game. Voiceover wise, purists will enjoy the Japanese only audio, and Namco has done a wonderful job localizing the dialog to match the Japanese voices.
My cousin will probably never realize his dream to become a person like Char. And I will probably never ride a Gundam. But as long as Musou thrives and Gundam sees its yearly OVA, people like us can achieve that goal, one repetitive battle at a time.