Gundam Breaker 4 Hands-On Impressions – Custom Gunpla Action

Bandai Namco had a huge presence at Anime Expo 2024, which makes sense considering not only do they manufacture anime-adjacent toys and collectibles, but they also develop and publish many video games within the same entertainment space. One large chunk of their gaming-centric booth featured Gundam Breaker 4. We went hands-on with the upcoming build-your-own-mech running on a PS5, and have our impressions available now.

The Wildest Collaboration

The Gundam Breaker 4 booth was decorated with some impressive real-life dioramas, which is a huge part of the allure of Gunpla (the short-hand form of Gundam Plastics, the name of the model kits used in this hobby). We were walked through the booth and given some background on the largest diorama on display. Featuring the unexpected-yet-cool crossover with Call of Duty, the 1:144 scale model depicted three different Gundam operators, each boasting various equipment that you can find in-game (that game being Call of Duty!). It’s hard to understate just how detailed this diorama. It seemed the more you looked, the more intricate details revealed themselves, as is evident in the photos taken. A second diorama was much smaller in size, yet just as intricate as the Call of Duty display. Together, these dioramas gave a sense of the kind of dedication the development team brings to Gundam Breaker 4 when it comes to the little things.

In case you’re unaware, the Gundam Breaker series of games began its run way back on the PlayStation 3. The basic premise is as follows: you can build a custom Gundam mech, with an array of parts, weapons, colors, and more to choose from. You can then take that custom Gundam and take it out to the battlefield, with a story mode and online options on offer.

While our time with the game was brief, we did get a taste of the customization that will be available. There are 250 base sets to start with, and eleven different parts to swap on for each. SD Gundam is also featured, which sports a much different aesthetic. You can mix and match to your heart’s content, and then add weathering effects, decals, choose colors manually or pick amongst various designer-made presets, and more. Honestly, a short demo at a convention meant we only scratched the surface of what’s available. Once we were done setting things up, it was time for a quick battle.

Varied Combat Options

Combat was pretty easy to understand, with a good chunk of both melee and ranged attacks to choose from. Enemies weren’t particularly challenging, though no doubt the difficulty was set fairly low to ensure those who waited in line to play stood a decent chance to experience everything the demo had to offer. I even managed to break off a couple of those enemies’ weapons, which included a new gun that was a clear upgrade from what I had before. After a handful of waves of enemies, a boss appeared, and before I knew it the battle was over. There’s nothing too unique about the combat here, it’s just a solid third-person Gundam game that you’d expect, which is about all we could ask for in a game so hyper-focused on customization.

The key new feature in Gundam Breaker 4 is obvious upon talking to the development team (we spoke with a couple of members via interview ahead of visiting the booth). The Diorama feature lets you take your custom-built Gundam, carefully place it into one of many different static scenes, pose it, add enemies and special effects, and then share the whole thing online for others to enjoy. While some players may rarely if ever venture into this creative mode, no doubt many more will spend hours crafting a unique scene and sharing it with the world. It’s certainly easier to setup than a real-life diorama! Whenever creative tools are given to the public, some amazing creations are all but guaranteed to be generated by the most dedicated of fans. That is one thing the devs said they were most looking forward to: how the tools they have created can be used in unexpected ways to make something never thought possible during development.

Outside of the new diorama mode, dual-wielding is now possible, as is looting. After attacking your enemies with either or both of your equipped weapons, you can break off parts from those Gundam and add them to your collection. As the game itself says: “It’s your loot – you get to keep it and use it!” No word yet on if said loot will come in various rarities, but it’s probably safe to assume that will be the case.

Pick Your Edition

For those who just can’t wait to get their hands on Gundam Breaker 4, there are various pre-order options available. There are four versions of the game to choose from: Standard, Deluxe, Ultimate, and Collector’s. While you can order some of these editions on your favorite digital marketplace, considering this series is all about the physical models, there are extra real-life goodies that can only be acquired by ordering the physical editions. The Standard Edition ($59.99 MSRP) has a special Launch Edition run which includes an 11×17” poster, and the case has reversible cover art. The Deluxe Edition ($89.99 MSRP) is only available digitally, and includes some early unlocks for in-game content along with a season pass for future DLC. Similarly, the digital Ultimate Edition ($99.99 MSRP) comes with everything in the cheaper editions, plus some additional Diorama packs which can be earned in-game but will come automatically unlocked here. Finally, the physical Collector’s Edition ($129.99) comes with a digital soundtrack, an exclusive Steelbook case, along with an honest-to-goodness physical Gunpla model kit which can only be acquired via purchase of this edition.

Gundam Breaker 4 will let hardcore Gundam fans live out some of their Gunpla-centered fantasies like never before. The thousands of customization options combined with the new Diorama mode should help bolster community activity levels, and there is little doubt that shortly after release we’ll see some wild creations from the most dedicated Gunpla fans. Gundam Breaker 4 is currently slated for release on August 29, 2024 on Steam, PS5 PS4, and Nintendo Switch.

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