Bandai Namco’s upcoming first-person team-shooter Gundam Evolution is drawing a lot of attention. It's clear that the team behind it has done its research on similar hero-shooters like Overwatch and Team Fortress 2, and the April closed beta test revealed a good grasp of PC gaming in general. How that will translate to the upcoming test on consoles is another matter, but the game is already inspiring a lot of confidence. With a strong core roster of mechs and modes already set and no price tag attached, Gundam Evolution has the chance to make it big upon release.
According to the developers, this was always the intent. Game Rant spoke to executive producer Kazuya Maruyama and gameplay director Ryota Hogaki about the upcoming title's design and ambitions. Evolution is both a Gundam game and a competitive title, and was designed to ensure that neither part would supersede the other. Even so, when the two topics did come up, it seems like the priority was always to make Gundam Evolution the best game it could be. For all the fanservice in its characters and cosmetics, the solid shooter core persists.
Gundam Evolution Was Designed as a Competitive Gundam Title
The two main aspects that will draw people to Gundam Evolution are the name brand and good word-of-mouth. Evolution's free-to-play nature and availability on almost every platform means Gundam fans will naturally flock to it. If the game successfully executes on the experience it intends to deliver, developers hope those people will spread the word, leading to new players being introduced to Gundam. Maruyama said this process is intended to play out on an international scale.
“We are also dedicated to designing a game that doesn’t interfere with the competitive nature of the game genre, even in the smallest of details. One of our biggest goals is to bring an opportunity for people outside Japan to get to know Gundam, and for Japanese people to get used to competitive shooters and enjoy them.”
Gundam Evolution is meant to bridge gaps between demographics that Gundam has not fully penetrated. While there is a passionate Gundam following outside of Japan, the sporadic localization of the franchise combined with its mecha niche has limited its spread. Meanwhile, competitive shooters have not proven as popular in Japan for a number of reasons, one of those being FPS’ tendency to focus on the PC market that isn't as large in Japan. First-person shooters are big in North America and Gundam is popular in Japan, so Gundam Evolution could organically unite both markets.
The Maps in Gundam Evolution Focus on Substance Over Style
Another major design consideration was the game’s battle arenas. Gundam Evolution will ship with three major game types: Point Capture, Domination, and Destruction, each one using a tailor-made set of maps. Maps that involve multiple spawn points, capture points, and different objectives for each team are all present and offer a variety of gameplay opportunities. The generic objectives are common for these types of modes, but this was deliberate to avoid any confusion for those not familiar with the source material. Similar considerations were made for the maps, according to Maruyama, who said they resemble various Gundam locations but share none of their original geography.
“We did not dare to recreate a specific battlefield from the original anime works, but prepared a general-purpose map as a place where mobile suits fight, to the extent that it would minimally affect players’ worldview of the anime series.”
This approach ensures that the competitive nature of Gundam Evolution is upheld at all times, as well as keeping it distinct from the anime. FPS fans should be able to play Gundam Evolution intuitively, with or without knowledge of the franchise. For as much as Gundam focuses on military technology and battle tactics, few of its locations would be suitable for a traditional first-person shooter. Other titles like the Gundam Vs series are able to capitalize on the open nature of most Gundam battlefields, so fans who want accurate recreations of certain scenes should look elsewhere. With teams of mixed units coming together in Evolution, there is fanservice on display more in the sense of representation than re-creation.
Gundam Evolution’s Characters Were Assembled for the Gameplay’s Benefit
The most obvious vehicle for fanservice is the roster, as units from across the franchise are represented in the growing cast. While some of the more iconic mechs had a better shot of getting in, there is a wide variety of machines that provide flexible playstyles. Some mooks and support units got into the base roster before iconic hero and villain mobile suits, speaking to the priorities that went into Gundam Evolution’s roster. Maruyama said this was a result of the approach taken to choosing mecha from Gundam’s cast of hundreds.
“As some of you can probably tell from the lineup, we do not choose units based only on popularity. We first established combat concepts, asking ourselves which weapons to use and how we wanted our players to engage in battle.”
That does not mean concepts and abilities that made each machine unique were left behind, but rather they were worked in alongside carefully designed kits. Some of the more unique abilities are present as G-Maneuvers, such as the Turn-A Gundam's Moonlight Butterfly and the Sazabi’s funnels. Even if they may not fight exactly as they would in other Gundam media, every machine has tools that makes it feel authentic and powerful. This holistic approach to game design supports fanservice with a competitive focus, and vice versa. If Gundam Evolution is able to continue walking the fine line between these features, it could be on the road to success.
Gundam Evolution will hold a closed network test across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S from June 23 to 28.