New Gundam Breaker is next for me. One of those firsts I always mention in my articles. However, I also mention that I relish my firsts and always look forward to them. Games, topics, books, series and even movies I’ve not written about before. They offer new horizons to explore, new projects and even new cultures.
But I also must point out that I did touch on one similar game before. If I go back I’ll for sure find Battletech as a quite similar project. You can too go back to the 2020 article here. Mostly due to the fact that both of the games have Mechs in them, but my covering of anime is not exclusively about mechs. Also, my Castlevania article was a fun project (here) and so was the Phoenix Wright article (available here). But that’s all from the past. I’m here about New Gundam Breaker and solely about that.
New Gundam Breaker: What’s It All About You Might Ask?
Published and developed by Bandai Namco, New Gundam Breaker is the fourth installment in the Gundam Breaker series. The game takes place around Gunbre High School of course. A prestigious Gunpla Battle school in Japan.
You (or Kyosuke) are a second-year transfer student looking to improve your already impressive talents. So you must collect Gunpla parts with friends, and make the ultimate Gundam! Therefore you must defeat your enemies with your Gunpla model. So, collect their parts, and use them to make and battle with your own custom Gundam. In this all-new Gunpla action game! Furthermore, power is everything at this school. And the evil Laplace Nest team rules from on high. Do you have what it takes to bring order to the school and peace to the girls’ hearts?!
Fun fact! New Gundam Breaker is the first in the Gundam Breaker series to be released worldwide. Also, the game’s theme song is Snatchway by Sky-Hi, which is cool.
Get New Gundam Breaker Here At IndieGala!
Yes! Don’t let me forget! New Gundam Breaker is available for purchase here at IndieGala. And for a very limited time only! Hurry up and get it while it’s still hot. The sale is not gonna last that much further. And if you’re a fan of the aforementioned Battletech, then you can get it here as well. It’s just one click away. And for more Battletech projects, you can go right here. Just click here, take your pick and enjoy.
And What Are Some Of The Steam User Comments Saying About New Gundam Breaker?
*Laughing Orc writes: If you happen to enjoy tinkering with ‘mech designs and customization, and especially if you have more than a passing interest in Gunpla… yes, you absolutely should buy this game.
*While Protoslayer 2: If you like Gundams or just games where you build custom robots, you’ll love this game.
And What’s So Special About it?
Granted I’ll discuss the Mobile Suit Gundam anime in this article, but I’ll also focus on the franchise itself. According to my research, it’s one of the most beloved franchises in Japan. And it has a fairly strong influence on different aspects of Japanese society as well. So much so, that I found a Quora answer that compared the influence of Gundam in Japan to the one that Star Wars has in the USA.
I’m not joking about this. Furthermore, It is considered to be the second of the 3 turning points of Anime in Japan. The first is Space Battleship Yamato, and the third is Neon Genesis Evangelion. And set up a whole new Genre in Anime. The Real Robot Genre of course. Thus kicking Anime into a new generation. And here’s the real kicker. According to my research, it’s not particularly flattering to be a Gundam fan in Japan. Indeed. It’s voted as the most Otaku (or negative, socially inept meaning) to watch Gundam. In other words, you shouldn’t really tell Japanese girls you watch Gundam if you plan to impress them. The more you knoooooow.
But Speaking Of The Influence…
Mobile Suit Gundam does have a huge influence on the Japanese culture and I’m here about it. The cultural impact of Gundam if you will. Despite the obvious reputation it harbored over the years. Granted this is based on one white girl’s interpretation of the franchise, so if I do make some errors here… Feel free to correct me in the comment section. Also, I’d love to know your opinion of the franchise as well. Don’t be shy!
First and foremost, The Gundam series originally started as a marketing attempt to expand on Bandai’s toy line and to reach potential fans outside of Japan. But over the years Gundam has since grown into a household name and a budding million-dollar franchise with a worldwide following. Today, The Gundam franchise covers nine universes that comprise a dozen TV series. Moreover, it covers over twenty animated movies and dozens of novels and manga. There’s the Gundam museum in Tokyo, plenty of Gundam academies and magazines as well. Oh and get this! The code name for the under-development Japan Self-Defense Forces advanced personal combat equipment is “Gundam” How cool is that?
More Than Just An Anime!
But Gundam is more than just anime. It’s a cultural phenomenon too. However, the Mobile Suit Gundam anime series had its debut in 1979. Produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise and Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, Gunam premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network. There were 43 episodes from the original air from 1979 to 1980 and it was a smash hit from the start. In 1981, the series was re-edited for theatrical release and split into three films. But even today, the series is responsible for revolutionizing the giant robot genre. Everything you know and love about the genre stems one way or another from Gundam. Without Gundam, we wouldn’t have Transformers and even movies like Pacific Rim for that matter. If you like those projects, you have Gundam to thank for them.
Oh and here’s a fun fact: Char Aznable, the villain in Mobile Suit Gundam (1979), has a huge impact on anime villains to this day. Char’s iconic mask set a milestone for all other anime shows to follow and mimic his “mask” appearance.
Themes And Topics In Mobile Suit Gundam
I suppose the main theme and topic of Mobile Suit Gundam is war. The perils of war to be more precise. Or at the very least that’s how Yoshiyuki Tomino likes to say. How dangerous war is and how it can destroy everything in its path. Even the “Mobile Suits” of the show were inspired by the powered armor from the novel Starship Troopers. Yes. Mobile suits were conceptualized as human-like robots which would appeal to small children, but the message is there. And before the final product, the previous drafts of the series were a lot darker. Hey in one of them Amuro dies halfway through the series. But themes like space colonization are also present in Gundam. Since the story takes place in an imaginary age of space colonization during a conflict known as the One Year War. And I’m sure it’s obvious…
But the anime series promoted the interest in engineering and future robotics technology in many of the children that grew up with the anime. It definitely changed how people envision giant robots. They were no longer feared but understood and accepted. The design of the robots did help in that for sure. Before Gundam, many giant robots and mecha in anime had cartoonish limbs and joints. Tetsujin 28 and the Mazinger Z series are good examples of that. But since the creation of Gundam, more than 500 million Gundam model kits have been sold worldwide. Gundam models have also been sent into space as a promotion for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And yeah. The Gundam mania is not subsiding anytime soon.
Are You A Fan Of New Gundam Breaker?
Let us know in the comments below. And feel free to share your impressions of the Mobile Suit Gundam anime series. We’d love to know all about it.
