Gundam Breaker 4 Review - Build Fighters

As someone who has been a Gundam fan for a long time, it was always inevitable that I’d cross paths with Gunpla at some point. Gunpla, which is short for Gundam and Plastic Model, has long been a staple of the series and even surpassing traditional media. It’s become fitting then, that it looped back around to the realm of video games with endless customization potential.

But this isn’t the first time that’s happened, as we’re now up to Gundam Breaker 4 – the fourth game in the Gundam Breaker series that brings the customization and building aspect of real-life Gunpla into a virtual space.

That virtual space aspect is played up quite a bit in Gundam Breaker 4 as players are introduced to a digital arcade-like world from the jump, and it’s in this lobby where everything in the game takes place.

The story of Gundam Breakers 4 is simple but effective enough in the way it’s told through chapter-based missions. While it is a sequel to the events of the previous game, it’s clear from the jump that it’s not required for any sort of understanding. The player in-game is a newcomer, and they’re here to take part in the beta test version of the Gunpla Battle Simulator that has since expanded to a home console release.

In the game lobby, another newbie known as Tao along with a female fighter known as Rin start up a clan together with the player, and from there, other fighters of all ranks and experience will show up to try and become allies too – all while some mysterious glitches and curious characters keep appearing in the Gundam Battle Simulator.

Certainly, the story isn’t as crazy as something you might see in say, the Super Robot Wars series, but as a vehicle to get Gunpla parts, it serves its purpose enough with more engaging turns happening after a fairly slow start. I was expecting perhaps a little more narrative-driven focus given the concept of Gundam Breaker 4 isn’t too far removed from what the anime series Gundam Build Fighters did before it, but the most interesting part is meeting all the different quirky characters and the whole concept of them playing a beta test together where things can go awry at any moment.

The gameplay is a little more exciting with an action-focused rogue-like that relies very much on how you customize and put together Gunpla. You’ve got the option to install two ranged weapons such as rifles and other guns, and two melee weapons like the beam saber or axe. There’s actually a huge assortment to choose from and this is the part that makes Gundam Breaker 4 shine the most.

During missions, the base gameplay loop involves executing combos, and the longer you chain one up, the better rewards you might get, which can in turn give you more options for Gunpla building. The key is to land higher ranks at the end of every mission, with S-Rank being the best. Ranking is also determined by how fast you get through each challenge, and how many enemy parts you can Break off by dealing lots of damage.

There are even additional abilities aside from normal attacks. In the Gunpla build menu, you can set Optional and Builder Part skills, which grant special OP Skills based on how much the EX Guage bar is filled up and can deal out stronger attacks. They’re important to set up because some of the boss battles can be really challenging, and you’ll need any advantage you can get.

That said, the hack-and-slash gameplay can get repetitive over time, even when the missions start mixing it up as part of the main story. There’s also an online mode you can play with other people including online leaderboards, as well as a practice mode to test the waters before taking a new build out into the field.

Gundam Breaker 4 also has some quests that unlock Gunpla parts and a Diorama Mode that lets you pose your Gunpla after all your hard work.

So there is a decent amount of things to do in Gundam Breaker 4, but again, the biggest draw is the Gunpla building. There are hundreds of kits available, and just as many parts to collect through the course of normal gameplay. I found the most fun I had with the game just trying to make the ugliest, most extra mobile suit I could.

But after a while, you can collect enough parts to have most of them in a set, and they’ve all got different stats and rarity labeled so it makes it easy to build the best one you want to battle with.

After playing the story for a while, collected parts can be upgraded using the Synthesize menu, with the ability to swap out traits to build the most powerful Gunpla. I could spend hours just trying to put together the best kit, it’s really impressive just how much Gundam Breaker 4 lets you customize all while bringing in those familiar mobile suits from the series.

I could spend hours just trying to put together the best kit, it’s really impressive just how much Gundam Breaker 4 lets you customize all while bringing in those familiar mobile suits from the series. These familiar suits also show up during situations like boss encounters as well, so for example, I ended up having to take on a giant version of the powerful Unicorn Gundam that required a bit more strategy to defeat than the usual grunts.

Gundam Breaker 4 keeps a somewhat stylized 3D look throughout, with characters appearing in an anime style similar to the modern anime series. The mobile suits have a fairly clean look, but they fit when you realize they’re representing Gunpla.

My only gripe is the environments are pretty basic, there’s not much going on in terms of modeling, but it’s a small complaint when there are so many Gunpla parts in the game.

Overall, Gundam Breaker 4 is a game designed for the fans of Gundam. There’s plenty to interact with and recognize from the original series, all while spending time making your own custom model with a massive supply of parts to do so.

The story isn’t the greatest and the hack-and-slash gameplay does get repetitive after a while despite the ability to mix up skills. That said, if you’re just looking for a model kit simulator, there’s plenty of fun to be had until the next Gundam game comes around.

TechRaptor reviewed Gundam Breaker 4 on PlayStation 5 with a copy provided by the developer over the course of 12 hours of gameplay - all screenshots were taken during the process of review.