Today I’m diving into Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom. Developed by Bandai Namco Filmwork, Atlas V and Albyon, Published by Astrea, it released earlier this month on the Meta Store. Retailing at £13.99 the game promises to be a ground-breaking VR experience. But does it deliver on this promise?
Gameplay
So what exactly is Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom? Put simply it is an interactive and cinematic anime movie, set in the original anime Gundam timeline 3 years after Char’s counterattack in the year 0096 Universal Century. This is definitely a game for Gundam fans as some prior knowledge in order to appreciate the story is needed.
The main character Ryuu Minamo is a young pilot with a tragic past. Whilst living a quiet life on a neutral colony, his life takes a dramatic turn when he stumbles upon the Silver Phantom during a skirmish between rebels forces and the earth government. The Silver Phantom seems to choose Ryuu as its pilot bonding with him in a way that feels organic. Reluctant at first Ryuu eventually take up the mantle of the Silver Phantom pilot. This is where you jump in and the adventure begins.
Story Mode
This mode is the bulk of the gameplay of Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom. As you watch the movie the camera is in middle of the scene, giving you a 360 degree view of everything.
Through many parts of the game you are pulled into first person mode with limited movement. For example in some parts the most you can do is pull your left lever to raise your shield. If you’re lucky you can use your right lever to swing your sword whilst using your head (set) to aim at enemies. Its sounds basic but as this was less gameplay and more an interactive story, it felt just enough to keep my interest. Saying that I do wish there was more for us players to control.
Gallery Mode
Explore a wide variety of life sized Mobile Suits and discover the sheer size and beauty as if you were seeing it right in front of you. This is something all Gundam fans such as myself growing up watching all the Gundam tv series will fully appreciate. You are limited to certain points in the hangar which limits your views of each Gundam which can be irritating. But getting the chance to see these mechs up close, even in VR is incredible.
Battle Mode
Graphics & Audio
The mobile suits are detailed and sleek with the Silver Phantom itself standing out due to its ghostly design. Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom utilising the anime 3D cell style is perfect and visually the game looks gorgeous. But this does not overcome the one big issue I had with the game i.e. the amount of loading screens. A loading screen when entering story mode. A loading screen between movie mode. A loading screen whenever you take control of the character. Whilst they look pretty initially, there are so many I felt my gameplay immersion slipping away with every one. Until eventually they became an eyesore. They were also a contributing factor to a sporadic jumpy frame rate.
I don’t have much to say about the audio of Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom. The voice acting itself was good. And is just what you would expect having watched the anime.
Final Thoughts
So is this a ground-breaking VR experience? While it may not completely revolutionize the Gundam formula, Silver Phantom does deliver a unique experience with some highs and lows. As a big Gundam fan I did enjoy this game. Had I not already been a fan, I’m not sure this would have captured me in the same way. If they choose to make more Gundam games, I hope the developers use this game as a stepping stone. I wish I could award this game a gold but I can’t given the issues I ran across. However, given more polish I would definitely up my review score.
For now I award Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom the Thumb Culture Silver Award
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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