Gundam Evolution Review – A New Hero Shooter

Our Gundam Evolution review will cover the most recent addition to the franchise’s vast line of video game series, and it just recently made its console debut after first appearing on Steam in September of this year. Most Gundam games are third-person brawlers or action games, but this one is a free-to-play FPS, which is unusual for the genre.

So the question to ask is, does the game have what it takes to succeed in a genre dominated by modern shooters? Our review will go through the mechanics and features that make Gundam Evolution work in order to answer that question.

Story And Setting

Gundam Evolution doesn’t really have a grand narrative as other hero-shooters do. Additionally, it doesn’t appear to include a story mode or single-player campaign, but if the central conflict of any Gundam series is any indication, the Gundams are almost certainly defending their independence from the oppressors.

Additionally, as it is a competitive title, no plot should be anticipated here like in most other titles, and for completely new players, that might be a turn-off. But hardcore fans of the franchise can revel in the knowledge of which series each mech belongs to, and how powerful they are within their own series.

Gameplay

Gundam Evolution is built on the principles of many hero shooters that came before it. Players assemble 6v6 teams and engage in combat in a variety of objective-based modes, using a variety of iconic mobile suits and mecha that are tailored to specific roles and niches. To accomplish these goals, whether that be dropping a bomb on a target objective, holding down a control zone, or attacking or defending target areas to advance the battle, you must cooperate with your team. Your kill-to-death ratio is essentially useless if you are unable to play the objectives. 

The game has 17 Gundams, each with its own special abilities and secondary jobs. The game was designed with one key gameplay philosophy in mind: any hero can fight. Even if a unit is designated as a support unit, it can also go on offense. 

Methuss for instance has impressive mobility, and one of its abilities allows it to briefly transform into a flying ship. It packs excellent firepower and is excellent at reviving at a distance with its healing ability. And because each unit has that level of adaptability, more characters feel like viable options for a diverse range of tasks.

And while getting kills is necessary to further secure a match objective, some of the tension during matches is created by a player’s ability to soar into a point with a strategically placed boost, score a few crucial shots, and then swiftly escape. Like all abilities, the dash has a finite number of uses, so players must monitor their meters to make sure they are using the ability when it is most advantageous. 

The shooting and mobility in the game aren’t precisely sluggish or inaccurate, they’re just unremarkably ordinary. The hitboxes also appear to be a little erratic, which is one drawback of having mobile suits with different body proportions and if you’re not an expert, it may feel nearly impossible to land shots given how quickly the action unfolds. 

Each unit also has access to numerous gadgets that are effective at providing variation in combat as opposed to the primary weapons you have access to. This does not imply that every Gundam is a carbon copy of another though, and there are distinctions between Mobile Suits that can plant ground mines, heal allies, or morph into airships in order to serve a specific purpose.

Three different game modes are available right now, namely Domination, Point Capture, and Destruction. Domination has both teams battling for possession of a point that varies throughout the battle, while in Point Capture, one team defends some points while the other attacks. And Destruction has one team attempting to plant a bomb while the other team defends the site. 

Map diversity is one place where Gundam obviously needs some improvement, as the current roster is pretty bland and the stages lack the distinctive designs that other games in the same genre possess. In the Gundam television shows, battles take place in crowded cities, military bases, gloomy space stations, and on worlds that resemble deserts, and none of that diversity can be seen here. And while it seems like there’s still room for the live service game to grow in coming updates its kind of disappointing to see what we have access to right now.

Visuals And Performance

Now mechanically speaking, the game’s graphics are fairly decent, but they are lacking any of the real charms of the Gundam franchise. Yes, this is technically a military shooter where giant robots are blasting each other to bits, but it doesn’t have to look as generic as it does. There’s little to no color, and the whole thing is a mix of grays and browns that can be just ugly to look at.

The maps themselves are also an issue, as they fall woefully short of my expectations in terms of aesthetic appeal. The layout and design aren’t terrible, but visually they all seem to resemble generic sci-fi. I wish the game made more use of the extended lore that it is based on to create interesting settings, like in the Thunderbolt sector, during the attack on Odessa, or on the Gryps colony laser. Place a map in any of these scenarios, and you’d have a killer map to play in.

Verdict

Fans of the franchise will have a blast playing Gundam Evolution since it delivers on its promise to allow you to pilot the mechs from some of your favorite series. But it also only delivers a different, less successful attempt to imitate the Overwatch concept, and it can look downright uninspired to boot.

Despite this, the game features thrilling team-based gameplay and fast-paced combat. It’s a fun team-based Gundam shooter, despite its flaws. I had a lot of fun with it, and you will too if you keep your expectations in check.

This has been our Gundam Evolution Review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles.

• Warhammer 40,000 Darktide Review
• The Callisto Protocol Review
• Need for Speed Unbound Review
• Call of Duty Warzone 2 Review
• Gungrave G.O.R.E Review
• Tactics Ogre: Reborn Review