REVIEW: ‘Gundam Breaker 4’ Is A Gunpla Fan’s Dream (PS5)

The Gunpla scene is a dedicated one, full of fans deeply immersed in the world of building Gunpla models and meticulously painting and taking care of them. Gundam Breaker 4 aims to take that creativity and commitment and put it in playable form. It is the first new Gundam Breaker game since New Gundam Breaker in 2018 and is a return to form for the Bandai Namco franchise.

Gundam Breaker 4 has players joining up with the virtual GUNPLA Battle Blaze: Beyond Borders game. Referred to as GB4, this is a way for characters in the game to bring their Gunpla models into the virtual world and compete in battles. It is essentially an MMO within an online mecha game that teeters on the line of being a little too meta.

The player character meets up with Tao and Lin and the trio form a clan within the in-game GB4. This sets the foundation for the story as the group gets a handle on the game and grows their clan. There are new players to recruit along the way but the story is never anything to write home about. Attempts at mystery and intrigue are appreciated but they never hit too hard.

Thankfully, the story is not meant to be the main appeal of Gundam Breaker 4. It is serviceable enough as a delivery device for the gameplay loop of building and upgrading Gunpla models. The three B’s according to Bandai Namco are break, build, and battle, and that is the core loop that players are quickly thrust into.

The first tutorial mission has players enter a battle sequence against a few small waves of enemies. Each Gunpla has two main weapons that can be used. At the start, it is laser swords and an energy beam, and both can be used in tandem. This encourages players to mess around with different combinations to break the opposing mechs. Using these attacks along with the fast-paced movement creates some fun close-up action that is quite satisfying to play.

Defeating waves of enemies is essentially all there is to combat in Gundam Breaker 4. Every mission is some variation of battling waves of weak enemies with a handful of harder bosses thrown in. Occasionally there are extra requirements before unlocking the next stage, but the missions largely feel the same throughout. This was disappointing at first, but once the rest of the loop settles in it is actually somewhat helpful to keep a familiar gameplay loop.

After breaking down enemies, players earn new Gunpla parts used to customize their main Gunpla. The customization options are bountiful and are the real highlight of Gundam Breaker 4. There are parts from over 250 base kits that can be mixed and matched along with paint colors for individual parts. Every battle unlocks some new variant used to customize and create your perfect Gunpla.

Customization is deep but not unwelcoming to new players. The menus are easy to navigate and it is clear what each part adds to the Gunpla. The thought of over 250 kits full of parts sounds overwhelming, but Gundam Breaker 4 threads the needle of allowing players to be as creative as possible without having to read an entire Wiki to figure out how to do so.

The appeal here is that it allows players to enjoy the world of Gunpla building without spending an insane amount of money. Virtual building can never truly replicate the physical act, but it sure comes close. There are so many options that make the Gunpla feel personal to the players. I found myself getting attached to my creations and constantly finding ways to make it look and feel exactly like I wanted.

After building your ideal Gunpla, players hop right back into the action and fight off waves of enemies again. This is where the gameplay loop being the same can help a bit. Learning how to use your new parts and combos is easier when the action stays the same. It would have been preferable to have more of a challenge, similar to a game like Armored Core, but that just is not what Gundam Breaker 4 is going for. It is not meant to be challenging, it is meant to be accessible for new players and a way to bring their Gunpla creativity to life.

Gundam Breaker 4 can be played offline, but the experience is meant to be played online alongside other players. The best part of the game is getting to show off your own creation while seeing what cool combinations other players have come up with. There were several times that I saw something someone else created which inspired me to farm for specific parts to try out the combinations I encountered. Playing with friends can allow players to build Gunpla models that complement each other to make the battles even more exciting too.

Gundam Breaker 4 lets players live out their Gunpla creation dreams in a well-made package. A repetitive gameplay loop and mediocre story are a bit of a letdown but the creativity and action help make the experience worth checking out.

Gundam Breaker 4 is out now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.