First look: Gundam Rogue Orbit is a good entry point for newbies to the series – but it isn’t challenging enough
With Rogue Orbit, Bandai Namco wants to introduce Western audiences to the Gundam franchise – through a standalone story that doesn’t require any prior knowledge. I was really entertained by it at Gamescom. Well, with two exceptions.
Robots are cool. Giant robots are even cooler. That’s been common knowledge in Japan for a long time now. Here, on the other hand, Gundam isn’t a big deal (yet). But that’s set to change with Rogue Orbit – and Bandai Namco does a good job of ensuring that, as a newbie to the series, I can jump right in without needing to be up to speed with the decades-long Gundam backstory. At Gamescom, I get a turn on the controller for 45 minutes.
A new story in the Gundam universe
Director Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) and author Toh Enjoe are creating a dedicated universe for Rogue Orbit that doesn’t tie into the existing Gundam timeline. I take on the role of RE-X, a human who was created specifically to pilot the eponymous Mobile Suit – the Gundam Helix. After three years of drifting through space while unconscious, RE-X is recruited to help fight a massive threat known as Apocalypse.
Source: Bandai Namco
Rogue Orbit’s game system is centred around three pillars – a traditional Gundam campaign, a fast-paced combat system and extensive customisation options for your Mobile Suit. The gameplay is classic. I customise my Gundam, choose a mission, fight my way through the relevant zone – and the story progresses with each task I complete. I get to play two of these missions at Gamescom.
Into the spaceport armed with the Assault Sword
How the mech feels depends largely on the weapon. There are three options to choose from at Gamescom, spread across three preconfigured builds. The Assault Sword for powerful melee attacks, the Whip Sword, which can switch between close-quarters and ranged combat at the push of a button, and the Sword Lance, which gathers energy through evasive manoeuvres and unleashes it as a powerful ranged attack. Each weapon also comes with its own powerful special attack that I can deploy at any time.
Source: Bandai Namco
For the first of the two missions, I decide to use the Assault Sword. Together with Elaine – another pilot – I’m fighting my way, step by step, through a spaceport occupied by Apocalypse troops. The close-quarters combat is a perfect match for the corridors and platforms. I charge right into the middle of enemy groups, strike, dodge and strike again. First, I take out several standard enemies before reaching the first boss at the end. He’s called Giant, but he doesn’t quite live up to his name.
Source: Bandai Namco
In battle, I seamlessly switch back and forth between ground and aerial attacks. It feels smooth and powerful. I’m aware of the weight of my mech with every step and every hit, yet it moves with surprising agility through the battle. The controls are also easy to get to grips with. Light, heavy and special attacks, plus an Overdrive mode, can be chained together intuitively. It makes me feel a lot cooler than I actually am. The combos look spectacular even when I’m just randomly hammering away at the keys.
Source: Bandai Namco
Fighting a mecha dragon with the Sword Lance
For the second mission, I switch up my build and go with the Sword Lance. That completely changes the game for me. Instead of charging in, I keep my distance, build up energy through evasive manoeuvres and unleash it from distance. Because the two are connected, the evasion itself becomes an attack. So I no longer dodge my foes because I have to, but because I want to.
And it doesn’t stop there – I equip my Mobile Suit with one of two Apocalypse Units. The Sylphid automatically targets nearby enemies and fires on its own, while the Guardian unit creates an energy shield in front of me. If I unleash a lot of damage in battle, a gauge also fills up, unlocking Over-Rise. With this mechanic, my suit will then no longer use energy to boost and will become temporarily invincible with every hit. Combined with a devastating area-of-effect attack – its impact depends on the unit I’m equipped with – this creates some truly impressive moments.
Source: Bandai Namco
That’s probably for the best because in Instinct, Drake’s waiting for me – a true boss battle against a gigantic mech dragon. I really like the enemy designs in both missions, especially Drake. The fight against him also boasts a clever system. I can specifically target and destroy individual parts of the dragon’s body to weaken it piece by piece – a trick that adds depth to the boss fight and encourages me to choose my attacks tactically, rather than just lashing out blindly.
Source: Bandai Namco
The sound catches my attention here, too. The effects are spectacular and perfectly capture the space-science-fiction aesthetic. When my mech boosts, there’s a roar. When the lance hits, there’s a loud crash. The soundtrack hits the mark, too, and even becomes a tool. I follow the beat of the music, which helps me get into a great flow. Evasive manoeuvres and combos flow seamlessly into one another.
By the way, there’s no blocking in Rogue Orbit – you can only attack and dodge. For the latter, I have the Tactical Move at my disposal – an evasive manoeuvre that, if timed correctly, makes me invincible and allows me to circle behind the opponent. In terms of visuals, the game already looks impressive – the battles are crisp and cleanly staged.
Source: Bandai Namco
Two missions, two weapons, two completely different experiences. And that’s without being able to play around with the builds. This gives me an idea of just how different the final version will feel once I can freely experiment with gear and weapons.
Two things that bother me
I’m taking down one standard opponent after another, and I even beat Drake on my first try – as a newbie, using a build I didn’t put together myself. I don’t know if the difficulty level was dialled down a notch for the trade show. I hope so. After all, a combat system that offers so many tools should also force me to use them. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of pressing a button – which looks good but doesn’t ask anything of me.
Also, I never really feel like I’m playing as a giant. I’m controlling a multi-level combat robot, but in these environments, it seems about as powerful as a character in any other action game. I might as well walk through huge halls as a human – the impression would be the same. To be fair, I’m new to the series and can’t tell whether the franchise is even trying to make this comparison of scale or if I’m simply missing the context needed to see it properly.
Source: Bandai Namco
A strong first impression with a question mark
After 45 minutes at Gamescom, I know two things – Gundam Rogue Orbit is great to play. Even though I’m not familiar with the series. The mech feels substantial without being sluggish; the combos look more spectacular than my skill level deserves; and the lack of a blocking manoeuvre forces me to keep moving instead of passively waiting. That’s all rounded off by a sound that makes every hit feel like a punch to the gut. The boss fight against Drake shows that there’s a system behind all the action. If you target specific body parts, you’ll get the job done faster than if you just hit away indiscriminately.
Time will tell whether the game will ever force me to do that. The demo isn’t enough to answer that, and premade builds don’t reveal much about how deep the customisation really goes or how varied the campaign remains over dozens of hours. Rogue Orbit also still needs to find its sense of scale.
Having said that, I’m still looking forward to the game. If Bandai Namco can maintain the demo’s pace throughout an entire campaign and throw a little more resistance my way, the franchise will gain at least one new fan.
Gundam Rogue Orbit will be released on 5 March 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
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