Continuing its push to bring the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise into the spotlight, Bandai Namco has announced a brand-new game – Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 3. As its name implies, it will be a new iteration in the Battle Operation franchise set in the Mobile Suit Gundam multiverse. The title has been announced for PC and PS5, and doesn’t yet have a release date.
The free-to-play game will be focused entirely on multiplayer, and Bandai Namco has described its core gameplay as tactical online team combat where players will sortie into large-scale battles. As such, team composition will play a key role in these fights, so players will have to be careful when setting up their Mobile Suit loadouts. There are plenty of options, from long-range firepower to close-range combat with massive melee weapons. Along with this, each Mobile Suit will also have its own unique abilities.
Along with mech combat, Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 3 will also feature ground combat, allowing players to leave the cockpit to complete a variety of objectives that require dexterity, like planting bombs or calling for support. The interplay between on-foot combat and mechs will be quite interesting to watch play out, since players will have to rely more on stealth to avoid being completely destroyed by an enemy Mobile Suit.
Between missions, players can hang out at the Base Camp, which serves as the central hub for players across the world. While the company hasn’t offered too many details on what the Base Camp will entail, it is likely to also feature cosmetic items that can be used by players to showcase their progression throughout the title.
This is the second major Gundam game that is in development; Bandai Namco has also been working on Gundam Rogue Orbit, which is slated for release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 5th. Focusing more on a single-player campaign, Gundam Rogue Orbit will feature fast-paced mech combat. The title got a trailer earlier this month, which gave us a look at one of its boss encounters – the Chimera.
Bandai Namco refers to Gundam Rogue Orbit as a “high-mobility action game”, which indicates that players will likely have to make full use of their Mobile Suit’s movement capabilities in order to stay alive and complete objectives. A trailer from last month gave us a look at how this would work in moment-to-moment gameplay, as well as some of the combat capabilities that players will have access to.
Gundam Rogue Orbit revolves around the pilot of Gundam Helix, who, in true Mobile Suit Gundam fashion, joins a ragtag crew of soldiers to face a massive unknown threat. Slated to be an entirely new take on the Gundam franchise, Gundam Rogue Orbit will tell an original story with its cinematic campaign and hard-hitting combat. The story is also going to take place in an entirely new universe separate from the classic shows and movies.
The title was officially unveiled back in June with a trailer, giving us our first glimpses at the unnamed protagonist and its stylish mech-based combat.
