Two months ago, the first trailer for "Gundam: Rogue Orbit" was revealed at Summer Game Fest, immediately drawing widespread attention from the community. On one hand, amidst various projects celebrating the 50th anniversary of the "Gundam" IP, this new game seems poised to fill a gap in gaming initiatives. On the other hand, its worldview and combat mechanics differ significantly from previous "Gundam" games, sparking curiosity among players.
Recently, Bandai Namco held a closed media demo event in Shanghai, offering a trial of "Gundam: Rogue Orbit." Through the demo, we confirmed many of our previous speculations about this title. Both in action presentation and worldview settings, this work is an unprecedented "Gundam" game.
After the demo session, we joined other media friends in interviewing the game's main producer, Yuya Toyama, and director, Yoshiyuki Serizawa, discussing many of the design concepts behind the game.
Yuya Toyama (Left), Yoshiyuki Serizawa (Right)
Below are the specifics of the interview:
Q: As a core component of the "RG Project" multimedia initiative, this game shares a worldview with "Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO." Could you share the daily communication process between the two production teams? For example, is there a unified "Lore Bible" or cross-team supervision mechanism to ensure a balance between creative freedom and setting rigor?
Development Team:The planning for this game was initiated by Bandai Namco Entertainment's game planning division, with the theme "Extraterrestrial Lifeforms vs. MS" selected from the start. Later, Bandai Namco Filmworks began their animation planning, and we received an invitation from Director Kamiyama, which served as the catalyst for the entire project.
The game's development members were fortunate to participate in the anime's script meetings. After the anime's worldview took shape, its settings were synchronized and adopted for use in the game.
Q: This new title adopts a completely original worldview. Compared to past "Gundam" games that focused on IP derivative value, popular mobile suits, and characters, are there significant differences in commercial positioning and user perception?
Yuya Toyama:A key goal of this game is to let action gamers worldwide, especially those unfamiliar with "Gundam," experience its charm. Therefore, we aimed to challenge an expression style rarely seen in past "Gundam" games, creating an attractive action title. This is what sets this work apart from previous entries.
Yoshiyuki Serizawa:This is a completely new "Gundam" game. As "Gundam" approaches its 50th anniversary, there is already a rich array of anime, games, and models. Past games often served to help players understand existing works, characters, and stories. However, with so many titles now, newcomers might struggle to know where to begin.
Therefore, we hope to let players encounter "Gundam" starting with the visual and action experience of "Earth fighting extraterrestrial lifeforms" through a completely original story. Players might try the game because "it's a new Gundam" and come to love "Gundam" through playing it.
Q: The subtitle "Rogue Orbit" was chosen for this title. What special meaning does it hold? Does the word "Rogue" metaphorically suggest the protagonist's fate of "deviating from the track"?
Development Team:While "Rogue Orbit" represents an existence deviating from established order or tracks, as a title, it carries many different messages. We hope players will discover these details by playing the game. However, the title does not imply "Rogue-like."
Q: This game emphasizes "high-speed" and "high-mobility" combat, differing from the weightiness, tactical cooperation, or team-based designs of traditional "Gundam" games. How do the action logic and mobile suit controls reflect the "Gundam-style" real speed and tension?
Yuya Toyama:We place great importance on letting players experience piloting mobile suits as ace "Gundam" pilots, constantly challenging powerful enemies. In the demo, players can experience pre-mission preparations and entering the cockpit. For the action system, we aim to allow players to move freely on the ground and in the air with simple controls, while enjoying tense combat.
Yoshiyuki Serizawa:Our core concept is "the experience of being a Gundam ace pilot." To achieve this, we believe players must truly experience "Gundam." Three elements consistent throughout "Gundam" works are particularly important: war, mobile suits, and human drama.
Past "Gundam" works typically depicted wars between people, ideologies, and nations. This title sets the conflict as a battle between humans and extraterrestrial lifeforms, while still emphasizing human drama. On another note, we want players to truly feel the presence of mobile suits as "giant weapons piloted by humans": personally piloting the unit, turning the tide in difficult battles, and saving comrades are experiences we value highly.
In terms of action, we want players to physically feel the high mobility of "Gundam." By switching rapidly between ground and air movement, players can experience the unit's high performance. At the same time, we aim to retain the sense of weight inherent to mobile suits as giant weapons, achieving high-speed action on this foundation. For example, some weapons in the demo convey weight through attacks with clear feedback. Conversely, high-speed movement is made as swift and comfortable as possible. We hope these two experiences coexist, allowing players to truly feel like they are controlling a "Gundam."
Q: Judging from the Steam page, this game doesn't mention multiplayer modes. Does it support online play? If so, how many players can join?
Development Team:As an additional gameplay element after completing the story, the game will include a new mode featuring 3-player cooperative challenges against powerful enemies. Details about this mode will be announced later.
Q: The three units in the demo show different performances, such as HP and mobility. Are these differences due to the units themselves or different equipment? How does the development team differentiate the roles of different units?
Development Team:In this game, the only playable mobile suit is the Spiral Gundam. However, players can customize the unit by swapping out its frame. To let everyone experience units equipped with different parts, the three machines provided in the demo are preset configurations with adjusted parameters, so you may notice differences in performance. In the full game, players can customize parts according to their preferences, and the unit's stats and performance will change based on the equipment loaded.
Q: The ranged weapons in the demo, including the light gun and funnels, seem to deal far less damage than melee weapons and lack precise aiming. What is the intended role of ranged weapons in this game? Will there be other types of ranged weapons in the full release?
Development Team:Satisfying combat that conveys the weight of melee weapons is the development focus of this game, so ranged weapons are positioned as secondary arms. However, autonomous weapons like the AP Yuan provided in the demo are not the entirety of ranged weapons in the full version. More details about long-range attack or support weapons will be announced later.
Q: In action games, excessive cutscenes can sometimes disrupt the satisfaction of combat. How does this game balance storyline presentation with gameplay experience?
Yuya Toyama:The game basically follows a structure of "accepting missions," "completing missions," and "advancing the story." Character dialogue during battles serves functions such as indicating battle status, pointing out attack targets, and warning of dangerous locations. During story segments, character conversations help players understand the narrative. Additionally, dramatic interactions between characters occur outside battle zones to keep the story moving forward.
Yoshiyuki Serizawa:"The experience of being a Gundam ace pilot" is the core concept of this game, and the human drama and plot progression are equally important. This game depicts a war between humans and extraterrestrial lifeforms, so we will fully develop interpersonal interactions. Besides radio communications, the story will also progress by showcasing the player's mobile suit while they are piloting it.
Q: Who is responsible for the main mecha design in "Gundam: Rogue Orbit"? If possible, please briefly introduce the previous works of the teacher in charge of mecha design to the players.
Development Team:The mobile suit designers are senior designers from Bandai Namco Studios, who have designed suits for numerous "Gundam" games. Although the "Revelations" were designed by others, they are also designers from Bandai Namco Studios. Both mobile suits and Revelations adhere to meticulous attention to detail, especially regarding mechanical movements achievable only in-game, which we hope players will pay special attention to.
Q: Both producers have extensive experience developing action games. For instance, Mr. Toyama served as the producer for "God Eater 3." Has this experience been incorporated into the development of this game?
Yuya Toyama:Before finalizing the game's form, it underwent a lengthy validation phase, discussing what kind of game it should be and what charms to emphasize. As we determined various game elements, we continuously discussed with the development team how to make the action experience more satisfying and appealing to new action game players. Through these repeated discussions, the current form was established.
Although this is a new action game with a different direction from past "Gundam" titles, many members of the development team have worked on previous "Gundam" projects. By pooling their experience, we hope players will not only experience fresh elements but also enjoy the established charms of "Gundam" games, presenting them as a new appeal.
Yoshiyuki Serizawa:I previously worked on part of the development for "Mobile Suit Gundam Online." For this title, we explored various possibilities, including shooting games and first-person perspectives. Ultimately, considering the visual impact of Gundam fighting giant extraterrestrial lifeforms, we felt that the experience of "piloting a Gundam to swiftly engage and repel massive enemies with power" was best expressed through an action game.
Q: Specific enemy parts can be destroyed in the game, but locking on makes it difficult to hit the desired part. Is this an intentional design choice?
Yuya Toyama:Destroying enemy parts causes significant damage and brings a very obvious sense of satisfaction. Therefore, we intentionally make some parts difficult to aim at directly, encouraging players to form a combat loop of "finding ways to attack them."
Weapon characteristics are also crucial. For example, the whip sword has a wide attack range, damaging multiple enemy parts simultaneously, while dash attacks help players strike higher positions. Players need to combine different action traits to destroy parts.
Additionally, battles against large enemies feature a "DOWN" mechanic. A portion of the enemy's durability bar accumulates with specific attacks, and once it reaches a certain level, the enemy enters a "DOWN" state. In this state, the enemy takes more damage, and destructible parts become easier to hit. Players can use this window to destroy parts and further develop their own combat strategies.
Yoshiyuki Serizawa:The demo provides preset configurations, but the full game will offer various weapons. Players can swap parts based on their weapons to adjust to their preferred playstyle. In the full version, players can find their suitable combat style and, through growth in build and operation, learn to handle parts that were previously difficult to destroy, gaining a clear sense of progression.
Q: The enemies in this game are not traditional mobile suits, but massive creatures with mechanical structures. How was this setting decided? How does the combat logic for designing these enemies differ from that of traditional mobile suits?
Yuya Toyama:In terms of the design and actions of the "Revelations," we place great emphasis on ensuring players enjoy satisfying combat while receiving ample feedback. During actual battles, enemy parts will gradually break or even be severed, allowing players to clearly feel that their attacks are landing. We also ensure that part destruction is visually distinct. Furthermore, all "Revelations" maintain a unified design language as a collective.
Yoshiyuki Serizawa:We want players to clearly experience the feeling of "fighting giant enemies." It is not a traditional battle between mobile suits, but a confrontation with massive entities, creating a stronger sense of scale. Visually, we emphasize the alien and colossal nature of the "Revelations" to craft a new visual identity for "Gundam." Enemy designs also consider how they should behave, how players should perceive them, and how they should be defeated.
Q: Finally, do you have any message for Chineseplayers in the region?
Yuya Toyama:This is a very challenging "Gundam" game. We have attempted many things, from realistic expressions and a new worldview to the action system. The development team is still polishing the game, incorporating experience accumulated by members who worked on past "Gundam" games, hoping to create a new and charming title. We hope you look forward to the official release.
Especially for those unfamiliar with "Gundam" but who have built Gundam models before—I imagine there are quite a few. We hope this game can serve as an entry point for these players to engage with "Gundam." If the game sparks even a little interest, we hope you look forward to its official release.
Yoshiyuki Serizawa:We hope players can get to know "Gundam" better through this game. If you've been interested but didn't know where to start, it doesn't matter whether you begin with the anime or this game. Both can be understood independently, so we encourage everyone to try them out.