I have a Gundam Heavyarms Endless Waltz Master Grade that’s been sitting on my bed-side table and has remained untouched for over three years. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to sit down and finally put the thing together. But I never have. What Gundam Breaker 4 has afforded me is to build the Gundam of my dreams, albeit, digitally. 

Gundam Breaker is a franchise known specifically for this mechanic. Its latest installment – Gundam Breaker 4 – is its best yet. 

My Gundam Wing agenda

Wing Gundam

You start the game off with Gundam RX-78, better known as Gundam Grandpa. If you bought the pre-order bonus, the moment the Assembly mechanic is introduced, you can immediately change it to a Gundam you’re more familiar with. 

In my case, this was Wing Gundam. The only Gundam series that I obsessively engaged with were Gundam Wing and Gundam G. I dabbled with other, more recent series here and there but Gundam Wing was really just it for me. It was a pleasant experience going through the early parts of the game with the actual first Gunpla that I ever owned and built. 

But as I progressed, I realized the early Wing Gundam build wasn’t enough. It wasn’t gonna get it done against the progressively tougher opponents I was fighting. A little more on the that later. 

I went from a sort of Franken-Wing Gundam build and slowly made my way to something that kind of looks like my all-time favorite Gundam – Heavyarms.

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To be clear, Gundam Heavyarms Endless Waltz — the Gunpla I own and haven’t built in over three years – is present in the game. As of writing, I just haven’t collected all the parts to actually build it. 

So I went with the next best thing – make whatever parts I have look and feel like Trowa Barton’s stead. 

Digital Gunpla workshop

Unlike in real life, Gunpla building in Gundam Breaker 4 is much more straightforward. Instead of having to piece together hundreds, if not thousands, of parts, you only have to select things from a menu and only really have to deal with a few parts. 

In the Assembly menu, you pick pre-assembled parts for the following: Head, Left Arm, Right Arm, Body/Torso, Shield, Jetpack/Booster, Legs, Builder Parts, Left Arm Close-Range Weapon, Right Arm Close-Range Weapon, Left Arm Long-Range Weapon, Right Arm Long-Range Weapons.

I know it still looks like it’s a lot but the building part is pretty straightforward. You go to a particular body part and there you’ll have a selection of available parts– ones you either shopped for or more commonly, looted in battle. Each part has a different set of stats and skills. 

To start the game, you don’t really get a full set with the exact Gundam or other Mobile Suits you like. These will open gradually as you complete missions. Eventually, you’ll be able to build the Gundam you want and upgrade its parts using the ones you find in the missions.

Since I couldn’t get Heavyarms early-on, I just put together the best parts with the best stats while painting the thing to my liking. Even in digital, I still don’t have the time, energy, nor meticulousness to fully customize my build. Thankfully, the painting section has good sectioning/ It keeps your preferred coat of paint even if you change the parts. 

Going on missions, collecting parts

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Going on missions is pretty direct. Just keep playing and following the storyline and you’re bound to learn all you need to know when it comes to missions. 

You get story missions and quest missions. Each can be completed in Easy, Standard, and Hardcore categories. I tried Hardcore in one of the early missions and realized I was severely underpowered. But it did yield some parts that were very useful in my campaign. 

Mission objectives may vary from protecting something to defeating actual Gundams. In some instances, gigantic Mobile Suits will appear as the bosses. Whatever the case, these battles aren’t too difficult. You can hack, slash, shoot, and dodge your way into most of these missions relatively easily, even in the Standard difficulty. 

The battles can get stale after a while but what keeps them fresh is the build you go into battle with every new mission. That’s what makes the whole thing exciting.

Come and stay for the Gundam building

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The story is very standard fare. It’s not memorable but it isn’t bad either. It’s very middle of the pack as far as storytelling goes. But it’s engaging enough to make you want to keep building and battling to get the best possible parts for your build. 

The game’s core mechanic revolves around building Gunpla (Gundam plastic models). In Gundam Breaker 4, you’re given a vast array of parts, ranging from iconic Gundam heads to powerful weapons and unique accessories. You can mix and match these parts to create your own one-of-a-kind Gundam. The customization options are virtually limitless, allowing you to experiment with different combinations and aesthetics.

Cool tidbit. The Start Screen of the game changes to your current build.

One of the game’s standout features is its intuitive building system. The process is straightforward and enjoyable, even for those who have never built a real-life Gunpla before.

You can easily select parts, rotate them, and position them to your liking. The game also provides helpful visual guides to ensure that your Gunpla is assembled correctly.

Gundam Breaker 4 Captures the spirit of Gunpla 

Gundam Breaker 4 is the perfect remedy for the frustrated, mostly lazy (or burned out) Gunpla enjoyer. If you enjoy seeing Gundam built but do not necessarily have the skillset and patience to deal with plenty of real-life moving parts, then this is the next best thing. 

It’s even re-ignited my interest for Gundam in general. I’m looking to engage in more Gundam shows and stories after dabbling in this game. 

Gundam Breaker 4 captures the spirit of Gunpla and makes it relatively accessible to more people. It’s a game I’ll likely keep firing up for the rest of the year until I get all the Gundam kits and builds I want.