Gundam Rogue Orbit Preview - Mech Monster Hunter

Published Oct 6, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT 30 minutes with Rogue Orbit was all this Gundam noob needed to end up excited for the full game. I Know Nothing About Gundam, But Rogue Orbit Could Turn Me Into A Fan I’m going to kick off this preview by admitting one of my great anime shames - I know almost nothing about Gundam. Despite being one of the most influential anime of all time and having plenty of gaming adaptations that could have reeled me in, my general disinterest in mechs means that Gundam has just never really appealed to me. That apathy carried over to the latest game in the series, Gundam Rogue Orbit, which got nothing but glazed-over eyes and a shrug from me when it was first revealed. I’m well aware that me and my poor taste are in the minority here since literally everyone else seemed excited, but it looked very unlikely I would even give Rogue Orbit a go, let alone that it could be the thing that made me see the Gundam light. With all that in mind, it’s fair to say that I didn’t have high, or really any, expectations for Gundam: Rogue Orbit going into a recent Bandai Namco preview event. To my pleasant surprise, I was instantly proven wrong, as Rogue Orbit is shaping up to be a killer action game that might be enough to finally get me into Gundam. Rogue Orbit's New Take On Gundam Is Perfect For A Newbie Like Me The “George was wrong about Rogue Orbit” parade started with my blind assumption that I’d need to be familiar with the world of Gundam. It’s actually the complete opposite, as the game is an original story set in an alternate universe, potentially making it the perfect starting point for any noobs like me. The story focuses on deadpan pilot RE-X as he returns from being stranded in space for three years and instantly joins the fight against Apocalypse. My mission-focused preview didn’t give me much insight into what Rogue Orbit is all about beyond the general setup and tone, but I appreciate a series with so much history having a fresh start. The use of the get-out-of-canon-jail alternate universe card and more grounded visuals that give live-action remake vibes (surely to tie into the movie) make it clear that Rogue Orbit is aiming to offer a new take on Gundam. As interesting as all of that is, though, what really mattered to me is how Rogue Orbit feels to play, which was another thing I got all wrong since I thought it’d be plodding and tactical. I was able to try out three different missions in the demo, as well as three preset builds with their own unique weapons. The first mission was a more linear one set in a space station, and I picked the Gundam with a whip-sword to kick things off since it was undeniably the coolest option. The final game will let you make your own Gundam build, and it sounds like there’s going to be a lot of options, both visually and functionally. I was immediately impressed with how satisfying and crunchy Rogue Orbit’s combat mechanics are, with my whip, blaster, and boosting combos making short work of the monster-esque enemies I ran into and making me feel like a true powerhouse. An easy comparison to make is to FromSoftware’s Armoured Core series, albeit with more melee-focused pizzazz and far less anger. That’s not to say that there’s no thinking involved, though, as you need to keep an eye on your boost meter since it’s tied to both movement and specific moves for each weapon, which means there's a good bit going on at all times. Smaller enemies don’t offer much of a challenge, but the big boss I ended up fighting next surprised me with how mighty it was. I Can't Believe It, But Rogue Orbit Has Heavy Monster Hunter Vibes The second mission of the preview was focused on an encounter with a massive Drake enemy, which probably means something more to Gundam fans. To me, it was just a big monster that I needed to take down with my sword-focused Gundam. While the sword wasn’t as snazzy as the whip, it was equally satisfying, especially with the grapple hook special move and a chargeable heavy attack. As I cut off specific parts of the Drake and slowly wore it down over time, it quickly clicked why Rogue Orbit felt so familiar. While Armoured Core is a more obvious comparison, the newest Gundam game actually has a lot in common with Monster Hunter, specifically with the flow of combat and how weapons feel with their hefty hit-stop. That’s certainly not what I expected from a Gundam game, but it was a very nice surprise and speaks to how satisfying Rogue Orbit feels to play. The Drake fight took up most of the time in my preview, and felt like a marathon worthy of such a big foe. If the first mission had me cautiously dipping a toe into Rogue Orbit, the second is where I happily took the plunge. I was also surprised to see monster enemies in the first place, since I, once again, wrongly thought Gundam was just about mechs. To wrap up my preview, I jumped into the third and final mission that’s set in a wider desert area. My time was cut short before I could really see what it was all about, but I did at least get a chance to try out the final weapon, the Sword Lance. This was my least favourite of the bunch with its focus on thrusting towards enemies, but it did at least show how varied loadouts can get. I only had 30 minutes with Gundam: Rogue Orbit, but that short time was more than enough to have me very interested in playing the full game. I can’t say how the fresh, more grounded take on the series is going to go down and whether the story is going to do much for me, but going from completely uninterested in Gundam to counting down the days to launch is a mighty feat indeed.