The World of Unlocalized Gundam Games
There’s an entire world of unlicensed Gundam games that have stayed exclusive to Japan. A whole treasure trove waiting for those willing to give it a shot.
On May 21, 2025, Bandai Namco published Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Battle Destiny Remastered for PC (via Steam) and the Nintendo Switch. A cult classic originally made for the PlayStation Vita in 2012, it marked the first time this was made available and polished-up for international audiences, giving Western fans a taste what they had previously glimpsed through forums and imageboards. While it’s far from the first based on the franchise Yoshiyuki Tomino built back in 1979 to make it across the Pacific — that honor goes to the infamous FMV title Gundam 0079: The War for Earth in 1996, also having the ignoble reputation of being the first Western adaptation made — there’s an entire world of unlicensed Gundam games that have stayed exclusive to Japan. A whole treasure trove waiting for those willing to give it a shot.
This isn’t a dive into why this has been the case for so long. Various reasons have been given over the years in that regard, whether it’s an insufficient demographic overseas worth investing in localization for (compared to its status as an institution in Japan and parts of Asia), differences between Western and Japanese mecha scenes, or some perceived lack of quality. Rather, this is a look into certain works, particularly those set in the original Universal Century timeline, which still hold up pretty well to this day. Granted, the language barrier alone may serve as a hurdle for some fans. While going past that, you might wind up encountering characters, Mobile Suits and plot points (some of which would pop up in other media later on) completely unrecognizable. Yet whether it’s done through emulation or importing copies, there’s much to catch your attention to make that plunge worth it.
Combat Simulators: The Blue Destiny Trilogy
Developed by Bandai from 1996 to 1997 for the SEGA Saturn, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Blue Destiny is a trilogy of mech combat games set in the Universal Century timeline. Although taking place during the infamous One Year War, around the same period as the original 1979 anime, this isn’t simply an adaptation of existing material. While not the first game adaptation in the saga to serve as a proper side-story — an earlier example would be Mobile Suit Gundam F91: Formula Report 0122 for the Super Nintendo, which served as part of a wider prequel promotion for the movie — it nonetheless capitalizes on the advancements made in 3D consoles to give players a chance to feel more immersed in the setting in more ways than one.
Set towards the closing months of the conflict, you are thrust in the boots of 2nd Lt. Yuu Kajima and his unit, the Guinea Pig Team. What ought to have been just another day of collecting combat data while on a mission is derailed upon encountering a Zeon defector and the EXAM System, an experimental device allowing Oldtype pilots to mimic Newtype capabilities. They soon find themselves in the middle of a power struggle as both sides race to either exploit (or deny the other access to) it and whatever secrets lurk within. Even after being equipped with such a powerful ace-in-the-hole, however, surviving through it all would prove to be far from easy. As it becomes very evident, the protagonist is not Amuro Ray, let alone a hotshot ace with plot armor. He is just a grunt (albeit a well-trained one) who has to earn those stripes quickly or get blasted to oblivion. And you’re playing as him.
This is further reinforced by The Blue Destiny’s use of a first-person perspective in a way that goes past a gimmick. The controls, user interface, and general movement (right down to the verniers and boosters) are framed so as to emulate being inside the cockpit of a Mobile Suit, in a manner not too unlike the MechWarrior games. It also means a limited field of view and having to keep a close eye on more than just health (be it the ammo count on weapons or the temperature of the verniers needed for swift boosts), adding an extra challenge to what would otherwise be fast-paced action, especially if there’s an enemy ace with faster reflexes dead ahead or someone slipping behind your vision to land a crucial hit. Which isn’t to ignore how, beyond weighty mech sounds or effects taken from the shows, that illusion of being in the thick of it extends to the way briefings and dialogue are largely conveyed through the HUD itself, saving cutscenes only for crucial moments.
Granted, the games in isolation can be rather brief, with the three “volumes” (each comprised of five missions) taking little more than a total of three hours on average to finish. At the same time, however, it’s not hard to see why the trilogy not only became popular enough to produce manga adaptations, with Yuu Kajima and the EXAM System showing up in later sidestories and games set in the Universal Century. It also laid the ground for other console titles, such as its 1999 sequel Rise from the Ashes, which notably had a North American release. The first-person concept, meanwhile, would be refined further through the Bond of the Battlefield (Senjō no Kizunai) arcade series that first debuted in Hong Kong in 2006, notably involving the use of fully-enclosed pods, panoramic displays and multiplayer battles to maximize the immersion. In addition, the trilogy itself was revisited as part of the playable campaigns in 2014’s Mobile Suit Gundam Sidestories for the PlayStation 3 alongside Lost War Chronicles and the more strategic Zeonic Front, both of which were also made possible by the Saturn games’ success. It’s a shame, alas, how even with all that legacy, it still remains confined to Japan.
More than Versus: Mobile Suit Gundam Climax UC
While action games like Journey to Jaburo became PlayStation 2 classics among Western fans, many other titles from the era never left Japanese shores, at best winding up in import shops across Asia. Released in 2006, Mobile Suit Gundam Climax UC, went further than simply capturing a single anime or a handful, as had been the case with the popular Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam. Bandai ambitiously sought to incorporate most major series and OVAs set in that continuity up till that point without sacrificing gameplay or visual fidelity. In that respect, they more than succeeded.
Content-wise, it’s something of a “greatest hits” compilation of the Universal Century. There’s over 50 years’ worth (in-universe) of material that’s represented in the game, from the One Year War as experienced in the original 1979 series (UC 0079) all the way to the events of the Crossbone Gundam manga (UC 0133), with enough explained to bring players up to speed. The “Chronicle Mode” alone allows you to reenact pivotal moments — there are whole levels replicating scenes from the works they’re taken from, complete with cutscenes blending in-game graphics with re-animated footage — helped along by many of the original voice cast reprising their roles. These wouldn’t mean much without a plethora of options, from grunt-level Mobile Suits like the humble Zaku and GM, to the iconic Gundams as used by the protagonists and even the imposing, screen-covering “Mobile Armors” seen throughout the saga, like the crimson-red Raflessia from the film Gundam F91. This isn’t to ignore the myriad individual scenarios in “Extra Mode” or the multiplayer options which provide ample replayability.
All this wouldn’t mean much if the gameplay was lacking, and Climax UC has much to offer there, with room to spare. While the fast-paced third-person mechanics would feel familiar to those who’ve played Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam or other prior action titles, even complete newcomers wouldn’t take much to jump into the action. In addition to fluid, intuitive controls — which include lock-on ranged targeting, swift boosts, and straightforward melee attacks —the playable pilots and arsenal on display have their own strengths and weaknesses based on their portrayals in the source material. Depending on your picks, you might have a humble Zaku with little more than basic guns and passively regenerating grenades, gain access to remote funnels that could blast enemies from afar, or deploy nigh-overpowered special weapons like the GP-02 Physalis’ nuclear-tipped bazooka from 0083: Stardust Memory. Which isn’t getting to the RPG-esque “Progress Mode”, not only putting you in the shoes of a customizable protagonist named Kamuna Tachibana but also those of his descendants, whose stats vary based on what actions are taken and his relationship with a certain female character.
To be sure, there are some mild hiccups. Balance can get all over the place due to the time periods covered, and the sheer number of choices at hand. The graphics, though faithful to the source material, can look dated nowadays thanks to texture quality, though the visual effects and environmental destructibility still hold up well. That the various missions and scenarios have a tendency towards objectives that amount to taking out throngs of certain targets can also make the experience either challenging or infuriating. Such foibles, though, fail to diminish how solid of a game Climax UC is. Neither is it hard to see how this game helped influence later entries in the Gundam Vs. series, both in terms of cramming as many characters and Mobile Suits as they can and in refining the action to competitive levels. Echoes of it could also be seen refined in other titles produced by Bandai Namco, such as 2009’s Battlefield Record: UC 0081 (Kidō Senshi Gandamu Senki). Still, for all its status as a cult classic and one of the handful of titles to feature the elusive Crossbone manga, there is as yet no word on when it’s ever leaving Japanese shores.
Grand Strategy Beyond Gravity: Gihren’s Greed series
Turn-based strategy and Gundam are no strangers to each other, as can be attested to by the popular Super Robot Wars games. Yet you don’t often associate the franchise with grand strategy ala Paradox Interactive’s Hearts of Iron titles. This is where Gihren’s Greed (Gihren no Yabou) comes in. First released in 1998, with the latest being the remake New Gihren’s Greed for the PlayStation Portable in 2011, it remains a particularly unique series, the scope of which is not weight down by gravity. Alas, it’s one that hasn’t been replicated in an official capacity since.
Inspired by Koei’s Sengoku Jidai-based Nobunaga’s Ambition, the games take a macroscale focus on the Universal Century. Later entries would add different starting dates, a morality system, more complex political mechanics (including diplomacy), comprehensive tech trees and dynamic events based off preceding actions, among others, though the basics remain consistent enough. Depending on what scenario is chosen (ranging from the start of UC 0079 to just before the events of Char’s Counterattack), you take the role of either a leading figure from one of the major factions (including Gihren Zabi himself) or a ranking subordinate working for them, and are tasked with bringing your side to either victory or defeat. This could be achieved through meeting story-based objectives, developing more advanced Mobile Suits, recruiting ace pilots and officers. While turns play out on a grand map encompassing both the planet and the wider Earth Sphere — which in itself includes the Moon, myriad asteroids and the different Side colony clusters — combat occurs in “Battle Phases,” with units engaging each other in zoomed-in battlefields in a manner not unlike other turn-based titles like the SD Gundam G Generation series, albeit on a larger scale.
At the same time, though Gihren’s Greed encourages playstyles befitting certain factions and characters, you’re not railroaded into familiar plotlines. If anything, Gihren’s Greed challenges players to see if they can do better (or worse) than canon with the tools given to them. Granted, it’s to be expected when it comes to the standard victory conditions for certain factions and characters (such as Zeon winning the One Year War), as well as how the tech tree makes it possible to research weapons far ahead of schedule depending on what’s prioritized. there are also special objectives unique to each playable side, which have to be met in order to get the “true/golden” outcomes. With the right choices or timing, it’s possible for the Zabi family siblings rebelling — with Kycilia and Garma having their own ideas for how Zeon should be, based on their respective personalities in the anime — the Titans from Zeta Gundam emerging much earlier, or even Amuro Ray himself being won over to Neo Zeon in an alternate ending of Char’s Counterattack. That Bandai Namco and Sunrise not only considered potential alternate paths but also included new drawn stills and animated cutscenes based on those “what-ifs” adds a tremendous amount to replayability.
That is, if you’re able to get a hang of the learning curve, and not just over the language barrier either. While the games do come with tutorials, and there are myriad guides online, the amount of mechanics and factors to consider would be daunting for newcomers, be they the morale and special abilities of individual units in Battle Phases, the passive personality traits of the various characters, keeping good logistics, or whether to spend valuable resources on risky decisions. Difficulty also tends to be asymmetrical, with the Federation’s massive production being offset by having with little more than cheap yet fragile jets and tanks at first, while Zeonic factions have to deal with more limited supplies and potential traitors. Then, there’s how, regardless of iteration, the series assumes a degree of familiarity with Universal Century lore, which can make achieving certain objectives (such as making the Apsaras Project a success before Ginias Sahalin goes insane) counterproductive unless you have seen the works being referenced, such as The 08th MS Team.
While such hurdles would seem daunting even for afficionados of grand strategy games, it’s not hard to see why, Gihren’s Greed has such an appeal, niche as it may be, outside Japan. It’s not everyday that fans of the Gundam franchise get a chance to not only have a playable fanfic generator (from the creators no less), but also learn more about the setting through all the various ways things could have played out. To be sure, there haven’t been new releases since 2011, with the closest approximate being special events in the 2021 gacha title UC Engage, as well as the alternate timeline shown in the recently-concluded 2025 anime Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX (co-produced with Studio Khara of Evangelion fame). Yet such is the persistent allure, that not only have threads on the series been a recurring theme online, but there have been attempts to release fan-made English patches to make the titles more readily accessible for Western fans. Some have also gone the extra mile into making total conversion mods, with One Year War for Paradox Interactive’s Hearts of Iron IV outright seeking to recreate the experience.
These are merely scratching the surface of unlocalized Gundam games out there. Granted, it’s not for everyone, while it is also true that “only in Japan” is not an automatic indication of quality or lack thereof. The issues around localization, meanwhile, have raised questions on whether localization is really worth it. With the decent reception of titles like Battle Destiny Remastered among international audiences, perhaps there’s a possibility of other titles being made available, however much of a coin toss that might be. Regardless of what comes next, that treasure trove waiting to be uncovered is always there for those willing to take the plunge.