8Bit/Digi

With the Western release of Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON coming soon, many fans got the chance to participate in the closed beta. From April 25th to April 26th, fans got the chance to battle it out as their favorite mobile suit. This beta gave players the opportunity to sample the many features and gameplay modes while also providing feedback for the development team.

I was one of many fans that got the chance to play the beta during the weekend. This preview will be a reflection of my playthrough. I will also share my thoughts on what I liked and disliked along with the overall experience.

Note: This is not a review of the game but just my thoughts based on my experience of playing the beta.

Playing the Beta

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON is a 2 vs. 2 arcade style fighting game that allows players to battle it out with their favorite mobile suit. Players can choose from the many mobile suits that have appeared in different iterations of the iconic franchise. Battles could will then take place in levels that are also based on iconic settings from the series.

The beta featured characters and mobile suits from several including the original series (with different versions of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable). Also featured are characters that have also appeared in spin-off titles set in the Universal Century timeline. Other favorites that were featured came from spin-offs like Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Iron-Blooded Orphans and 00.

During my playthrough; I decided to first practice with bots just to get a feel for the combat. During this time I would mostly play as either Heero Yuy or Char Aznable. This gave me the chance to learn about each of their strength and weakness while practicing their movies. After some training, I would spend the remaing weekend playing online aginst other players.

Final Thoughts

Based on my experience, it does everything it can to be an ideal Gundam fighting game. It has a solid balance between being a quality game while also packed with fan service. Controls and mechanics were easy to learn but will take time to master. The bots actually did put up a fight, which will give new gamers the needed training to take on human players. However, I will admit that when playing online that the number of times I got my ass kicked was embarrassing.

Overall; Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON looks to be a gift to fans of the franchise. It has plenty of content to appeal to all fans (regardless of their preference) while also being a solid arcade style fighting game. The game is set to launch for the PlayStation 4 on July 30th 2020.

Disclaimer: FortySeven Communications provided the code to join the closed beta.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the video game community and industry of the San Francisco Bay Area.