- This has the best fundamental mecha core of any title, with a great integration of the Z-axis play. Lock-on makes the controller and cross-play easier, and it supports 3rd-person gameplay.
- This obsession with extraction needs to stop, even if the monetization is interesting. Nearly all of the gameplay modifiers, including the vertical progression mods, exist only in the Extraction mode, ripped from the PvP after Reddit complaints. The extraction mode features paid consumables that allow for early gear extraction, thereby acting like insurance in case of death (also seen in Call of Duty’s DMZ).
- The system’s design is poor and will likely sink the game. Unlocking three mechs over three months through a long grind with no gameplay upgrades or progression in the PvP mode is a poor response to pay-to-win concerns. Similar to Overwatch’s introduction of earn-only loot boxes, throwing out the mods system is the baby, if the hard currency is the bathwater.
- Bandai failing to establish a live-service Gundam game boggles the mind. Robots are a layup for F2P design. WAR ROBOTS has done over a billion in lifetime franchise revenue. How is there no “definitive” mobile Gundam squad RPG? Only recently has the license been opened up to anyone, and the results have been disappointing, often resulting in poor Chinese clones.
- Marketplaces have expanded, but this one could have a deflationary spiral. Marketplace items are priced in hard currency, so the only currency inflow is MTX payments. Players spending hard currency on 1st-party items and the 5% transaction tax will drain currency from the economy. If the drain rate is greater than the source over the long run, prices will start to rise, holding all else constant (the currency becomes more scarce). The expectation of future price increases incentivizes players to hold goods off the market…thereby setting the spiral in motion. They will need more stable sources to peg prices against!