Super FamiComplete #21: Kidou Senshi Gundam F91: Formula Senki 0122 (Redux)

Title: Kidou Senshi Gundam F91: Formula Senki 0122

Release Date: 07/06/91 (JP)

Developer: Nova Games Ltd

Publisher: Bandai

Ah strangely enough we have our second game that utilizes the famed and popular anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam. Now, as I mentioned in my SD: The Great Battle post, I never really got into this series to a great degree, so my experience and knowledge of this series is rather limited; Perhaps the few OVAs that I have seen or the rare occasion that I caught this on Toonami when I was a kid. I do find it interesting, though, that many of the early Super Famicom games are based off the licenses of the popular tokusatsu and anime shows like Gundam, Kamen Rider, and Ultra Man. I mean, I expected there to be a good bit of licensed games about these properties, but just not so many right up front. There are certainly more to come in the following games, with an RPG and a Battle Dodge Ball clone. 

Now I will be honest, this was and is still going to be a super short post. Once again, since this game was released in Japan, it is very hard to dig into. Now while it isn't as obtuse as GDleen (in fact the core gameplay is easy to figure out) there is a heavy customization aspect that is effectively lost due to inability to translate the text. This makes progression rather impossible past a certain point.

Background
Nova Games LTD. started as an arcade company, but then became another small-time developer that mainly focused on licensed games for anime and tokusatsu properties (in fact they will handle another one coming up on the blog). Bandai, on the other hand, really needs no introduction, as they are one of the BIG BOYS of game development. When we make it to a big Bandai property, we will go a bit further in depth.

Did you know? The name Gundam is a portmanteau of the words Gun and Freedom? Cool right?

The name of this game translates "roughly" to "The First Gundam F91: Formula War Record 0122" and takes place in the Mobile Suit Gundam F91 saga. This is the OVA movie that was released after the original series that would serve as the spark to serve a new series. There was a lot riding on this because, at the time, the SD universe was the only Gundam property that was very popular at the time, and reigniting the passion of the 80s series was turning out hard to be an onerous task. This movie, as well, was originally supposed to be a 13 episode series, but it hit major production issues and was condensed into an two hour movie. Apparently the result was a confusing and muddled approach to Gundam, and this movie didn't directly spark a new Gundam series. That would instead be accomplished by Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. 

If you are already getting confused, no worries! It is one of the reasons I avoided this show for a long time. It had a confusing history, I didn't know where to start, and its overwrought, melodramatic, and self-serious tone never sat well with me. I grew up on more light and "fun" fare (which revisiting some of the series, I don't know how I watched those programs), and it just wasn't my cup-o-tea. 

Gameplay

Now the game is a turn based strategy game, but a very very simple one. Fire Emblem or Shining Force this is not. Now the main series of anime has many different arcs and series that branch off with different storylines, take place in different time periods, and follow different conflicts. In general, the story spans the immense intergalactic war between the Earth Federation and the Cosmo Babylonia, a group of rebels declaring independence from the Earth Federation, with their military group Crossbone Vanguard. 

Each mission begins with a quick briefing, then a quick jump over to your shop in order to customize your suits. At the beginning, the customization options are really limited, both by choices available and my inability to decipher the language. 

Then you jump right into the mission screen...

Yeah, like I said, Fire Emblem this is not. Your characters always start on the left, and they square off with the enemy combatants on the right. Immediately the enemies start inching their way to your "base" which is the ship you can see on the left. If they reach the ship, they begin to bombard it and eventually destroy it, which means game over. So the goal is simple, block and destroy them with your mobile suits. It is the same game EACH MISSION. Sometimes, the enemy sends reinforcements, there are more powerful boss units, or other added twists, but overall it is very simple. To be honest, it gets rather boring really quickly.

This isn't helped by the pacing of the battles. You can give all your characters individual orders, but they move very slowly to their destination. The enemies, as well, move very slowly. This really bogs down any excitement and action. The music, though, is really quite nice and does its best to help lift your mood.

When your unit collides with the enemy, though, it does get a bit more interesting. Your unit and their squad (each enemy sprite consists of several enemies) engage in a extended dog fight.

The above picture is the battle screen. Your stamina is on the left, while the enemies' is on the right. While your actual sprite does not move, you can move around on the radar screen on the bottom. Your goal is to fly around until you can line up the enemies in your sights. When you do, you can press attack, choose the weapon you will use, and then launch your assault. The animations for these attacks are really quite nice. It is very satisfying to see your Mobile Suit slash at an enemy with its gigantic energy saber (Gundam fans are going to rain hate on me for not knowing the name of that sword). Of course, your goal is to answer avoid getting locked in the enemies sights, so that you can avoid attacks. Clear off all the enemies, and you win the sortie. Yay!

Needless to say, even this gets old very quickly. It isn't the most lively of activities to repeat ad nauseum.



What about them sweet Super Famicom licks?

Amine? Anime? Annie May?

Here is a clip from the original movie. Enjoy!

Final Verdict
After a couple of successful missions, I got rather bored and decided to shelve this gem. Overall, I would recommend playing it only if you are a fan of the series. Even then, I would check it out as a curiosity of the time. It is not a very enjoyable game, and I don't think it was even enjoyable back in 1991. I can see why this never graced our shores. An esoteric game based on the most esoteric of Gundam properties.