Gundam Rogue Orbit Looks Like A Combination Of Armored Core & Monster Hunter’s Best Parts
The PlayStation September 2026 State of Play showed off more gameplay for Gundam Rogue Orbit, a third-person action RPG only teased earlier this year. This surprise title in collaboration with one of the biggest sci-fi anime series of all time seems to promise exciting combat situations, creating bombastic moments for players to experience. In many ways, this game seems to take inspiration from a variety of other great titles, including recent Capcom and FromSoftware projects.
The dense and heavy mech combat of Gundam Rogue Orbit reminds me of other titles like Armored Core 6, which also features third-person battles featuring a personalized mech suit. One could argue that the Armored Core series owes its existence to Gundam somewhat, with both series having similar concepts or themes. At the same time, the enemies players are fighting in Rogue Orbit‘s gameplay trailer have bigger similarities to the huge creatures of Monster Hunter, with players fighting kaiju-esque alien enemies the same size as their mech.
Gundam Rogue Orbit’s Initial Trailer Expands On The Third-Person Action From The Initial Teaser
An overview of Gundam Rogue Orbit‘s gameplay expands on the brief clips the teaser provided, showing your Gundam mech going up against a variety of different creatures. From small alien lifeforms to massive beasts in huge arenas, the core combat of the game seems to revolve around taking on big threats in your mobile suit. Extra footage shown outside the gameplay trailer shows that enemies are typically much larger than your mech, possessing a range of abilities and massive health bars you need to chip away at to win battles.
The third-person combat against foes big and small changes based on what type of weapon you’re using, with a few shown off in the State of Play. For example, the Assault Sword seems to be the standard weapon in Gundam Rogue Orbit, landing slow but powerful attacks that can be charged by players to deal more damage. To make up for this, this weapon also comes with a tool called the “Anchor,” which lets players grapple toward targets to close any gaps. Some other weapons shown off were:
- Sword Lance – Mid-range weapon excelling at thrust attacks, with tools like “Beam Phalanx” that creates a series of projectiles that track enemies.
- Whip Sword – Long-range weapon that uses a “Mode Change” to switch between its normal range and close-quarters fighting, creating a well-rounded tool for many different situations.
Every weapon type in Gundam Rogue Orbit comes with Tactical Skills, or abilities you can equip or change from your mech’s customization screen before going out on a mission. This weapon system bears a striking resemblance to Monster Hunter, where every weapon has its own moves, combos, and unique skills for players to master based on their preferred play style. With weapons in Rogue Orbit having multiple skill options too, mastery over your attacks appears to be emphasized in the Gundam game as well, creating plenty of exciting comparisons.
Deliberate Combat Appears To Emphasize Careful Attacks Against Monstrous Foes
Although we only got a brief glimpse at the game’s UI, we can see that actions in Gundam Rogue Orbit require some sort of stamina, while abilities have a cooldown tied to certain inputs. These likely reflect whichever skills you have equipped for your mech, with a few tied to a recovering resource that builds over time. During the gameplay footage, one skill with the Whip Sword weapon seems to deplete a series of four energy bars next to your Stamina and on the opposite side of a number likely representing your vitality.
These bars went down from four to two after using an input ability, unleashing a strong attack in the process. All of this only adds to the Monster Hunter comparisons, with Stamina in that game being incredibly important for some weapons to do their actions. Different weapons in Rogue Orbit could have varying relationships with your “Stamina” bar, similar to how some weapons are more Stamina-intensive in Monster Hunter games.
Mech Customization Mimics Armored Core With Different Weapons & Designs Shown
While the combat systems of the game certainly look impressive, so do the customization features also demonstrated for players to personalize their Gundam mech. Although the gameplay trailer for Gundam Rogue Orbit hinted at color changes and the addition/removal of parts for your mech, the extended look at the game later in the State of Play expanded on this system. According to developers, players can customize their mobile suit’s frame any way they wish, using parts their purchase or unlock throughout the game.
This mix and match feature is incredibly similar to the way Armored Core lets you customize your mech from top to bottom, albeit with less detail. Players can switch out five different parts from around their Gundam’s Inner and Outer Frame in Rogue Orbit, including sections like the Thrusters to impact mobility. Each part has a specific benefits and weaknesses, impacting your mech’s overall durability and sometimes granting extra effects to be utilized in combat. Once again, this follows FromSoftware’s approach to Armored Core closely, giving players the tools to fine tune their gameplay.
From enhancing their omnidirectional movement to improving the power of their attacks, the amount of options available are staggering even from the limited choices shown. Experimenting with different combinations of mech gear pieces will likely be a big portion of the game, letting players craft their own Gundam that isn’t like anyone else’s. With the combat of Gundam Rogue Orbit mimicking Monster Hunter and the mech customization of Armored Core, this title could be a sleeper hit when it releases in March 2027.