Easily one of the greatest tragedies of modern gaming is the sheer lack of Gundam games available. There’s the Gundam Breaker series, they’re always a key part of Super Robot Wars. Then there’s the SD series. However, despite the grounded setting of the franchise, there’s very few games that let you directly access these settings. Code Fairy, a spinoff expansion to gacha team shooter Gundam Battle Operation 2, seeks to rectify this glaring problem. But can a Gundam adventure work within the framework of another game’s DLC?

The answer is a big fat maybe. Code Fairy, set during the One Year War period of the Gundam UC timeline tasks you with leading an elite all female squadron of Zeon soldiers based on earth. This setting is where a few problems start to show. First, the One Year War is an incredibly limiting setting, with Mobile Suits only beginning to come into their own. The characters do a good job of filling their archetypes, despite the problems with the setting, You have the headstrong Hegel, and the nerdy Brinkman, representing the general and support types respectively. Certain conversation options out of combat allow you to raise your bond with these soldiers, which in turn raises their stats. Overall, if the One Year War era doesn’t grab you, you might find yourself skipping a lot of cutscenes.

The Gameplay is almost identical to the Gundam Battle Operation series. You control your Mobile Suit in 3rd person, and they do a good job of showcasing the scale and lumbering power of these suits. Like the original game, most of the maps will have you trampling over small buildings and ducking behind mountains for cover. There are some re-used maps from the original game, which is disappointing for a $30 release. Despite this, the variety in missions offers a challenge even for returning players. The game does offer difficulty options, which encourages replay. However, the segments outside of combat can drag on, potentially discouraging players.

In particular, I feel that the anime format does more to deter potential players than gain them. When you begin or end an episode, you’re treated to a theme, like an anime. After a few episodes even the act of skipping these cutscenes grows old. Though the cutscenes are well rendered, the story they tell leaves a lot to be desired. However mediocre the graphics are, the gameplay of battle orchestra lends itself well to the singleplayer format. If you’re looking for a few fun battles, this is for you.

On the PlayStation 5, Code Fairy runs well, though the framerate is not known. Due to not relying on the occasionally shaky peer-to-peer network, I experienced no errors or desync. As an added bonus, players receive bonuses in the main game for completing Code Fairy’s content. Veteran players may find some of the rewards a little lackluster, but there are exclusive decals and currency rewards.

All in all, Code Fairy feels solid. Despite lackluster graphics, the content on display more than justifies Code Fairy for any Gundam enthusiast. I hope that Bandai continues to add expansion packs to Gundam Battle Operations 2. Personally I would like to see the Gryps conflict explored in a story, leave your favorite Gundam setting below in the comment section!

Final Score: 7 out of 10

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