Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom arrives this October on Quest, and we went hands-on with the interactive movie.
Created by Bandai Namco Filmworks and Atlas V, Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom is a VR interactive anime film with an original story. While we've gradually learned more about this upcoming experience, a final release trailer revealed at Anime NYC 2024 confirmed the release date. You can watch that below.
Set three years after Char's Counterattack in the Universal Century 0096, Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom promises battles in outer space with familiar mobile suits. During our recent UploadVR Summer Showcase, we also learned that the upcoming VR anime movie will include mixed reality support, letting you engage in mini-battles across your living space.
We went hands-on during Venice Immersive 2024 on Quest 3 for 45 minutes, which showcased the opening segment but not the MR mode. Playing as a mercenary group called Argent Keil offers a neutral insight into the war between the Earth Federation and Zeon, and Neo Zeon's remnants have formed a new group called The Sleeves.
Previously marketing Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom as an interactive movie is a smart decision and if you pick this up expecting a game, you'll be disappointed. Silver Phantom only has brief moments of interactivity, like shooting meteors in space, grappling your way into the mech, and, thankfully, actual battles.
When you're piloting the Gundam, your movement is determined by pulling two levers back and forth with your left and right hand. Upon entering combat, that switches to the left lever being used for your shield and the right lever for firing your laser, while your headset direction determines where the latter gets fired. It's pretty basic, but these moments do just enough to make you feel like more than just a casual viewer of Silver Phantom's story.
Interactive moments are all very scripted when they happen, so your freedom is considerably limited. For example, one segment requires you to hold onto a rail so you move along a corridor automatically; you don't have free locomotion via teleporting or stick-based movement. Even when moving, there's usually a visual frame of reference, like a cockpit, to help reduce potential motion sickness.
Beyond this, most scenes unfold like you're watching a movie but with 360° environments, and the cel-shaded visuals do justice to the anime art style. Swapping between the third-person perspective as these unfold to interactive first-person segments doesn't occur often enough for it to be jarring. Silver Phantom will be an experience carried by its narrative and while that's captured my interest, I'm hoping for more interactive things to do.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom reaches the Meta Quest platform on October 3.
Update Notice
This article was initially published on August 24, 2024. It was updated on August 31, 2024, with impressions based on the Venice Immersive demo.
