Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes is a mech combat simulation set in the Gundam universe. Created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise, it presents an original story set during the One Year War between the Earth Federation and Zeon, parallel to the events of the first Gundam TV series. It takes place in Australia and stars the mobile suit team White Dingo, a guerrilla combat unit supporting the main forces of a Federation counteroffensive against the Zeonic forces. The player controls Lt. Rayer, who along with his team mates Leung, Mike and Anita must fight Zeon in nine missions. The squad of three mobile suits (Anita controls the OASIS hover truck) must be outfitted by choosing suits, weapons, and shields. Two suits are available from the start: RGM-79 and RGC-80, with the RGC more heavily armed and armored at the cost of reduced mobility. Missions are seen from a first-person cockpit perspective, but also employ in-engine cutscenes to show plot developments. Mission objectives usually include the destruction of a specific enemy unit or structure, but goals can change mid-mission. Leung and Mike fight on their own but can also be given specific orders, including movement and search patterns, attacking specific enemies or defending friendly units. They can be given preferences for long- mid- or close-range combat. Anita’s OASIS truck cannot attack or defend, but can be used to detect enemies on the map through a special radar scan. Enemies include all sorts of ground soldiers, tanks, aircraft and of course mobile suits as seen in the TV show, including Zakus, Goufs and Gelgoogs.
