MS Saga: A New Dawn

Did You Know?

• For the American release, the theme song was replaced with an instrumental version.
• Japanese sales figures listed the game as the poorest-selling PlayStation 2 Gundam game.

Gameplay

In MS Saga: A New Dawn, players can build their own mobile suits by mixing and matching parts from mecha designs found in the early Universal Century Gundam series, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. The playable units are limited to simpler mecha, while more advanced ones, such as the powerful Devil Gundam Corps from G Gundam, appear only as enemies controlled by the game. To finish the game, players must figure out which combinations of parts and pilots work best.

Combat follows a turn-based system similar to older Final Fantasy games, where both enemies and player characters take turns. Actions consume AP, which can be saved up to unleash stronger weapons or special attacks. Outside of battle, mobile suits can be customized by swapping parts, which usually changes their look and color scheme (though color changes are purely cosmetic) and alters their weapons and shields. Weapons come in two types: hand-held items like rifles and sabers, or mounted ones like Gatling guns and shoulder cannons. Some special attacks require a minimum number of weapons or specific types to be used.

For instance, a player could attach Master Gundam's wings to a Zeta Gundam, combine them with shoulder armor from the Gundam Sandrock, and add the legs of a Dom.

Story

Before the world fell, humanity built the Glory System, or G System, a remarkable network that could manufacture any machine as long as its blueprints existed. Then an apocalypse known as the Great Fall struck, and survivors slowly pieced society back together. In this rebuilt world, a boy named Tristan—called Trush in the original Japanese version—lived contentedly at an orphanage with his closest friend, Fritz. Their peace shattered when mobile suits, strange new weapons, attacked the orphanage and killed everyone inside. Driven by grief and a need for answers, Tristan set out to learn why his home was destroyed. He gathered a group of loyal companions along the way and uncovered a hidden conspiracy. Their journey began when they obtained an RGM-79 GM from the G System and immediately fought a Zaku I. With the GM and the Zaku I in hand, Tristan and Fritz started their quest to avenge the orphanage and their caretaker. The killer, a man named Vladi Zarth, commanded a faction called the Dark Alliance, which aimed to conquer the world. Tristan and his allies, joined by others who shared their goal, resolved to kill Vladi Zarth and dismantle the Dark Alliance.

Characters

Tristan, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal and known as Trush in Japan, left an orphanage run by a kind woman named Ms. Natalie one year before the story begins. As he departed, the orphanage was destroyed by a black Zaku IIS and two Zaku II escorts. Swearing revenge, he built a GM alongside his childhood friend Fritz to hunt down and destroy the Black Zaku. He is forward-looking and optimistic, but this can lead him to act impulsively and get into trouble. His strong sense of justice compels him to help anyone in need. Over the course of the story, Tristan shows traits similar to a newtype, even learning a skill reminiscent of Mobile Suit Gundam's Amuro. He pilots the Gundam, Zeta Gundam, ZZ Gundam, and later the Nu Gundam.

Fritz, called Flitz in Japan, grew up with Tristan at the same orphanage and is treated like a younger brother. He is knowledgeable about machinery and travel, serving as Tristan's trusted companion and support. He has a habit of disappearing for months and has connections with the street rats of Eisengrad. Though somewhat cowardly, he always keeps his promises. Fritz is very focused on money and often complains about high prices in the Black Market. He starts with an MS-05 Zaku I and later pilots the Full Armor Gundam.

Aeon, known as Ithi in Japan, is a young girl around the same age as Tristan and Fritz. She was found unconscious inside a spaceship that crashed after the Great Fall, called the Moon Ark by locals in Angelina. She suffers from severe amnesia and remembers nothing before being found. Aeon lacks common knowledge about the world, not even knowing what the ocean is. As the story progresses, she develops newtype-like powers. She initially pilots an MS-06 Zaku II and later the Wing Gundam Zero Custom.

Tremmie, called Tremie in Japan, fights the Dark Alliance on her own and has a massive ego. She is exuberant and full of energy, which greatly annoys Fritz. She always has something to say, and it is later revealed that her last name is Zarth. She is searching for the man using her deceased brother's name, Vladi Zarth. Tremmie starts with a GM Command.